Proac D38, Wilson Sophia II, Avalon Ascendant???

Mcrheist,

Thanks for your advice. I have not made a purchase yet. The more people I talk to tend to think the Wilson's have a slight edge over the ProAc D38's. I'm not sure and probably will never be sure. I e-mailed a professional reviewer who has listened to both speakers at length and published articles about them as well. Ultimately he said three things that I take to heart. 1. The ProAcs have a musicality about them that is amazing for how they are priced within the market. 2. The Wilsons are more accurate and more true to the reproduction of what is being put through them. 3. You can't go wrong with either speaker as they are both incredible and both highly recommended by many audiophiles around the world.

Taking all of this into account and the fact that the Wilson Sophia II are $5K more than the ProAc D38 I just have a hard time deciding if that difference in cost justifies making the change???

You should consider having Rick at SelahAudio build you a custom pair with the drivers and of the shape/design that you like best.
http://selahaudio.com/id103.html
http://selahaudio.com/id74.html
http://selahaudio.com/id73.html

Building a speaker is much more than just putting a bunch of speakers together in a DIY box.

I have heard a ton of DIY speakers, many of them using state of the art drive units, and most of the time was very disapointed.

Hello All,

Thanks agian for all the advice. This was a great thread. I just auditioned the Wilson Sophia II against my ProAc D15 to evaluate for tonal differences etc... I've decided to go with the Wilson Sophia II. I plan on taking delivery in the next few days. My final assessment is simple and mentioned above. ProAc and Wilson are both great. ProAc is more musical at the expense of being slightly colored. Wilson is more accurate. Above all else listen for yourself and go with what you like. Also, realize that a more accurate sound does not always translate to a better sound.

I know you were in a difficult position - having to extrapolate how the D38's would sound from your experience with the D15's(two steps down in the line) - but I worry ,for you, that you've jumped from a known and loved family sound to one very different. Please keep us posted on how the Wilson's wear on you.I've always liked the Proac sound but based on my recent auditions of the D38's they strike me as really,really special!!