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Does the wilson sophia 1 sound good only with perf

I now have the Sophia 1 speakers. They seem to sound right only with very well recorded music. Otherwise the defects show up and stand in the way of plain enjoyment of the music. Has anyone else had this experience with them? I use Audio Research tube qmp and pre amp.
mgguy
mgguy OP
12 posts
 
I am having someone set them up correctly.
chayro
3,016 posts
 
Badly recorded music sounds bad on any speaker. Fact of life, Grasshopper.
johnsonwu
469 posts
 
A lot of times people tend to blame their setup's tendency to leanness, thinness and soundstage smearing to bad recording.
I was there when I had my Krells and Levinsons and some Audio Research (notably VT200).
So are all DG recordings from 1975 to 1990 bad?
They do sound horrible on systems with a false sense of detail and resolution such as the early 90s krells.
But play the same stuff in a well matched system of competent gear and you might find the sonics enjoyable again.
I am not talking about flea powered single ended amps with horns or OTLs into ESLs.
With good amps the Sophia 1s can be tamed to not make the not so smooth recordings sound terrible.
chayro
3,016 posts
 
I don't often quote Peter Aczel (The Audio Critic, for you newbies)but I agree with him in that the most important element in the heirarchy of hifi is the recording. That doesn't mean not to listen to worthwhile music that is poorly recorded, but don't expect sonic bliss. For those who care (and I doubt many do at this point) Peter's next in line for most important is the speaker. Or maybe the room, I forget. One or the other. Anyway, don't expect miracles with bad recordings. You'll drive yourself nuts, if you're not already there.
pkoh70
34 posts
 
Whoever think Sophia 1 is a high resolution speakers must have not yet heard what real high resolution speakers sound like. The sophia's got a overblown bass, topped with mid that is very much veiled. room placement/system upgrades may help improve sound but you will never get too far. MGGuy, you have very good ears and yes, I am sure you are actually hearing defects from Sophias. Before you put down any more money, think about changing your speakers. Think why they now have Sophia 3 in the new line up..really messed up. Sell your Sophia if you can, and try others in the market in similar price range that will offer you far better value/performance. It won't be too hard to find..FYI, back while ago, I auditioned Sophia 2 vs Thiel 3.7, KEF 205/2, B&W 802D, and Revel Studio's, and Sophia came dead last..and I am only mentioning few..I am sure there are more options. Trust your ears and go explore !
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