So…after almost a month of waiting, the Sasha 2’s (galaxy gray) were delivered. Shipping weight was over 500lbs and I am glad they come with installation! It took 2 men about 5 hours to unpack, remove the protective film and set them up and store the wooden crates (they did also tweak some wiring as well). I was thrilled when I saw them. The quality of the finish and construction blew me away. The shape is an acquired taste that you either love or hate. Everything about Wilson speakers is polarizing from the sound, price and esthetics and I guess I fall into the group that is attracted to them.
As mentioned earlier, my room is very small causing me concern about the sound fitting and bass issues. The first sounds emitted from them in my room were beyond awful!!! I immediately got worried that I made a huge mistake. The bass was a boomy garbled mess, the highs were shrill and not very smooth , and there was no imaging and sound stage at all creating a poorly integrated 2 separate speaker sound that nobody would love. The look on the installers faces said it all. They were worried too.
Fortunately, the story does not end like this. Closer investigation revealed that the separate amp controlling the 2 in floor mounted sub-woofers used for home theater, had accidentally been switched on and the volume turned way up. Turning this off just about eliminated the bass issues. Tweaking speaker toe-in/out position and proximity to the wall eliminated the remaining bass problems causing it to tighten up nicely. The last problem was imaging and 3d presence which also got better but was not what I would consider good or even acceptable at this level of speaker. With no other tricks in the installer’s bag, one of the installers called Wilson’s engineering department and they took all the crucial measurements from the installer, crunched the numbers, and called us back with a change to the upper module staircase position. Thankfully, it was a miracle after that. Vocalist and instruments were where they should be and the speakers transformed from 2 separate sound sources to one stage of very detailed sound with a very 3d presence allowing vocalist and instrument placement on the stage that was created in front of me.. They now have about 30 hours on them and the sound just keeps getting better. The bass is much tighter and the upper and mid have turned liquid smooth but still retaining the dynamics that Wilson Audio is famous for. Female vocalists like Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy, Melissa Menago, Vanessa Fernandez, Sinead O’connor, Loreena Mckennit are sheer joy now. Horns, strings, pianos, and bow instruments are incredibly detailed and transparent with just enough grain to excite. The textures, highs and mids are almost electrostatic like but IMO, much more realistic, natural and way fuller. Classic rock like Nirvana, Linkin Park, Nills Lofgren and others really come to life as do well recorded classical and Jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dave Brubek. I now find myself expanding my musical tastes and variety because music sounds so dam good or am I just getting older?
I am using a Mcintosh C-50 pre amp including the integrated DAC and smallish MC 152 amp to drive the Sashas and the speaker’s efficiency allows the amp to just about loaf along at impressive volumes. In fact, the volume is rarely turned up past 40%. I exclusively use digital sources (too lazy for vinyl) and am pleased with the level of warmth and depth with the music never becoming overly dry which can happen with very accurate speakers, digital sources and much of today’s synthetic music.
Downsides of the Sasha’s include ability to expose poorly recorded sources, intolerance to lesser speakers, and the large amount of brawn, expertise and time required to set them up properly. I found it amazing that moving the speakers 1/4 to 1/2 and inch accomplished a focusing of the soundstage, tightening of the bass and widening of the sweet spot. Perhaps my close proximity to the speakers magnified the positional importance. I still think there is more available for harvesting and it is fun experimenting.
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and the change is a massive upgrade (in sound and price!) to the Sonus Faber speakers that I was using (I do still like the SF sound and may keep them for my art studio…great value and imaging). Music is so much more enjoyable now and I am more addicted than ever! I listen in wonder as very talented musical artists give me private concerts nightly. The speakers have yet to be spiked and the installer is coming back in a couple of weeks after the speakers break in and fine tune the positioning if needed. I expect a bit more benefits to come with spiking and break in. Anyone looking for a dynamic, well balanced, well integrated, full range speaker capable of playing most music styles in a very emotional and engaging and ultra detailed way should consider auditioning the Sasha 2s.
As for the question that inspired the initial post of wether the Alexia’s or Sasha’s would be better for my room? Dan my Salesman says I definitely made the right choice. I trust him, but I don’t think that I will ever know for sure if the Alexia’s would have overpowered the room, but I can say for sure that the Sasha 2s are more than enough and I don’t plan on ever finding out.
