Wilson Sasha 2 or Alexia for small room 10' x 17'?


I went to audition the Wilson Sabrina at a local shop. I so wanted to love these speakers because of the reviews, price and compact size. Unfortunately, I could not (don't hate me  Sabrina owners). I did, however,  fall in love with the Sasha 2. It seemed to do everything and more that I was looking for and I am hoping this speaker will be a speaker I can live with for a very long time. After thinking about it, I wondered, is the difference between the Sabrina and Sasha 2 smaller or greater than the Sasha 2 and current Alexia? The room has  good acoustics, Mcintosh C50 pre, MC152 amp and as noted above, is very small. Would there be too much bass and overwhelm the room. I have not heard the Alexias and was wondering if any owners or listeners familiar to both can comment on the differences and similarities and give impressions as to how they might work in my small room. I currently own and like very much the  Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 but am looking for more. At this point, I am pretty sure I will go with the Sashas  but am looking for guidance from someone with experience especially since it is very hard to locate the Alexias and hear personally.  Thanks for your opinions
996cupracer
I have Wilson Watt 8s, having previously had 7s and 5.1s.  I have heard the Sasha 1 and Sasha 2s in various dealer demonstrations and shows.  The Sasha 1 was not a large enough improvement over what I have to lead me to change.  

The Sasha 2 is noticeably better.  I would make the trade but for the fact that the Alexia has been so much more compelling on all the occasions I have heard it at shows.  One can follow what cellos and basses are doing very much more clearly, and the imaging is better.  I prefer it to the Alexx.  

Trouble is, my room is not huge, at 6.4 x 4.2m (21ft x 14ft).  Watt 8s don't dominate it; Alexias would.  So I wait for the day I can move to another place with a bigger room that can fit the speakers I want.  
Your room is larger than mine dcolver and I still considered the Alexias. My dealer said they would overwhelm and I listened to him. I bet they would work well for your room as yours is larger.  Big cost differential though. One thing that I did notice, a decent number of high end electronics manufacturers play Alexias in particular and other Wilson speaker to showcase their gear. They must do it because it puts their equipment in what they feel is the best light.  I have not heard the 8s but I am sure they are wonderful and you are enjoying them just fine! Good luck and be content and happy regardless of the rig being played.

So…after almost a month of waiting, the  Sasha 2’s  (galaxy gray) were delivered. Shipping weight was over 500lbs and I am glad they come with installation! It took 2 men about 5 hours to unpack, remove the protective film and set them up and store the wooden crates (they did also tweak some wiring as well). I was thrilled when I saw them. The quality of the finish and construction blew me away. The shape is an acquired taste that you either love or hate. Everything about Wilson speakers is polarizing from the sound, price and esthetics and I guess I fall into the group that is attracted to them. 

As mentioned earlier, my room is very small causing me concern about the sound fitting and bass issues. The first sounds emitted from them in my room were beyond awful!!! I immediately got worried that I made a huge mistake. The bass was a boomy garbled mess, the highs were shrill and not very smooth , and there was no imaging and sound stage at all creating a poorly integrated 2 separate speaker sound that nobody would love. The look on the installers faces said it all. They were worried too.

Fortunately, the story does not end like this. Closer investigation revealed that the separate amp controlling  the 2 in floor mounted sub-woofers used for home theater, had accidentally been switched on and the volume turned way up. Turning this off just about eliminated the bass issues. Tweaking speaker toe-in/out position and proximity to the wall eliminated the remaining bass problems causing it to tighten up nicely. The last problem was imaging and 3d presence which also got better but was not what I would consider good or even acceptable at this level of speaker. With no other tricks in the installer’s bag, one of the installers called Wilson’s engineering department and they took all the crucial measurements from the installer, crunched the numbers, and called us back with a change to the upper module staircase position. Thankfully, it was a miracle after that. Vocalist and instruments were where they should be and the speakers transformed from 2 separate sound sources to one stage of very detailed  sound with a very 3d presence allowing vocalist and instrument placement on the stage that was created in front of me.. They now have about 30 hours on them and the sound just keeps getting better. The bass is much tighter and the upper and mid have turned liquid smooth  but still retaining the dynamics that Wilson Audio is famous for. Female vocalists like Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Melissa Menago, Vanessa Fernandez, Sinead O’connor, Loreena Mckennit  are sheer joy now. Horns, strings, pianos, and bow instruments are incredibly detailed and transparent with just enough grain to excite. The textures, highs and mids are almost electrostatic like but IMO,  much more realistic, natural and way fuller. Classic rock like Nirvana, Linkin Park, Nills Lofgren and others really come to life as do well recorded classical and Jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dave Brubek. I now find myself expanding my musical tastes and variety because music sounds so dam good or am I just getting older?

I am using a Mcintosh C-50 pre amp including the integrated DAC and  smallish MC 152 amp to drive the Sashas and the speaker’s efficiency allows the amp to just about loaf along at impressive volumes. In fact, the volume is rarely turned up past 40%. I exclusively use digital sources (too lazy for vinyl) and am pleased with the level of warmth and depth with the music never becoming overly dry which can happen with very accurate speakers, digital sources and much of today’s synthetic music.

Downsides of the Sasha’s include ability to expose  poorly recorded sources, intolerance to lesser speakers, and the large amount of  brawn, expertise and time required to set them up properly. I found it amazing that moving the speakers 1/4 to 1/2 and inch accomplished a focusing of the soundstage, tightening of the bass and widening of the sweet spot. Perhaps my close proximity to the speakers magnified the positional importance. I still think there is  more available for harvesting and it is fun experimenting.

Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and the change is a massive upgrade (in sound and price!) to the Sonus Faber speakers that I was using (I do still like the SF sound and may keep them for my art studio…great value and imaging). Music is so much more enjoyable now and I am more addicted than ever!  I listen in wonder as very talented musical artists give me private concerts nightly. The speakers have yet to be spiked and the installer is coming back in a couple of weeks after the speakers break in and fine tune the positioning if needed. I expect a bit more benefits to come with spiking and break in. Anyone looking for a dynamic, well balanced, well integrated, full range speaker capable of playing most music styles in a very emotional and engaging and ultra detailed way should consider auditioning the Sasha 2s. 

As for the question that inspired the initial post of wether the Alexia’s or Sasha’s would be better for my room? Dan my Salesman says I definitely made the right choice. I trust him, but I don’t think that I will ever know for sure if the Alexia’s would have overpowered the room, but I can say for sure that the Sasha 2s are more than enough and I don’t plan on ever finding out.


I have no dog in this fight, but I do have some observations. In my opinion, the Wilsons are probably the most musical speakers I have heard. I really love their sound and could listen to them forever.
I recently listened to the Persona speakers and I think they are probably the clearest and best resolving speakers I have ever heard. But they are not as musical as the Wilsons.
JMO, but Wilsons for music, Personas for home theater. The dialog is incredible with the Personas, but I would tire of music much faster with the Personas. They are VERY good with music, but also brighter. Not in a bad way at all, but just not as involving as the Wilsons.