questions for georgehifi and others about powering my Wilson Sasha2s


Conversation with georgehifiArchive this

George, I read a thread you commented on about amps for Sasha 2s, but the direction got derailed when Troy came in and it deteriorated into the merits of Troy providing insights rather than the content of the insights.  I have seen other posts by you and I respect what you have said. I have been flailing around with my system the last two years. I've been doing my best to ferret out gear that makes sense, and I have made great progress, but its been messy. Synergy though reading reviews is elusive!! I ended up recently with Sasha 2s, sourced only by a Vivaldi Stack, Modwright LS300 (had to get tubes to tame the dCS and Sasha 2 combo) and JC1+ amps, Everest with all Shunyata Sigma V2 and V1 and Alpha V2 power cords. Some gear sits on Townshend platforms, Sashas on Podiums, and IC and SC loom is Townshend F1s. My Sasha 2 amp journey started with the amp I had which was a Naim DR300 NAP which was not very detailed and not powerful enough for the sasha 2s, but a fun amp on my old B and W 801s. I then bought the JC1+s and was very impressed. Wife finally loved the sound of my system again. I did think the JC1+ lacked a bit of resolution, but it was a sweet and powerful sound with a strong lower foundation that was a joy in musical terms to listen to. I then got weak and started to give in to the dogging on the JC1+s that is quite easy to come across.  Last Friday I took delivery of a NIB Luxman m900u. Figuring if it was as musical as everyone claimed I'd buy a second one and be done with my amp search. It's been burning in for about 100 hours now. It's got more resolution, and a deeper soundstage, and while it's bass is musical it's bass light. The real problem is that in my system its too bright on female vocals, strings and piano. Wife wants the JC1+s back but I've heard that resolution and depth and I can't unhear it. Guys a know on line now say its a bad match for Sasha 2s, two guys say I need Ampzilla 2000 V2s, some say Modwright KSE 150, others say the Modwright or two are not good enough. I have avoided tube amps my whole life, but? My budget is around 22K for amps, so two used m900us were perfect. Do you think the Luxman will burn in/burn burn/off the brightness? I am over using cables as tuning devices, but It did occur to me to roll the 7308 Amperex USN in the LS300 for some British warm tubes to compensate. Can you shed any light on my situation? I'm pretty beat up and disappointed right now. Often on this forum I hear about all these product recommendations for products and companies I have never heard of. I don't want Macintosh like brands but also not any  tiny start ups that are not even fully rolled out. Thanks for any help.


128x128wokeuptobose
 I ran my Krell KSA turned on for 28 years straight!!!
wow what was your power bill like??
 I want all the class A I can get. I ran my Krell KSA turned on for 28 years straight!!!



Bite the bullet.
I think your ready for the Gryphon Antillion Evo driven direct from your Vivaldi.
My friend Edgar has it with his Total dac driving it direct and it’s magnificent. There’s the Gryphon on the floor.
https://www.soundstageaustralia.com/images/stories/equipment1/201711_wilsonalexia1.jpg

Cheers George

gerryah930, that is VERY helpful. Thanks. I think we have similar sound goals. I heard the DAW and loved it, the Sasha 2 purchase was my practical side winning out. I still believe the 2 is a very promising speaker, maybe matching components is even more important with it than the DAW.  I've found it's very sensitive to what it's fed, hence my quest. The Naim DR 300 was similar to the GS150 in that it wasn't enough for the Sasha 2s. You are not the first person who loves the Sasha with the bigger ARC mono amps. I found the ARC REF 10 when I had it to be very "non-tube like" in its sound. How do you evaluate the 250SE and 160M sound with the Sasha 2s. I have little doubt they will be ideal with the DAW. I think the 2s need an amp with a certain profile.  I like most of the m900u sound especially the airy sound, just not this bright on female voices thing. Did you hear that or it that my ears/room/system in your opinion? It still may burn off. Jays Audio Lab is on the record saying that he liked the 160S over the 160M. Do you have an opinion? I do not always agree with Jay for what its worth. Thanks so much for sharing this relevant experience!
If you want Class A look at the Pass Labs XA 60.5 or 60.8 (or up the chain XA) monos. Pure Class A, push much above the rated power and handle some of the tougher Wilson loads with no issues.
@mayoradamwest Can you tell me more about your ARC/Alexia 2 set up?  I'm looking at both of these to upgrade my system.  What are you using as a Preamp?

Thanks!

Woots