WILSON AUDIO.....BIG NAME, BIG PRICE........ARE THEY THAT GOOD?

Hmm, might want to go and read Mike's follow-up post

I really like Wilson, the dynamics are incredible which makes a huge difference in sounding real,  there are many other great qualities as well which I won’t go into since so many have already said in these forums. . I haven’t heard the Watt Puppy 8 in a long time but remember thinking  they were one of the better Watt Puppies I’d heard. I also really like the current stuff they have. I’ve owned the DAW and the Alexx 2, moving up once again soon.

Sounds like if you were able to demo the Sasha DAW and really liked them, then that should be conclusive.. I’m sure you understand they do prefer/require nice upstream components and cabling.
But if you liked the strengths and presentation, you should look for pairs within your budget. You can get W/Ps in the $5-7K range, Sophias in the $7-9K range, and Sashas 1-2 in the $10-12K range. Only Wilsons I would stay away from are the much older Witt and the Cub. And some folks seem to think the Alexia 1 had some coherence issues.
I have a pair of W/Ps, and the small form factor (as long as there are dynamite dynamics), while not totally determinative, IS important. Big horns, or Maggies, or other obscure shaped speakers - while they may sound more immediate, or live, or ’real’ - are more visually problematic over the long term. Wilsons can get you pretty close sonically, in a much more real-world package that’s a lot easier to live with.

that's what I was considering keithtexas. I can get a pair of Watt puppy 8's for 6 grand. Sasha DAW used is still beyond my budget as well as Sasha 1 or 2. Sophia 3 if I stretch maybe.  Really would like to get their newer models with the silk dome tweeter. Don't care for the Focal metal dome. 

Jeff,
If you’ve found some WP8s at the $6K mark, that seems like a semi-no-brainer. Unless one is a significantly different color than the other. LOL Nothing better than getting the sound you want - at a really affordable price. Win-win. They will give you many miles of smiles.
They are also an understated ’statement’ to friends and family and visitors.
When people see them, they say ’very nice!’ And when they hear them, they say ’holy shiite!’
I understand some people have poo-poo’d the Focal inverted dome tweeter, but I personally think it’s great. Wilson modifies it so much - and designs the crossover so well - that it performs almost perfectly in the W/P system. And I think if it weren’t quite so VISUALLY metallic, most people would not say it was too sharp, brittle, ’metallic’.. Wilson’s overall application really is that good.
Keep us posted.