BEST AMPS FOR WILSON SASHA

The Pass Labs amps before .5 series are of a much lower quality compared to the .5 and .8 series.

Even a X250 is not able to drive your speakers. You also need the rest of the set of a very high level to have a chance to get a good result out of your speaker.


By using the Ayon also as a pre amp you will loose a lot of quality a poweramp can give. For example; before I bought the Pass Labs XP-20 I used a Meridian 800Daxv4 as a source and pre amp. It is comparable with your situation.

It is far from ideal. It lack dynamics and even details. It also build a less wide and deep stage. 

By far the biggest limitation I have auditioned at many sets in about 18 years of time is that most of them get a low quality out of the speaker they own.

I always bring in sources and cables and sometimes amps to show people how low the level is what they get out of their speaker. When you show them how much higher the level is by using better stuff they realize that the balance is not good.

Here you see that the people who sold it to them, often don't know how tot create the best balance for the money people spend.

Arsh, I am also a Wilson fan!  Of all of the speakers I have owned, my Sophia 2's are my favorite.

Bo, while you sound very knowledgable, lets not forget to play nice.  No need to over-enthusiaticly trash a brand that the OP and others actually enjoy.  Your input is valuable, but if you tone down the rhetoric just a tad, the post will stay constructive and be less of a rant.

I do agree that Wilson's are generally hard to drive.

Atma-Sphere Amplifier the MA-2 (220 Watts of OTL) will happily run the Wilson with ease and finesse. These are regarded as one of the best amplifiers on the planet.

At the end it is important that you get the best possible out of any speaker.

At the end in most situations it is average till poor. It is seldom that people are able to create a good level out of a speaker.

This is based on different aspects. When you are not aware of the properties and d.n.a. of a speaker it is a hard job.

Most people think when they buy an expensive speaker they don’t have to spend a lot of money on other parts. This is by far the most made mistake in audio.

Most rooms in houses are not easy to be used for Wilson Audio speakers. You need to know how you can adapt it.

Even when I ask a question about cables why they choose it and if they can tell me the properties of the cables they use people don’t know.

You cannot use cables blind in a set. At the end you will hear a sound and image what is build by all the different properties togheter and the acoustics.

Each cable builds the stage differently and also has a different way in sound.

That is why you need to understand how music and instruments sound in real.

If I can give an advice to each person overhere; please visit a small acoustic live concert. It will give you a new view about music and audio as well.

Audio needs a new reference frame so it becomes more easy for people to adapt the sound and stage of each system.

In the last months I asked to many people who work in audio if they are aware of all the different properties of each part in the set they demo?

No one knew. So I asked a new question to them all; this means that you are not aware of why the sound and stage is what we hear?

Most said; I think so. This is audio by trial and error. When you don’t understand why the sound and stage is what you hear it is almost impossible to create the sound you would like.

When you don’t have a reference frame ( most even don’t know it) then tell me what is your focus?

This is the main reason why all the sets I have auditioned in 18 years of time most were poor till average. It is very clear to me why this is the level in sound what people can create.

When I listen to a set at a show and I see which brands people use and how the set is being placed it is clear that there are many mistakes.

We are not talking about one mistake, but many. You can spend 500.000 dollar on a set, this does not garantee you anything.

I saw at many highend sets exactly the same faults people make at mid level priced audio sets. You would think that the knowledge would be a lot better. But in real it was not.

You want the best sound possible for the money you spend. But the way audio is sold by trail and error you always work at a very ineffective way.

That is why you need to change it to create a much higher rusult in sound.

" You want the best sound possible for the money you spend." - no kidding .  Time to come down from the mount with all of the preaching Bo