Wilson Audio Question compaired to Vandersteen


I have a friend that is a Wilson Audio fan and I have always liked them he is using the watt puppy 7, they just have a great punch and are very clear, also there center is awesome looking. My current speakers are just boring lumps so something that stands out would be nice. I use my speakers 80% for HT these days. I have a chance to get some at a great deal anyhow I am not sure where to start. I have Vandersteen 5a but what is the Wilson Audio model compared to the 5a's. Also I know what I hear but what are other people’s opinion between the two? Thank you in advance for any input.
programmergeek
I didn't say get the Sophia 3, I was making a point about the deal buyer mentality, a great deal is only a great deal when you take into consideration a number of possible factors.

Take for example:

A Levinson 33H which was a $30k amp which probably sells now for $10k however, at least according to Mike Silverton of Soundstage, a pair of Nuforce Ref 9SE V3 smokes them! I am quite a fan of the REF 9 and I think if you hear a well setup pair they are amazing sounding! The Nuforce's are fantastic amplifiers for the money, however, as with anything else they must be used correctly.

I will take my very well set up KEF 207.2 to a pair of Sasha or Sophia's or Vandys thank you very much.

The KEF's are a total sleeper biggest problem nobody gets to hear them setup well, as most KEF dealers are custom installers while many others big dealers have jumped on the boutique manufacturer of the month club ie Magico or YG.

The problem with many audiophiles is they believe more what's in print and have to own the hot trophy product and are also swayed by marketing bull.

If you look at most of the magic midrange drivers which Wilson uses they are paper and reed seas drivers which cost $78.00 from Madison! Wilson makes a big deal saying they are proprietary however, having a basket which is stamped their name is hardly proprietary.

People need to go and listen to these products carefully setup in a good shop and then make up their mind, stop believing what you read in print as most of these magazines are more beholden to their advertisers than the truth.

When I look at a product I look at the driver technology, the engineering, the quality of design and if possible the measurements, just because a speaker is or isn't a particular type of crossover slope or uses x type of drivers doesn't mean it sounds better!
I own wilsons but was practically drooling at a demo of the Vandersteen 7s - I wouldn't suffer too much if I had to live with those ($40K+!) speakers...
Audiofreakgeek is overreacting. His comments and my reaction indicate only that IF one is going to go with Wilson that the Sophia 3 is a better move than a WP7/8. Of course there are lots of other choices. KEF and Revel come to mind. But, given what Programmergeek currently owns, coupled with what he is now looking to do, the Wilson seems like a good fit for him. The point is FOR HIM, not what the best speaker is on an absolute basis.

The speakers he already has are very, very good. Given how room adjustable they are, he's probably better off looking at placement, room treatment and upstream equipment rather than new speakers.