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Wilson Sophia

I have been looking at stepping up from my B&W 704s and heard the 802Ds, the Naut 802s and the Wilson Sophias. I was all set to spend the 4500 on a pair of used 802s but then I heard the Wilsons. All I can say is that the Wilsons absolutely spoke to me. My problem is that this is a huge investment for me and I think that I must be crazy to even be thinking about this purchase. Even more so, because I live in an apartment building and cannot "crank up" my system to massive volume levels.

My question is-am I going to be able to truly appreciate these speakers with my McIntosh MA 6500 integrated and my Lector CD player? There is not going to be any money in my budget to even consider other changes for a long time. Wilson's were set up with mid level Naim gear.

Are there any risks with buying the units off the floor if I can get a deal?

As always thanks for your input.

John
jhorton19

Showing 5 responses by dmurfet

dmurfet
101 posts
 
Medium time lurker here - you flushed me out describing the sophias as "trashcans" - thanks - I love to laugh out loud!

I have heard a pair of ex demos, but there was something wrong with the system - even in this situation they sounded good.

I can empathise with an earlier post about stretching your budget. However "quality is remembered long after price is forgotten" does spring to mind - as and when you can afford them - go for it - you don't often read about people downgrading do you? Just don't give yourself a heart attack doing it!
dmurfet
101 posts
 
Just thinking about pulling the trigger on some wilson kit, I already have Krell, but only a tiny showcase to run my HT set-up. I know a lot of people think the Krell / Wilson sounds too fierce, but then don't consider the front end. I have the Meridian 861 v4.2 which tends to be very smooth. Would this tame the fierceness or should I really be looking at BAT / LAMM /Audio research.

Trouble with this is I want to enclose the power amps in a cupboard (open at the back) and I see lots of problems trying to enclose tubes........

I have owned tubes before and liked it, but it is dynamics I like the most. I appreciate the "people have already made up their mind before they post" concept ....... anyone use other SS gear with Wilson and smoother front ends? Would Levinson / Pass / Halcro help?
dmurfet
101 posts
 
I suppose the only way for me to answer this question is to listen back to back, but I'll ask anyway - opinions on WP7 versus Sophia - is the step up worth it?
dmurfet
101 posts
 
I've just agreed, but not paid for a pair of Sophias - should I re-negotiate? I feel I'm getting a bit of a bargain even after shipping and duty because of rip off Britain prices but will prices fall much further?
dmurfet
101 posts
 
I bit the bullet and bought them.

The bitter taste is not there since the prices of them over here are nearly double the US price (dealers selling series one for £9k ex-demo) and they are here on audiogon for $9k. The maths really doesn't add up.

If they do what I think they will, I'll be happy and move onto the next element for upgrade and I won't look back until I get a bigger house because I can't get bigger Wilson's up my stairs, the stairs would collapse.....
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