Upgrading from Wilson Sophia 2's?

Keithr, I am very pleased with my room actually. I learned from Dunlavy that having your listening position against the back wall reduces standing waves and supports deep bass. The best rooms I've heard have had natural room treatments such as wood tables, soft furniture, plants, uneven/open walls, lower ceilings, drapes, artwork etc... Breaking up the frequencies and dispersing them reduces cancellation/amplification effects. Many treated rooms I've heard have sounded dull and lifeless. A balance is needed I guess:O)

Cables?

I'm gonna go into a potential hornets nest of ridicule for what I'm about to say, but know that I am sincere. Over the years I have used Transparent Ref Xl and below as well as MIT Oracle V1.1 and V1.2 and below cables, as well as many many others such as Harm Tech, Synergistic, Kimber, Siltech, Cardas ...the mind boggles ove the amount of cash wasted on wires! Recently, I found myself in between speakers (going from bi-wire to single ended) therefore switching cabling again. I had an old pair of Monster Cable M2.2s speaker cables laying around, so I figured what the heck...at least I'll have music until I demo more stuff and make a decision on audiophile grade replacements. Well, they turned out to be remarkable and unique in a way that reinvigorated my passion for music (not the gear) again! They are extended, clean and pure, detailed yet warm, soundstage like crazy, are wildly dynamic and to top it off, they throw a full fleshed out midrange like no other (except for ransparent). I also learned that they use the same basic technology as Transparent..an in-line filter network that reduces the noise floor and capacitance allowing the amp to deliver the signal more easily and with less roll off. In any case, proof is in the pudding so to say. Bottom line is that I used them on my Sophia 1's and my new maggie 3.6R's with sunning results. I then picked up several cables for demo from the cable company, my local dealer and various online suppliers (signal cable ect..). They all sounded different but when I put the M2.2s's back in, I felt renewed and refreshed...in love with the sound, like back in my childhood home with my Sansui Model 8 and Bozak B313's and a Revox reel to reel. Everything was in balance and the tonality was as realistic and natural as I've ever heard. Strings were smooth but not glossed over, highs were clear and delicate with a sweetness and purity beyond reproach. For under $500...well that's a side benefit. Lastly, I challenged my MIT Oracle V1.2 IC's with some Monster Proline balanced SP1000M5 cables from sweetwater.com. These are cables for professional sudios and cost $49/5ft run with gold neutrik connections. They almost match my $6500 IC's and in some ways offer a tad more warmth and a roundedness that is addictive. I kept an open mind and open ears and I have experienced a paradigm shift as a result. Both products are easily available and returnable from either online stores or local oulets. $600 could be all that's standing between you questioning your speakers and falling in love with them again. Of course, more IC's might raise the cost significantly to, oh, let's say a staggeringly high $800 maybe?

FYI, I have recently evaluated a pair of Morrow Audio balanced MA4 IC's in my system. I believe Mike Morrow is onto something extremely important. Never have I heard an interconnect transform the sound of any system the way the MA4's did mine. They are so harmonicaly complete and will remove layers of distortion you may think you don't even have! The results are so phenomenal that words fail...he allows a 60Day trial/no hassle return evaluation. These aren't just a good value, they are a paradigm in high end design.

It must be staisfying to never explore and discover new audio gear or to not have any excitement about your purchases. Above all else, it must be absolutely blissful to never add any value or practical opinion on a post. Audiofeil helps so many people with his incisive wit and gorilla style commentary. Check his threads for a wealth of useful information about how everyone else knows so much less than himself. You are so special...you!

You missed the point Brianmgrarcom. I am admitting to getting overly excited about my gear from time to time. I am also the first to expose any misgivings I discover about that same gear. Few have the balls to admit that what they have purchased doesn't satisfy for the long haul. Out of context comments are worthless, regardless. You are becoming a little Audiofeil yourself it would seem. Try asking probing questions or a flat out rebuke of what I've said, supported by your own thoughts and experiences. As you said, we can all cringe at some of the comments we've made. This is Audiogon, not the National Association of Trial Lawyers.

I sold my Sophia's. I've owned many other box speakers such as Watt/Puppy 6's, Dyn C4's, B&W801N's, ML Odyssey's, Totem Winds and Forests, Dunlavy SC-V's etc... My instincts told me to think outside the box and give Magnepan a try. The 3.6R's have been the most glorious upgrade I have ever experienced. Problems I thought were due to other components over the years are now gone! Strings are natural, bass is addictively textured and full of dynamic shadings, treble is sweet, phenomenaly extended, pure and grain free with no fatigue. Micro and macro dynamics are utterly realistic. Mids are full, ripe and organic. Soundstaging and depth are the best I've heard as well. Once broken in, they far excede the requirements of any music loving audiophile. The funny thing is that all of the anecdotal misinformation passed around about Magnepans being bass shy, lacking in dynamic slam, having bright treble, being hard to drive, hard to place or lacking in focus or transparency is complete nonsense. My 3.6R's driven by my Krell 400xi have none of the limitations I had heard talked about in high end circles. Once you hear a properly set up pair you would have to be into cherishing audio artifacts rather than music to not fall in love with them.

Sure, the room dimensions are approx. 20ftLx16ftWx7ftH. Subfloor is concrete with berber carpet/heavy padding over it. Drapes on left wall at first reflection point for L CH. Open right to bar 4ft from end next to front wall. Tall Plants behind speakers in corners, soft fabric couch along rear wall (listening wall). Large wood end table on left next to couch and in front of couch. Large wood cabinet behind and in between speakers at 36"H. Canvas artwork behind speakers and behind listening position. Speakers are 12ft apart tweet to tweet and 48" from front wall left/right outside edge, 46 1/2" inside edge L/R. Left speaker 3ft from left draped wall. Listening position is 11ft from mid panels. Subs are outboard L/R in line with mid panels and raised onto 2" thick wood platforms..both are spiked with Mapleshade heavyfeet. Ceiling is acoustic tile. Room sounds just slightly on dead side/neutral. Walls are dryvit/over wood studs. Dedicated 20amp lines wt wattgate recepticles. Previous speakers seemed to lack low level dynamic shadings and soundstaging was ok but not great. Depth was good but not great. Some speakers sounded bright (Winds). Others sounded too warm and rolled off (Krell Res2's). The Sophias lacked air and seemed a tad closed in sounding. Is that enough detail?

I am passionate about anything I do regarding audio. Learning about audio requires owning and living with alot of different equipment. Only over time can one get a more accurate handle on what one owns and how it stacks up against whatever else has been tried. Most all of the gear I've owned has been well respected and definately first rate stuff...my personal waxing and waning regarding any particular piece of equipment is a depiction of my experences over time. To be as candid as I am with my feelings and findings enevitably gives gasoline for those who would rather torch the message than inquire for elucidation or feedback regarding a particular comment. Pretending to act like the all seeing, all knowing, all judging God of the Audiophiles is pretentious and of no real value to anyone. Over the years, I have had an extensive array of gear and have talked at length about said equipment. As a result of my posts, I have had the opportunity to interface with many interested and questioning fellow A'gon members, both on and off the web. Most of our interactions have been mutualy beneficial. When one offers no real information or in-depth information regarding first hand experiences with their own personal systems, there can be no benefit to casting off "out of context" quotes and blanket assertions. If I read a post, I take it at face value, question what I wish and then decide if I've learned something beneficial. Anyone can find fault with someone...it takes a more mentaly stable adult to enter into a conversation.