Wilson Sophia

Thanks everyone for your input thus far! We will make a decision shortly and will keep you posted...

So many opinions. The WP7s have resistors that will blow before any drivers can be blown. I assume the Sophia are the same. Don't worry about buying a demo. It is all speaker amp combination in the end. The VR4jr is a must audition & the VR4 Sr is also, if you want Wilson Type sound on the less expensive end. $4000 & $8000 a pair respectively if I remember right. I own WP7s & love them. The VR4 Jrs are great & very enjoyable for a lot less money. The Sophia is very close to the WP7 in many areas but misses the bass & the adjustability of the WP7.

Anyone mentioning the Sophia being better than the WP7 hasn't listened to them correctly setup.

IMHO Wilsons do sound better than B&W. That is what I owned (801Ns) before. B&W must play loud. They do sound great at very very loud volumes (no strain etc,). The WP7s also sound great, & don't need to play as loud as the B&W to get the same detail. B&W are shy detail unless played loud. WP7s have detail at all volumes. They also have better bass detail & speed.

Just wanted to bring some people in line here & give you a chance to save some money if it is a big issue.

A used pair of Von Schweikert VR4 GenIII HSE for $3800 is an excellent alternative, and will surpass the VR4Jr in all areas. I'm not sure how they would compare to the VR4Sr, but I'll bet they'd be darn close...and at less than half the cost.

I listened again today to a pair of the latest WPs, and I must say they do sound great. I've listened to the Sophias at the same shop, and I like them as well.

The last several posts brought up the issue of cost, especially as related to other system components. Now I would be the first to argue that you should spend your money on speakers, where the electrical signal is transduced back to an acoustic signal. And you could always add higher quality components as you can afford them.

But the distinction between the ability to pay for something and afford it seems lost. In my mind, afford relates to the other areas in your life. Will the purchase of expensive speakers have little or no impact on other financial planning, particularly planning for retirement? I read these posts about having incredibly expensive systems and I wonder if you're all very wealthy. I certainly could pay $12K or even $25K for a pair of speakers, but I doubt that I can afford to do so. In retrospect I probably couldn't afford the Ferraris I bought either. I sure did enjoy them, but not nearly as much as I'm enjoying retirement, and getting my kicks with a Porsche Boxster S.

db

"Anyone mentioning the Sophia being better than the WP7 hasn't listened to them correctly setup."

Speak for yourself! They are a different sounding pair of speakers. No doubt the WP7 are the more dynamic speakers - They are like thunder in a box. I like the way the Sophias do midrange better though. They sound more organic through the midrange.