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Wilson Audio Sasha 2 vs Sophia 3

Hello Audiophiles,

How does the Sophia 3 (discontinued?) stack up to the Sasha 1 or 2.  I've seen a threat on Sasha vs. Sophia, but...

I've recently auditioned the Sabrina and the Sasha 2.  It was no comparison for me; the Sasha did everything I thew at it well, the Sabrina did some things quite well, and others not so well - couldn't deliver much impact or scale for me. 

I'm trying to decide whether the Sophia 3 is closer to the Sasha or the Sabrina?  I know it's in the middle but where?  

14x21' audio room.  ARC ref75 and Lumin T1 streamer.  I have 1st/2nd reflection and base traps installed.  Moving up from Focal 1027s. 

Thanks for ANY opinions and inputs!!!


jo1mtb
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

Be careful do your homework, the Sasha is far harder to drive especially in the bass and mid bass than the Sophia.

The Sasha would like an amp that delivers current, I don’t think your AR75 is up to it but maybe OK with the Sophia.

"On the other hand, the Sasha’s plot of impedance magnitude and electrical phase (fig.1) reveals the speaker to be a demanding load for the partnering amplifier to drive."

http://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-sasha-wp-loudspeaker-measurements#kc5zqbs0YwBXFQXu.97

Cheers George



james633
1,023 posts
 
I have never owned any of these but have heard all 3 several times. 

The sophia 3 is MUCH closer in sound to the Sasha 1 than the Sabrina. At the going rate they would be my #1 choice but for a few grand more you could get a used Sasha. The adjustable head really helps with setup. 

Honelty I thought the sabrina was just average....  It lacked the bass power that makes the Wilsons for me. 
jo1mtb OP
121 posts
 
George,

Thanks for the link. I did read that review.  I've also ready so many comments about how well the Sashas play with Ref75, but perhaps I should consider the Ref150.  I did notice a huge dip ~2ohms creating a very significant gap/phase angle from ~100hz and for quite some time up the audio band.   I'll keep you all posted on how they sound. 
Thanks again for all the input. 

gpgr4blu
1,082 posts
 
I have Sasha 1 with Ref 150 ( KT 150 tubes). No problems driving the Sashas. Back when I had the Ref 110 amp, I brought the Ref 210 monos in house to see how much better they would do with the Sashas. At the time, it was about 10% (mainly in dimensionality and imaging) with no appreciable difference in the low end.
Based on that, I’ve always felt the 150 WPC amp is best bang for the buck with the Sashas. That said, I’ve never heard the Ref 75se with Sashas although I’ve heard the Ref 75se vs the GS 150 with the Alexias. It was no contest. The GS 150 drove the Alexias very well in all respects while the Ref 75SE drove them in a merely satisfactory way. Hope this helps.
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
No problems driving the Sashas. Back when I had the Ref 110 amp

Yes, but the Ref110 has double the amount of output tubes than the Ref75, 8 instead of 4.

The Ref 75 may sound fine, even in the bass/upper bass to the unwary, but when an amp with current is compared to it, then one will hear what it's not doing right in the bass/upper bass.

Cheers George 
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