Wilson Sasha, SF Amati Anniversario, Thiel CS3.7

Elberoth2,
Valid point about the adjustable head, I always just thought it was just to adjust the tweeter angle based on seating distance. I just assumed that since wilson does not seem concerned with phase he would also not be concerned with time alinement.

Argyro, "I think the Wilson is a better engineered product!".

Please explain your thinking. Wilson is no chopped liver but Thiel has a number of well document innovations over the years.
Part of Thiel 3.7 white paper

I have demoed the Thiel 3.7 a number of times and I feel they are one of the best buys in high-end audio. I have demo the Sophia for a few hours but only heard a few songs on the Sasha.

What the Thiel have that make them stand out is they have a very wide ever dispersion. This gives them a very solid sound stage and imaging. It also makes them some what more flexible than many speakers as far as placement goes. The other nice thing about having a wide even dispersion is you can use less toe in (if you have a wide room) which will make the sound stage wider than if they were toed in.

They are also time alined and this will translate to more accurate timbres. But you need to sit 8-12 feet depending on how far your speakers are apart.They also have razor flat tonal balance.


As for the Wilson line (again I have very limited time spent with the Sasha) you will gain bass punch, slam if you will but you will give up other things to get there. They will not be time and phase alined (once you have it you will always want it). The Watt Puppy 8s (Sasha?) dispersion is also not as even though out the frequency range as the Thiel's. You often here people say 0.5" either way can make a break a wilson from being good to outstanding...

In the end all the speakers you listed are VERY good and it comes down to personal preference. The Thiels are the best buy IMO but I could see why someone would choose the Wilson... They have more body and an slight inner warmth that the Thiel 3.7s lack. Thiel are nothing but the truth like it or not.

Looks like you are in for a good time. I am looking forward to reading your impressions.

"In the time domain, the W/P8's step response on the tweeter axis (fig.10) is basically identical to that of the W/P7, with the tweeter and Puppy woofers connected in positive acoustic polarity, the WATT midrange/woofer in inverted acoustic polarity."

John Atkinson of Stereophile: Watt Puppy 8 measurements

Yes I am very aware that the Sasha is the new model. I heard them at a well setup quiet dealer's show room, not a show in a hotel... The difference stated on Wilson site are larger cabinet volumes (both upper and lower) and the use of the midrange driver from the MAXX Series 3.

There is nothing stated about the electrical system and based on Wilson history little changes from model to model except slight tweaks based around new drivers used. It is very safe to say that the methodology to the cross over network from the Watt Puppy 8 to the Sasha have not changed.

The name change has nothing to due with the redesign but more marketing. I believe Wilson is feeling the pressure from brands such and Magico to keep an updated line. This can be seen because the Sasha is the first new Wilson speaker to cost less than the older version. Also statements like below seem to be a direct stab at Magico. Statements that insinuate they USED birch ply and metal but have found something better.... in the end the Sasha is more Watt Puppy 8 than not... and sounds pretty darn good.

"The cabinets were constructed of Baltic birch plywood and metal-hybrid baffles. By the time he had conceived and built the first WATT in 1985, Dave was looking for materials that could exhibit much better damping while achieving greater rigidity than wood, mdf, or aluminum For the WATT, he chose a mineral-filled acrylic compound. The WATT was immediately acclaimed for its inert, low-resonance cabinet and uncolored sound."