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Auditioned Wilson Sabrina X vs B&W 803D4 and Shocked

I recently auditioned the Wilsons vs. B&Ws and am a little befuddled. I had money in hand and was ready to purchase the Wilsons, but after reading the stellar reviews of the Sabrina Xs, I didn't think anything could compare in that price range. The source equipment was the McIntosh MC611s and the MC12000, which closely replicated my equipment. 

It was not even a close comparison; the B&Ws were clearly better in every aspect. The midrange was glorious, the highs were crisp, and the bass filled the room. The Wilsons were anemic with bass (roughly 14'x16'). The midrange was clinical, and the highs were nothing to write home about. I'm perplexed because Sabrina's bass output (per the reviews) belies its driver size. We even experimented with the 4 and 8-ohm outputs on the Macs.

Has anyone experienced something similar, or am I missing something (synergy, cabling, etc.)? I really wanted to love the Wilsons, but at $20K, I am not impressed. I know the B&Ws are $5K more, but I heard that Wilson is doing a price increase for 2025, which will level the price gap. I would love to hear about some experiences involving both brands or the discrepancies I heard in the presentations.  

128x128jeffreyw
jayctoy's avatar
jayctoy
4,173 posts
 

For a long time Iam not a fan of Wilson speakers until I heard them with Dan Agostino s amp and preamp I was blown away.Both B&W and Wilson are great speakers it’s your job to match them with the right components. 

helomech
1,706 posts
 

Not at all surprised by your findings. We don’t all share the same size/shape/age ears. Nor do we all share the same language and dialect (which does affect how we perceive sounds). So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that we don’t share the same preferences. The Toole school would like us to believe that’s the case but it’s not—probably the reason for why B&W doesn’t bother to make flat measuring speakers any longer.

B&W’s 800 series employs one of the best tweeters in existence, which goes a long way in mitigating listener fatigue despite the tipped up response.

yoyoyaya's avatar
yoyoyaya
773 posts
 

@OP - If that is how the Sabrina Xs sounded, they were not set up properly.

moto_man
370 posts
 

I have not heard the B&W's, although I had 805's at one point.  However, the Sabrina X's in my system definitely do not sound as you describe it.  I have a Pass 250.8 and an ARC REF 6 pre to drive them, and to my ears, the combination is the perfect mix of width and depth of soundstage, black background and great placement of instruments. The Wilsons just do it right in my system and small music room.   I think that that treble is smooth -- perhaps too smooth when coupled with the McIntosh gear.  Just goes to show that everything makes a difference, and it is really difficult to compare the sound of one system with an entirely different system.

simonmoon's avatar
simonmoon
526 posts
 

As a few others have said, McIntosh and Wilson are not a great match. I have heard this combo for a couple of decades with different Wilsons and different McIntosh products. 

For my tastes, and I will state here, that I am not a Wilson fanboy, Wilson with a better matching amp, will sound better, than McIntosh with the B&W.

 

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