Well I just came back from my audio dealer and had a great time auditioning some of the speakers mentioned. I had a chance to listen to the Wilson Sophia 1 against the Verity Audio Fidelio....I brought my wife also to give a second opinion. Well all I have to say is the Wilson Sophia was fantastic! I auditioned with a full Linn system and the Sophia was just great. It was fuller bodied than the Fidelio, great tight bass, vocals were smoother and just overall soundstage was better. I am sure the Fidelio is a fine speaker but in this case it just was a matter of preference and the Sophia just suited me better.
I had the B&W 802D at my house on demo and the Sophia was better IMO. One thing that struck me is that at lower listening levels the Sophia retained so much detail where as the B&W's really wanted to be cranked up to get their full potential. I thought the bass was tighter and cleaner on the Sophia compared to the 802D's.
All the speakers I have listened to have been great but really a matter of taste as to which one would suit an individual. I am no considering purchasing a new pair of Sophia 2's.....I just have to get the courage to plunk down the cash as this is probably my biggest audio investment. I will be spending this week thinking about it.
Thanks for all the comments and advice! |
Sorry, I did not mean to sound so negative or grouchy. I actually think that Wilsons (Watt Puppies, at least, I have not heard Sophias) have a wonderful sense of space and a bass that is perfectly integrated and natural, almost a bass to die for; that is why I bought them 6 years ago. My WPs probably deserved better cabling and more compatible upstream equipment, and I truthfully regretted letting them go without trying harder.
I was just making an specific inquiry on how the Sophias handle voices, as I feel some otherwise fine speakers somehow, to my ears, get them wrong. I had another post elsewhere noting that Apogees excelled on vocals, so that subject was on my mind. Just my 2-cents opinion from many years of listening. Thanks for writing about the Sophias. |
On these boards we have all read what might be construed as "hate-mail" t'ward many mfr's,ranging from Krell/B&W/and certainly Wilson,included. Everybody has their favorite front end,cables and the like. Then we have listner's preferences_____ALL part of the hobby.I don't have your ears/ you don't have mine. Vocals that are etched ?____That I don't hear from ones or twos. I think tone of instrument (all instruments) and vocals go hand in hand.I have no loyalty to Wilson beyond my speakers.I would be unhappy as would just about all of us with etched vocals.---Jeez,get you some speakers--hold the "etched"-- |
How are the Sophias on vocals?
My old Watt Puppy 6s (Pass X350 amp, Accuphase DP75V and Meridian 508.24 cd players) often had vocals that were so astringent and etched they were unlistenable. Listening to the Beatles was impossible. Most classical was pretty good though, except for some piano recordings that sounded annoyingly "electric." ('loved that tight bass + deep soundstage, though.) Is this part of the Wilson sound, or have things improved in the intervening years? |
Ok__This is all based on what I have read in reviews__ What they say is the Kevlar is stiffer and thus B&W's requires more power, which makes sense to me. (This is a paraphrase re.the 802 and the 801;says so in both reviews)
I had bought my dealer's demo Sophia. I only owned them for maybe 12 weeks. I got to trade them back for 1800. When they delivered my Series 2's they picked up my originals which was a pretty sweet deal 4me. I would guess at just under 15k would be near the price. |
Hi Av,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying them. I am pretty new to the Wilson brand. I have been a B&W guy for the last 10 years and wanted a change. I actually had the B&W 802D's for a short time...liked them but felt they needed alot more power than I had in my system for them to sound great. I think there great speakers but maybe not for me at the moment. I have heard that the Sophia does not require an enormous amount of power to make them sing. I hope that's the case when I audition them. As I had mentioned before in my thread my potential goal if I go the Wilson route is to match them with a Spectral DMA-100S. I have heard Spectral and Wilson are a good match. Anyhow I will audition them fairly soon.
Can you confirm the current pricing for the Sophia 2? Someone on the thread mentioned 14k? Is this correct? |
Hi__ I just got my series 2's last week.Actually they arrived mid Dec. and had damage to one, so it took this long to have a new one made;to replace the damaged one.Wood crates are no match for a forklift,tip.I had Sophia originals but 2 months between, makes my comparison kinda shaky.Not to mention broke-in vs. new is also a problem. BUT__ What I can hear, 4 day's new, is pretty hot.Just seems to be better treble/ more detail in the mid/ upper region;along with the same great bass as the original. These speakers just seem to be made for me and my equipment. I live in an apt. so they never get pushed hard. I'm using a kinda cheap amp-- A single stereo Belles 150,ref. They wow me! Tone of instrument being one of their strong suits. Having owned a few great speakers in the past(Montana- Merlin mm's) is what I base my opinion on. Too bad the first speaker got crunched and my comparison to what I had 2 months ago is twisted and a bit disjointed by time. |
Chuck,
Amazing, 11k for the Duette's.....I wonder how many Wilson will sell? It sounds a little steep for a speaker of its size but I heard it's a pretty phenomenal little speaker. Obviously you liked it quite a bit. I wish it was in the 8k range though. I thought the Sophia's were around 13k. Oh well I will have plenty to listen to on my next trip to the audio dealer. |
The Duette is $11,000.00 and they told me that the Sophia has gone or is going up to $14,000.00 or $14,500.00.
A friend who was actually doing the auditioning was sitting in the sweet spot seat for the Duette demo, but it sounded FANTASTIC where I was standing. One of the songs that they were playing was a piece with Japanese drums that sounded like you were right there. Clear and true as a bell and loud enough to knock you back with each hit. Unbelievable!!!
I was auditioning power chords the two times I was actually sitting in the good seat, and it was in anothere system Rowland or BAT with the Sophia's. They sounded really good too, but I had brought my own material.
Your best bet is to give both of them a long, hard listen, I don't think that you'll be disappointed IN THE LEAST with either one.
Chuck |
Chuck,
I had no idea the duette was out....was there a big difference in sound between the Sophia and Duette? Did you happen to get a price for the two?
I think I may have to go to my dealer soon. They carry both the Verity Line and Wilson. |
I listened to the Sophia 2 and the new Duette twice in the last two weeks. They both sound really good. It'd be worth your time to audition both of them.
Chuck |
Verity is a nicer sounding speaker. Both costly . The Verity is as good as it gets. A local dealer carried the Verity line and also had Rogue and others. The Verity's where awesome. |
