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Wilson Audio Sabrina . . . I'm smitten. Should I consider others?

Went on a small audition trek last week and heard the following:

Tekton Double Impact SE (I was curious based on the posts/comments)
Magico S1 MKII
Magico S3 MKII
Devore Fidelity Orangutan 0/96
Wilson Audio Sabrina

The Wilson Sabrinas were not initially on my list, but when I stumbled across them while searching for Focal Sopra 2s, I couldn't resist.  The Sabrinas were very impressive.  In fact, after hearing the Magico S1 and S3, I went back to hear the Sabrinas a second time to confirm what I had heard.  They were initially driven by the ARC Ref6 preamp and the new ARC $30K monoblocks, but the second trip I asked if they could be driven by more economical equipment, so they used the LS28 and VT80.  The source was the dCS Rossini both times.  Because there was no A/B comparison of equipment, I really didn't notice any drop off in performance.  

The Sabrina's price point is my upper end, but I'd like to achieve a no stone unturned level of search/comfort before I pull the trigger.  Most brands are not easily accessible in Kansas City, but I'm willing to make the effort if justified.  Are there any other loudspeakers I should consider in this range?  I listen mostly to older rock, blues, jazz, and female vocals  Streaming with something like an  Aurender A10 will be my primary source.  My goal is to decide on the loudspeakers for this system, and work backwards into the components.  That'll be a future question.  Appreciate your time and help.
kcpellethead
souljacker's avatar
souljacker
2 posts
 
May I add to the list a brand that lately seems to be forgotten, don't know why, specially in the US. They're imaging and capability of "disappear" are surreal.
They are cheaper than the Sabrinas, they probably don't have the slam of the Wilsons, but I'm very pleased with my pair of Avalon IDEA SE (black piano lacquer) driven by a Nagra Classic amp.
My room it's not very large, but the Avalon's, if matched carefully, punch way above its price point.
Just my two cents.
willgolf
936 posts
 
I am just curious what you thought of the Tekton DI in comparison to the other speakers you listened to.  You may want to consider Legacy speakers.  They have a speaker for every price point
david12
1,454 posts
 

I have to say, as a long term non Wilson fan, I loved the Sabrina when I heard them first and on several further occasions. I use an ARC ref 75SE and the Sabrina sound perfect with ARC amps, IMHO. I am still not a Magico fan, a defect in my character and ears, I'm sure. So if it were me and I could afford them, it would be Sabrina.


  Having said all that, I still would'nt give up my Daedalus Audio DA-RMa speakers, others have mentioned the company on this thread. I'm going to be buried with them, or in them. There is no dealer network, but Lou has a large number of very happy users who are willing to demo them. Just contact Lou and ask if anyone near you can offer a demo. He really is a great man to deal with, very helpful and you'll save yourself a lot of cash too.

jonasandezekiel
158 posts
 
@Kcpellethead
You're considering Wilson Sabrinas and you're NOT an audiophile?? How do you figure?
Also, you didn't mention your impressions of the Tektons.
Just curious, although I think I can guess your response.
cb5300
42 posts
 
You owe it to yourself to check out Legacy Audio, their speakers will match up against any of the brands you have looked at...I won't go into how wonderful the Legacy are, but let's just say that there's a good reason that I own 3 pairs (Focus SE, and 2 pair of Studio HDs), and am looking to pick up a set of Calibre...Truely a wonderful speaker and great people at the factory to work with. Brice and Victoria are very helpful and will do anything to help.
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