Am I broken? Am I stuck? Do I have to return my audiophile card now?


Hi Everyone,

 

I hope you're all doing well!  I am looking for a little advice or input and see if others have experienced this, or am I broken?

 

First, I want to say I am a Wilson fan boy.  Love 'em, hate 'em, whatever, but I love their speakers.  I will also fully admit that I've been in love the with the idea of owning Wilson's since I was a teenager.  Well, about a year ago things worked out - I had the money and we moved into a house (from a condo) - so I auditioned a few different speakers but the Wilson's were what ended up being my choice, specifically SabrinaX's.  I LOOOOVE them.  I drive them with an RME ADI-2 DAC into a Luxman L-509X.  To me, it sounds fantastic.  What one reviewer said about the Sabrina's is what I feel most accurately expresses how I feel about them.  It was something along the lines of, "I enjoy every moment I spend listening to the Sabrina's and think about listening to them every moment I am not listening to them."  

 

But the Sabrina's have one flaw.  They aren't Sasha's, or really, WATT/Puppies as those were the speakers my young self always wanted.  But I wrote off the Sasha's at the time because they were more money, and are MUCH bigger.  Life was good.

 

But then my dealer had a Wilson event and I met the one and only Peter McGrath.  What cool dude.  Anyway, I mentioned to him my love for Sasha's and he fired back that the DAW's were going to be soon replaced that my dealer could probably work out a pretty sweet deal on a pair. 

 

My dealer auditioned the DAW's for me with a pretty modest (relatively speaking) amp, at my request.  A Hegel H120 using the internal DAC/Streamer.  Well, the DAW's easily blew my Sabrina's out of the water here.  The imaging was far, far sharper, bigger deeper, taller stage, far more detailed, actual SLAMM and the dynamics...  Oh brother, the dynamics....

 

So here's the thing, my dealer is amazing just doesn't know how to say "no" so he's offered me a smookin' good deal on a trade in for my Sabrina's for the Sasha's.  I can very comfortably afford to do the swap.  My wife is fine with the size/looks of the DAW's.  Everything is a go!  But...  But I come home and listen to my Sabrina's and think, "This is friggin amazing!" and so I am left not pulling the trigger.  I'm actually happy with the sound, despite knowing that there is better.

 

The other side of this is that I used to want to pursue a better amp/DAC for my Sabrina's but now I don't really.  After having heard the DAW's I know the Sabrina's will never reach that level, regardless of gear.  So spending on a amp/DAC seems silly when, if I am going to spend the money, I know I should just get the DAW's as that will offer a greater improvement.

It's like I've stale mated myself!  

I don't want to change my Sabrina's because they sound so good.  But the DAW's do sound better.  But I am happy with the Sabrina's!  And so the circle goes...

So am I broken?  Am I to be stripped of my audiophile card?  Has anyone else experienced this where they can fully acknowledge that there is better than what they have, but still not have the motivation to make the leap?  Or maybe I'm just being cheap (I do also want to support my dealer because he's amazing)?

Maybe I'm alone here in how I feel.  But I suspect there are a few audio-friends who may understand.

Happy listening,

-Paul

 

bigfatpaulie

Wow. That is a conundrum. 
 

How about this. Talk, or pay your dealer to audition the new speakers in your home. Then let your ears / heart decide. The problem is you are actually comparing a known with and unknown… You have not heard the new speakers in your acoustic environment. I think this might make the decision easier.

My take is, if the cost is not a problem, you will always long for the Sasha's, trade in your Sabrina's and enjoy. Life is too short to begrudge yourself.

But you are an audio nut (like me) who will always search for something better. Next step will be upgrading your amp... It never really ends.

Enjoy the hobby!

ozzy

There is always something better.  And remember, your dealer stays in business by selling. Your dealer has no problem taking your Sabrina's in on trade. Until you try other speakers in your room, system, setup - no telling what is going to be "better".

Agree with @ghdprentice to try for an in-home demo especially since your dealer has a hard time saying no. That’d obviously be the optimal scenario and would likely firmly and confidently answer all your questions in about an hour or so.
 

Last thought — I think your DAC, while not bad, is not up to the rest of your system and big gains in imaging, soundstage, tonality, and musicality among other things can be had FWIW.  Anyway, best of luck with this and let us know how it works out if you could.

Like others said, try them in your home and if you like them, trade in your present speakers.  They may or may not sound as good as what you heard at the dealers.  Your room has a lot to do with the sound.