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Considering Wilson or Sonus Faber floor standing over my Rockport monitors & Wisdom Sub

Hello All,

I have a pair of Rockport Mira Monitors with a Wisdom SCS subwoofer, driven by Audio Research tube amp and preamp.  I am considering a move to a floor standing speaker.  The Wilson Sophia 2 and the Sonus Faber Cremona M or Sonus Faber Olympica III all caught my eyes.

As it is, I am getting very good bass with the Wisdom SCS sub, and great sound from the Rockports.  What will a move to a similarly classed floor standing model over the monitors and sub give me?  I wonder at the ability of the monitors & sub compared to a singularly designed floor standing speaker.

My room is not dedicated, and the living room where the system is opens to the left to a dining area, and there is an open foyer behind the listening position.  The listening area itself affords about 9.5 feet between the speakers, and an equilateral triangle to the listening position.  The speakers are about 4 feet off the back wall.  The left speaker has the open dining room to the left.  The right speaker has about 3 feet to the right side wall.

My Rockports are relatively insensitive at 85db, so a move to an 89db or 90db speaker would be a welcomed one.

Do you think a floor standing speaker on this level (Sophia 2 / Cremona M / Olympica III) will be a dramatic improvement over what I have?

The details of my system can be seen here: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/5421

Thanks!
- Mark
marktomaras
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Having participated in a big Rockport room at CES once upon a time and having visited Rockport rooms other years, I can report they showed with tube electronics both times.  Now I don't know whether the Rockport dude is sweet on tubes but if he is he's got good reason to be IMHO.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
I think I saw Rockport running tube amps at CAF a few years back as well, but they were very big, very esoteric and very expensive. I’m sure most anything would have sounded very good with those amps. The system seemed to perform very well by audiophile standards (big sound, uber detail) but not quite my cup of tea soundwise, a bit analytic sounding  . Pllus the speakers themselves were quite large floorstanders so quite possible a few tube watts went a good way there. Smaller monitors with smaller drivers and extended bass tend to not be very efficient or easy to drive and usually do best with high current SS. Of course YMMV.  You never know for sure what might float one's boat.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
The system I participated in at the Tuscany include the Rockport Hyperion 500 lb each speakers power by two, count em, two Tenor tube amps each.  The reviewer from The Absolute Sound, Jonathan what's his name, Valin, declared that room the best sound at the show and the best sound he had ever heard anywhere.  Blush.
gpgr4blu
1,082 posts
 
I think you will find that all Wilsons play well with tubes. Indeed I’ve owned 3 different sets (Sophia, WP7, Sasha and possibly soon to be Alexia) and have had them in house with a number of systems including all McIntosh tubes, all ARC tubes and tube pre and D’Agostino solid state stereo amp.
3 nearby dealers feature them mostly with tubes. Sophias are the easiest to drive. Sashas quite a bit harder and Alexias the toughest.
A number of members at Audio Aficionado who are also ARC fans use the Ref 75 or Ref 75 SE with 75 watts per channel and feel they need no more on either their Sophias, Watt Puppy/Sashas or Alexias. No doubt that is true for Sophias. I like the Watt Puppy/ Sashas and Alexias much better with the Ref 150 or 150 SE. Alexias are the only speakers in the Wilson line that are noticeably better (10 to 15 percent) with 250 watts (eg Ref 250 or 250 SE). The question then is---Is that percent worth doubling the cost of amplification?
markmendenhall
221 posts
 
I've listened to the SF Olympica iii's with a Halo A21 and also with mono Bel Canto M1000 class D amps.  Both amps are superb with these speakers. If you crave an emotional connection with the music the SF's deliver in spades.  In addition to sounding very nuanced, delicate, and finessed, they can deliver believable, tactile, full bodied, linear music at satisfying rock and roll levels as well.  Not to mention the gorgeous build quality....
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