Wilson Sophia 2 vs. Watt/Puppy 7


I listened to the Sophia 3s today and was blown away. I want to build a system around Wilson speakers, putting most of the money in the speakers and upgrading the electronics slowly. The Sophia 3s are not in my budget but I can afford a used pair of the Sophia 2s or Watt/Puppy 7. As they are used I cannot do an A/B test. Which of these speakers sound closer to the Sophia 3 and which would you recommend based on the follow criteria:

Current room dimension: 24 X 19 X 10
Music: Blues, rock, vocal, techno, house
Electronics: needs to be less picky because I don't want to spend a lot in the beginning.

Thanks!
davidbrinknyc
I've heard both including Sophia III's. All sounded great to me, so if you are lucky enough to get the Sophia II's you will be very happy. Do not go too cheap with the rest of your equipment. Even if you have to let the speakers sit for 6 months to a year (providing you get them at a steal) it's worth the wait till you can afford a good upstream to feed the speakers with. Garbage in garbage out. I've heard way too many great speakers sound bad because lots of people think they are the most important component, but you'll be sorry if you don't get a good amp, pre, tuner, cd, tt, wires, and ic's. (depending on what type of system you are building) I wish I was as lucky as you getting the Sophia II's. Good luck.
I think you'll find that the Sophia II will be more compatible with less expensive electronics than the WP7. With state of the art electronics the WP7 would come back into play, but with speakers of this quality which one is "better" is difficult to say. Your room, your upstream equipment and your taste would have to make that call.

Try also Hyperion HPS-938. You/ll find some comparison to Wilson Puppy 5.1 here:

www.hyperionsound.com/Images/Hear%20the%20Hype_low_res.pdf
I also think the Sophia 2 would be the choice for now. I upgraded to the Sophia 1 then upgraded my amps twice, pre-amp three times, CDP twice, turntable once and cartridge twice before reaching a place where I thought the 1's "needed/had" to be replaced. I think you get the idea, when I replaced the 1's with the WP 8's I was somewhat ready.
I lived with the Sophia 1's for almost two years and the time spent learning with them prepared me for the 8's. I think it's good to live with a speaker for awhile and discover what it takes to make them work and what they can and can't do. This seem to only come with time/familiarity for most of us.