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Wilson Sophia

I have been looking at stepping up from my B&W 704s and heard the 802Ds, the Naut 802s and the Wilson Sophias. I was all set to spend the 4500 on a pair of used 802s but then I heard the Wilsons. All I can say is that the Wilsons absolutely spoke to me. My problem is that this is a huge investment for me and I think that I must be crazy to even be thinking about this purchase. Even more so, because I live in an apartment building and cannot "crank up" my system to massive volume levels.

My question is-am I going to be able to truly appreciate these speakers with my McIntosh MA 6500 integrated and my Lector CD player? There is not going to be any money in my budget to even consider other changes for a long time. Wilson's were set up with mid level Naim gear.

Are there any risks with buying the units off the floor if I can get a deal?

As always thanks for your input.

John
jhorton19
siliab
362 posts
 
I thought it was worth it.

The major benefits of the Sophias are that they cost less, and are easier to drive with excellent but less expensive amplification. They sound truly fabulous with gear such as the Naim Nait 5, or the Music Reference RM10 which are not the best matches with WP7s. The Sophias can sound even better with mega expensive stuff, but I think that the superiority of the WP7s is better revealed in that context.

The benefits of the WP7s that have the most meaning to me are that they are more dynamically nuanced, and can be set up with more precision. They have less residual noise, play louder, deeper and higher. They are clearer through the midrange, have a more precise soundstage, and have more palpable imaging. Whether these have any meaning to you is completely a matter of personal taste.

The Sophias are incredible speakers, the WP7s are more so, the MAXX2s more than that, and the Alexandrias more than that. I don't think you can go wrong in any case. Listen and decide what's best for you.
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
I have a change of amps for my Sophias. I use a Belles 150a Ref. most of the time. Then when I'm so inclined I switch to my CJ 8xs triode monos.It was a pure simple monetary choice on not getting the 7's.I'm one of those guys whom can watch a ball game with no tv. audio and listen to music at the same time.---My stuff is always on when I'm online,like right now. I've only had these for 2 months so they are still breaking in; but they're the best speaker this poor boy ever owned.About 10 leagues ahead of my "old" Merlin, MM's.(Or, so I think)
branimir
236 posts
 
New Sophia Series 2 is just introduced by Wilson. They have a new tweeter. Price is $13990/p US Retail and old version can be upgraded to new one. You can find out more on http://www.soundstageav.com/audiovideonews.html I bet that we will have Watt/Puppy 8 soon...
dmurfet
101 posts
 
I've just agreed, but not paid for a pair of Sophias - should I re-negotiate? I feel I'm getting a bit of a bargain even after shipping and duty because of rip off Britain prices but will prices fall much further?
branimir
236 posts
 
Dmurfet,
If you did not paid Sophias Series 1 yet-then you should re-negotiate. What if new Sophia Series 2 is much better than the old one? Then, even with huge discunt on price you will have bitter taste in your mouth after buying old version.
Just looking how many people is talking about Sophias...
Many of them will be in akward situation. Either to go for new Sophia Series 2 or to buy old one with big discout.
Since Wilson say that Sophia Series 2 is better in every way than old version( I like new grills, same as Maxx2 ), I suspect we will see lot of Sophias( series 1 ) on used market soon( since the price for upgrade to Series 2 status is over $3K and new grills are not included ).
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