recently at Fla. Audio Expo I heard the Sasha DA, Classic Audio T1s, and the entry level Magico among many others.
those Wilson's IMO will need some bottom end grabbing power or they will present as being loose in the low end. a pair of aR 150/160 monos and AR pre was fronted by a DCS setup. All top shelf Trans P wires.
oddly I found it involving despite the lower end shortcomings, though that setup exceeds $100K handily.
all in all, that outfit was very, very nice, but do note the mentioned caveat for stronger bass controling amp.
I can see where the Magico crowd finds them hitting their sweet spot. the a3s were pushed by a Luxman 509x INT and all upper range AQ wiring. it was as dynamic and involving as was the Wilson show, maybe a tad more so. more rounded if anything.
the KEF Blade IIs were IMHO a show stopper as they were fueled by a 75wpc stereo tube amp from Carver, with a Bel Canto pre./DAC. it was impressive given the power amp on duty. very nice. very nice indeed!
the Blades begged for better elecs IMO
if the above note on the JA Pearls is on time, it would not suprize me at all having heard the Pulsars fronted by Doshi power. the audio was absolutely sublime.
for sheer punch and speed? that nod has to go to the Raidho d2.1 and AVM MP8.2 modular pre and MP8.2 monos. the drive and energy exuded from this setup was incredible. bass hit you right in the belly. pure rock concert fare!
truly thrilling.
the winner overall was the Classic Audio T1s & Atmashpere 60w monopowewr with PAD wiring. top end stuff I'm sure. and a TT as the source.
they were playing something by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the sound was near tangible. liquid to be sure but still it had well defined leading edges and a load of speed and orgainic nuance. Stat sound with punch too. amazing.
If I were able to play in the range you are headed for, making a deal on that whole shooting match would have been a priority for me.
The CA T3s as has been said, and according to John W of Classic Audio said the T3s hold a huge majority of the T1s presentation but at lesser cost and they fit into more rooms. the T1s are large no matter who is holding the tape measure.
merril audio had his christine pre and 116 monos driving Muraudio Stats and that sound was so real it was scary. no embelishments or exaggerations here! items in the sound scape were tangibly and naturally presented. fascinating. really.
ever since that show I've been wondering exactly how those Wilson dAs would fare with merril power. BTW there is a review here addressing exactly that scenario, almost. its with Sasha 2s instead.
sure, I heard a number of other speakers and amp setups, but felt to post those more memorable instances only.
btw, the AG Trios and uno Finos were on hand too. I'll just withold comments on them but to say I was underwhelmed.
maybe if the aGs had been fronted by the dosi gear????
I'll vote for the classic audio speakers too. I would put my $$$ there and not look back. well, if I had them kinds of duckets.
iron fist, velvet glove, yada yada yada.
as for saving $$$ elsewhere if less expensive squeakers are bought, please bare in mind, as you likely know very well, its better to have a great signal and path to the speakers than it is to have a so so signal and great speakers.
speakers, never make up for what they are not getting. or, not getting enough of.
although I don't think it absolutely necessary, I'd put $100K in front of what $25 or 30K could get me on the preowned speaker mkt instead. everytime.
don't limit yourself going forward, the sort of $$$ you're talking about holds an immense sxeries of options
new only?
preowned?
view as many combinations and theories as your sanity allows.
Very, very good luck. hope you find a winning combo.