Wilson Sophia 2's on Marantz Reference

$14K is the 'mass market' for Sophia IIs?

I ain't too sure how much mass is in that market. in fact I'm not so sure there is any mass in speaker markets over $5-6K MSRP, with $4K being the wealth of the loudspeaker industry, by and large.

maybe it's for the penny pinching executive... not the mass (larger ) buying public.

I've heard both the 802N & Sophia II... both on Ayre & or Levinson or Krell. 801's as well on Krell 250 wpc mono blocks.

the Ayre & Levingson were 400 wpc and 150 wpc monos respectively.

I didn't care for any of them. Some seemed starved for power, ie., 801 on 250wpc with Meridian front end. or simply uninvolving. Stark imaging well set and solid, but just dry & unemotionally engaging.

Given the size of the power trains all were attached to, I would sure think about my own power trains abilities. All did seem to require more than oridnary power to do what they do... and again, for that kind of money, they failed to so much as leave me with any positive impressions, past the cabinentry they possess.

The cabinents were sharp! Very nice esthetic... and maybe if tubes and something other than Transparent cabling were used... then... maybe.

I ached for either the 802 or Sophias forever! Aimed to get some eventaully.... was excited to be able to hear them too.... then was severely disappointed with their prresentations on the whole.

I've heard better for much less expense.

But if you've heard them in your system and like them, by all means, buy 'em! Just 'member, they'll need power despite their specs, to get their best out of them.

$14,000, while a considerable expense for the average person, is basically "entry level" for the high-end market. Not to be confused with "hi-fi", mind you, there are many great "hi-fi" speakers for a fraction of that. With the emergence of fine ID manufacturers, that barrier-to-entry has come down even lower, and from a "value" standpoint, it's difficult to match a manufacturer such as Salk, for example, for dollar-for-dollar performance.

But as I carefully referenced "audiophile mass-market", my meaning was clear. The $14,000 price-point would be considered "mass-market" (in a relative, not literal sense) for "high-end" manufacturers, if they even have such a model. Magico floorstanders used to start at $25,000, before introducing a new entry-level model last month for $18,000. Kharma floorstanders start closer to $40,000. High Emotion Audio and Goldmund floorstanders start at around six figures.

And yes, Wilson Audio Specialties is a "high-end" manufacturer. If you are familiar with the company's history, you would know David Wilson first commercial speaker was the WAMM, which cost $30,000, in 1982! He was not able to sustain his business selling only "cost-no-object" systems, so he decided to create less expensive models, which sold better and was able to financially sustain his passion, which was to create the company's flagship models.

This isn't a knock on "entry-level" speakers, by any means, as one should never judge a speaker by its price (except when determining value). But the Sophia 2, while a good speaker, is nowhere close to what Wilson has to offer. To really get the "Wilson performance" that the company is famous for, in my view, that starts with the WATT/Puppy 8, which is an incredible speaker. Beyond that, once you get to the MAXX 3, there is almost no reason to consider anything else. It's only if you have more cash than you know what to do with and have the most discerning ear do you need to consider the Alexandria X-2 Series 2s, which performance is beyond superlatives.

But the Sophia 2s? Not so much so.

Thank God someone finally settled this purely objective debate. I can now sleep better knowing that Butter Pecan is clearly better than Rocky Road.

Due to this revelation, I called my buddy who just purchased the Sophia IIs (for his second system of course) and asked him why he didn't first ask Mr. Wilson what speaker to buy since Mr. Wilson would have told him to get the B&Ws. He replied "I DID call him but when I went to buy the B&Ws their manufacturer's rep said the Sophias were a superior transducer (particularly given their intended use in a second system). I asked my buddy how and the heck he resolved this baffling dilemma. He said: "Well, I asked myself 'What speaker can I buy where I can get all of the deficiencies of the Wilsons with all of the limitations of the B&Ws' so I did the only logical thing and I went out and bought JM Labs Utopias!!" Made sense to me.

Philbert, you ALWAYS know what to do you wiley guy.

'It's only if you have more cash than you know what to do with and have the most discerning ear do you need to consider the Alexandria X-2 Series 2s, which performance is beyond superlatives.'
Dylan,
I think we all like to think we have discerning ear's , that's why we are on this site and spend more than the average person for your mega expensive highly frustrating hobby/passion. My system costs pennies compared to a lot of hi-fi hobbyists on here.
The Alexandrias only cost a piffling $145,000 so if nothing else, they had better be better than the average high end expensive brethren.
Heard the 802/classe combination, mega expensive, sound produced not worth the money being asked for my ears.
Have heard the Maxx II's also, they are a very nice sounding (and expensive) speaker and for me, if I could afford a pair would win hands down over the 802/Classe combo.IMHO.
Each to their own.

Ah, the show room fixture with a lack of means. They know all and recommend only the finest gear someone else's money can buy. Speakers are a personal choice. B&W makes a fine speaker, as does Wilson. The Wilson Sophia 1 and 2 have garnered the preponderance of the praise. I've owned several speakers from both companies. B&W's are current/power hungry and overdamped by design, which makes for a bit of a problem when it comes to micro dynamic contrast and bloom. They also have a tendency to throw a forward sounding mid band, thus reducing percieved depth. The Wilsons are better in this regard and offer excellent dyanmic freedom with fewer watts.