Does the wilson sophia 1 sound good only with perf

The sophias are a high resolution pair of speakers. If there is a problem with your setup, you will hear it through the sophias. Alternatively, if things are setup right, the majority of your recordings will sound fantastic.

I'd look deeper into room acoustics.

Mgguy,

I have a very similar system. Wilson Sophia I's, Audio research Ref 3 Pre/ Ref CD7/ and Audio Research VM220 Mono Blocks. If the sophias are not set up exactly correctly, they will sound hard in the upper mids/lower highs.
When positioned correctly in the room and have the proper toe-in, they will produce a much smoother fequency response. If your Sophias are new to you, work on set up over and over. Try toe in so they are aimed directly at you, withought either side visible from the listening position, spaced relatively widely apart. There are specific set up parameters that need to be observed to achieve smooth frequency response. The results are worth the effort.

I agree with what's stated above. Setup is key with these speakers. They can sound so so, or pretty darn good with only small adjustments. Even though I liked them, in the end I found the midrange lacking detail. That was the achilles heel for me. I replced them with GMA Continuum 3 HDs.

Shakey

Agree with Goatwuss and Jdolin. Who set them up? Where are they, dedicated room or...........? Could you describe your room, rack placement and speaker placement #'s.

I owned Sophia 1's for two years and sold them to move within the Wilson line.

I am having someone set them up correctly.