Wilson Sophia vs watt3/puppy2 vs revel studio

I know this is an old post, but the statement that the W/P 7 is an extension of the Sophia is just not true.

Wilson will tell you/anybody that the current version/model speaker is better than one that they stopped making a decade ago everytime.

The Watt/Pups are extensions within that line. The Sophia's are a completely different line - stemming more from the Witt than the W/P.

The two "lines" have very different goals (or at least sounds). IME, the Sophia's are a more fogiving sound than the W/P. For me, that resulted in a lack of excitement when listening to the Sophias. If I am seeking that "type" of sound, there are a lot of other brands that I think will do this as well or better than the Sophia's for a lot less money. I am not saying the Sophia's are not great, just that for my tastes are a lot more like a lot of other speakers.

Sophias really need some low energy to break in that big driver. Crank em up and leave the house for a good while. Will sound completely different.

Thanks for all the help. Bought the Sophias.

Yes, the Sophia cannot recreate the scale and power of orchestral music in the same way any speaker of its size cannot. The Kharmas 1.0 and 3.2, Audio Physics Virgos, Avantis and ProAc 3.8 models I have listened with "fell down" as well in that regard.

The Sophias will play most music in a more coherent manner than the Watt 3.2 model. The Sophias drivers, crossovers and cabinet structure are more advanced than the Watt 3.2, and should offer better performance in most every regard. You might want to ask Wilson, as they will likely be forthright about what to expect from each. The Watt/Puppy 7 is a more powerful, dynamic and more detailed extension of the Sophias, but in an entirely different price category as well.

I disagree with the post above stating the Watt/Puppies are better than the Sophia. That may be true with the Watt/Puppy model 6 or 7, but the Sophia blows away the 3.2s. The Sophia is more refined in every aspect. I also have read the reviews raving about the Hyperions,but I am cautious of new manufacturers without a long track record. I have owned several Wilson speakers and they have fantastic build quality, excellent dynamics and soundstaging and superb customer service.

I found the sophia to be a good speaker for lounge music...sax and stand-up bass, female singer type stuff.

You could almost see the speaker fall down with full-range classical :-0

All in what you want to play.

Best,

Paul :-)

In absolute terms the Watt/Puppy is a better speaker than the Sophia but its also more critical of the electronics in the chain and its harder to setup properly. The Sophia isn't really as good but its easy to setup and sounds impressive with a variety of systems. They're also a pretty good match to your MF amplifier and player, but I find them boring after long term listening and unlike the W/Ps could become a weak link if you ever upgraded your electronics. I never liked any of the Revel speakers and I find them all to be pretty poor performers.

I'd stick with W/Ps if I was in your shoes especially since you already tried them and were successful getting positive results.

Not included in your list, but have you considered the Hyperion 938s? They look similar to Watt/puppies. I recently bought them (wrote a review here recently) and find them to be great with all sorts of music including rock (I've listened to Richie Blackmore's Rainbow, Ozzy's Blizzard of Oz, Eagles, etc) and sound great with my tube gear, but your MF amp should really rock. They retail for $4k but usually you may be able to get 10-15% discount. Personally, I like the Hyps better than the Watt/puppies. Just my 2 cents. Check out hyperionsound.com for a dealer near you.

If you liked the 3.2 then the Sophia will be a revelation. Better in every regard, the Sophia's claim to fame is phase coherence, dynamics and musicality.

Obviously, you should audition first.