Sophia 2/Magico V2 versus Sasha/Magico V3


So I'm currently enjoying Wilson Sophia 2s and Magico V2s in my home.

Amplification is Pass XA 100.5, preamps alternate between H20 Fire (solid state) and Audio Valve Eclipse (tube). Sources are Modwright Transporter and Raven One/Tron Seven.

These speakers are very different. The Sophia 2s are more energetic and vibrant, have more robust bass and a lot more forward presence. They can bark at you with certain recordings (upper midrange glare), they are not gentle. Used with a tube preamp, I find the timbre to be very natural sounding, giving a great deal of the 'instruments are in the room' feeling. With solid state preamp, they sound a little cold - a little 'ceramic' if you will.

The Magico V2 is slightly colored in comparison - more of a wood sound, not as much as Avalon, but it's there. The highs are nowhere as crisp, the bass comes up a bit short and they do not have the dynamics of the Wilsons. However, they offer a heck of a lot more detail in the upper midrange and highs. I hear so much more of what is going on than the Sophias. For example, horn sections on the Wilsons almost sound compressed, whereas on the Magicos they open up and come to life; I can't get over the difference.

So here's where I'm going with this: the natural upgrade path for the Magico is the V3 and the Wilson, the Sasha. Can anyone speak to what characteristics are retained versus gained (or lost for that matter) in the two upgrade paths? If it were easy to hear them in my own home, I wouldn't ask, but unfortunately it's going to be work and I may only get to hear one of these.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
madfloyd
Hce4, thank you so much for contributing to the thread. Your post was very helpful.

I think bass & palpability are the weak spots of the V2s. When I switch back to the Sophia 2's, the first thing that hits me is the character of the bass and the dynamics. The V2 *is* wooly by comparison, but not enough to keep me from enjoying it, especially with its overall coherence.

It took me a while to warm up to the V2s as I normally do prefer a more forward presentation. I like the Wilson house sound in this regard, and really prefer the dynamics on the Wilsons, but that being said, if I had to choose between the Sophia 2 and the V2 I now think I would prefer the V2. I can listen without fatigue - at any volume level, and feel I'm hearing more information - even though they are colored (I agree with you on this). Pop recordings that are etched and painful on the Wilsons are enjoyable on the Magicos. I really think the Wilsons have a upper mid 'hump' that, while exciting, hurts.

I am also curious about trying different amps. TAS' review of the V2s claimed they needed 250-300 watts to sing and my XA 100.5's aren't less than this.

I had ruled out the V3s because my dealer doesn't have a pair that I could audition in my room and I don't want to take a chance (different tweeter, too many 'meh' reviews compared to the V2s). I could easily imagine that the dedicated midrange would outperform the V2 and that the extra bass weight would go a long way, but for all I know there'd be too much bass for my room (14x25x8).

I still have very high hopes for the Sasha. We'll see what happens in the upcoming week. I'm hoping to get a home audition at some point.
Madfloyd, may I ask how do you set up your Sophia 2's and Magico V2's in your home? Do you put them next to each other or do you put one pair aside when you hear the other pair?
Initially I moved the Sophia 2's out of the room when I got the V2s, but as I still use the Sophia 2's for movies, I now keep them tucked in the front corners.

When I watch a movie, I move the V2s off to the sides.

Neither is ideal, but more of a pita than an adverse affect on performance.
Madfloyd,

Sorry to bring back a dead thread but I was curious if you ever made it out to hear the Sasha? If so what did you think of it?
I did. I've also heard the V3.

The Sasha is one heck of an impressive speaker in the right environment. I've heard it in 5 different setups, PLUS my own (had a home audition).

I've never heard such a dynamic speaker. It does well with pretty much every type of music, but is very system and room dependant. It overwhelmed my room unfortunately (14 x 25 x 7.5 sealed) and shook my entire house with it's subwoofer-like low frequency extension.

I loved the midrange resolution. Not so much 'lush' like, say, the magico, but more textured. Piano had weigh, sparkle and attack. However, in my system the very exteneded high frequencies were alaso a problem - sibilence was painful.

My room is still a challenge. I need more bass traps. I'm still thinking of ways I can make the Sasha work, they're that good.