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Need advice on used Wilson Audio speakers

I know that some of you guys are going to laugh at this, because it is nowhere near the sophisticated set-ups you have on your racks.  But here goes.  Back in 1983, I bought a brand new set of Polk Audio SDA 1b speakers.  I liked the sound.  It was, to my ear anyway, accurate.  It avoided the JBL-era thundering bass that tired me out.  The SDA technology opened up the sound-stage.  I was happy.  But gradually, the old girls have gotten unlistenable.  I mean, it's been 40 years.  So, they don't owe me much.

I started looking.  Everything else Polk has made over the past thirty years left me cold.   And everything I've listened to in local big-box stores fails to put a grin on my face.   It all sucks.

I contemplated rebuilding the cross-overs and replacing the mids and high-end speakers and generally cleaning up and dampening the enclosures.   It would probably run me a couple grand. 

But I finally found a speaker that is worlds away better than the old Polks (okay, you can stop laughing now). Of course, they are also a lot more money).  I really liked the sound of Wilson Audio's Sabrina.  Now that the Sabrina 2nd generation speaker is out, I'm thinking I might be able to stretch into a used (or heavily discounted 1st gen Sabrina).  Probably going to run me about ten to twelve grand.  

Do any of you have any opinions on buying used Wilsons?  How often do they need to go back to Provo to be worked on?  What do I look for?  Should I just bite the bullet and buy new?

Finally, I've begun to understand that Wilsons like to be driven.  Means I'm probably going to have to buy a new amplifier.  When I listened to the Sabrina originally, they were driving them with the Boulder 850 set up.  Any thoughts on what I should consider in that direction?

I look forward to your kind and thoughtful answers. 


artbros
bpoletti
1,546 posts
 
In my opinion....

I found the "early" Wilsons to have hard sounding tweeters that were not particularly well-integrated.  That even extended to Wilson's big room at (IIRC) the Golden Nugget at the 1997 Vegas CES.  Dynamics, yes.  Fatiguing high frequency, yes.  

I think someplace along the line, better electronics were used.   Crossover improvements along with something other than that semi-awful Audax inverted tweeter significantly helped the Wilson line.  Now it's my opinion that the Wilson line of speakers performs up to their price tag.  

On a personal note, I ALWAYS thought that Dave Wilson was a very personable guy, friendly and cheerful, conversational and engaging.  His passing was a loss to the industry.  
pokey77
1,265 posts
 
@testpilot

Agreed. The Sabrina is a great speaker and you can indeed probably find them used at a pretty reasonable price. They sound great with ARC, T+A, Line Magnetic, Luxman, etc.
ohlala
1,235 posts
 
Wilson is strong used-market brand, and the Sabrina is a charming, very enjoyable model. I have heard them a few times with audio research amplifiers. Wilsons are often paired with Boulder, Doshi and D'Agostino, at least in my area. Easy to find an amp. CPO is a good route for those with trepidations about used speakers. 


wokeuptobose's avatar
wokeuptobose
129 posts
 
This past year I upgraded my 1991 B&W 801 Matrix anniversary model speakers, so I too enjoyed my speakers for a long time. I bought new, but an outdated model Wilson Sasha 2s. I was driving my B&Ws with a Naim NAP DR300 90 watts and thought it would be fine for the Wilsons. (on paper it is!) But the Sasha 2s just didn't sound that great. Two weeks ago I bought Parasound JC1+ monos. I had no idea what the Wilsons were capable of until I gave them the current they needed.  Just marvelous. My point is that if you buy a Wilson be prepared to buy a high watt amp capable of high current into low Ohms and you will be rewarded with beautiful sound! Good luck! I'm excited for you!
soma70
153 posts
 
I have owned WWP 6’s for 15 years and tried them with a wide range of application and sources. With the right front-end, which I would broadly define as...

1. a tubed preamp
2. a highly dynamic, powerful, solid-state power amp (must be able to double down watts from 8-4-2 ohms)
3. a clean electrical power source
4. a reasonably well damped room 

....they are a second hand bargain at around £4,000.

It’s true they can sound bright with some amps and sources, it’s all about synergy and whilst they may be less forgiving than other speakers, when you get it right they are exciting and addictive. 

the foams around the bass cones may need replacing. 

i blew a mid range cone once and the uk customer service was good. 

if i had the money i would go for the Sasha 2’s but the original Sasha’s also look interesting.

let us know what you go for. 

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