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Wilson Audio Sabrina X vs Revel Ultima Salon 2

I had the pleasure of A/Bing the Sabrina X vs the Salon 2 at authorized dealer Entertainment Technology in Mount Kisco, NY. A great store and very helpful! These speakers were paired with a Mcintosh C1100 pre, MC462 amp, and DCS Bartok. I listened to the Wilson, then Revel, then Wilson again for several tracks each over about an hr and a half. I have Revel voice and Gem 2 so the Salon 2’s seem like a perfect match but I also like Wilson a lot. One caveat to the set up is that the Wilson’s were in their ideal positioning. They were not allowed to be moved. The Revel’s were not ideally placed. They were spaced closer together and forward for the test. 

Sabrina X- Typical perfect Wilson build quality and made in USA. What was once a Wilson weakness, the tweeter, is now a strength. An overall delightful and easy speaker to listen to. The tweeter really is so smooth and enjoyable. 
Revel- Sounds similar to my Gem2’s but better in every way. Bigger, incomparably better bass. 
Overall the sound was so close! Extremely similar sounds. I’m not sure if it’s more impressive the small Wilson’s can compete with a larger and venerable Salon 2 or if it’s that a 13 year old speaker can match a brand new Wilson. I think I liked the Revel more. It may have been a visual bias but the Wilson physically is so small the soundstage wasn’t quite as large. Also, with the Wilson I had to keep my eye on the volume control. It seemed to run out of gas earlier than the Revel. It may have been the Mcintosh gear but the bass was better controlled on the revels. The Wilson went really deep for such a small speaker but it was almost too much bass, it didn’t seem quite right in comparison. However, the Wilson tweeter was slightly more refined. 
Would love to hear thoughts. I can easily live with either!  Both superb. 
spearl8
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 


I had the pleasure of A/Bing the Sabrina X vs the Salon 2
I don’t think that Mac is the right amp for the Sabrina X , you’ll have to use the 2ohm tap if it has one, then the wattage might not be enough because the lower the impedance tap the less wattage you get on transformer coupled tube amps, think the same applies with the Mac
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/sabrina-x-amp-suggestions/post?postid=2125370#2125370

The Ravels are a far better loading for the Mac
https://www.stereophile.com/images/archivesart/708Revfig01.jpg

Cheers George
Post removed 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Tested by Sterophile the DAW is a far easier loading for an amp in the bass, than the Sabrina X is. Big difference in phase angle in the bass -60 degrees for the X vs only -35 for the DAW. And the min impedance is far broader for the X.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/1219Wilsonfig1.jpg

Cheers George
Post removed 
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
In fact this proves my point further about the mcintosh being stable into lower loads
I never said they are unstable, most amps with output transformers tube or transistor are inherently stable, just won’t deliver the big current needed into the broad area of difficult bass loading that the Sasha X have.
A 100-150w Gryphon or John Curl JC1’s will do it far better than a transformer coupled Mac into the Sasha X.

However my point still also stands, the Ravel’s would be a far better speaker load if spearl8 wants to keep the Mac

And this comment of the OP’s proves those points made by Stereophile and myself.
spearl8 Also, with the Wilson I had to keep my eye on the volume control. It seemed to run out of gas earlier than the Revel. It may have been the Mcintosh gear but the bass was better controlled on the revels.


Cheers George
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