Replacing Wilson WattPuppy 5's


Yes, 20 years is a generous life span for these pets, but driven by the Vac Renaissance 70/70, well, they always sounded like 'home' to me. I'm considering either the Sashas or the Sophia 3's, once they're brought in from Eliot's loading dock and broken in. Should I anticipate a quantum leap in presentation from 1991 or has the Wilson 'sound' been pretty consistent over time ? Thanks. I'm a new member here.
dr_john
Thanks, Egrady, for your thought-out response; I now have some sense of Wilson's aural evolution. The Sophia 3's are, as I write, being broken in at NYC Innovative. I was blown away by the Sasha's, but there's about a $10k
up-difference from the Sophia's. I run a tube amp (the classic VAC Renaissance 70/70 with Western Electric 300B's), and I'm hoping to audition either speaker with tubes. $10K makes a difference to my wallet, and I'm wondering if the price diffential is quantifiable in terms of sound. A tough choice even for seasoned ears, I suspect.

Can one out there attest to the qualitative difference of tubes vs boards in driving the Sasha's/Sophia's. The KEF 207.2's were also suggested to me, but apparently their highs sound bright (surprising) with tubes.
I have Sasha's for 10 months. Using Ren Signiture VAC pre and Phi 110/110 tube amps to drive . Vinyl junkie. Soundstage is unbelievable. Depth and detail are the best I've ever experienced in my limited time in this pursuit. My room is roughly 20 x 25 x 9. Has extensive acoustic treatment.
Always lusted after Maxx2 until I heard Sasha's in my room.
Joe
Dr. John,

I drove my WP5's for some time with an ARC Classic 60. While 90% of the time I was happy, it was only after I tried a Levinson 335 that I realized what I was missing. A tube amp like mine, and yours, will not control the bass as well as a a big, high current one like the Levinson. I realize everything is a trade off and tubes have their own magic.

My point is, with your amp, you won't be getting the same level of low bass control as you otherwise might. Hence, you won't be able to take advantage of the probable difference between the Sasha and the Sophia 3. While the Sasha can likely produce a more powerful low C organ note than the Sophia 3, with your amp I doubt this capability is material.

The only way to know for sure is to listen to both in your room. My guess is the Sophia 3 would work just as well for you.