Watt/Puppy 7 or Sophia?

for their price they(the w/p) certainly aren't the last word in a lot of areas. the highs do sizzle compared to many other speakers that sell for much less and midrange is not only detailed buy almost in your face. if you have a huge music collection, get ready to frown at anything that isn't state of the art.

I own the 7s & have listened to the 6s & the Sophias. The 7s definitely have equipment that they favor. That being said they sound great with equipment they don't favor as well. They just sound incredible & beyond in a synergistic system. The Sophias are great as well but not as great. IMO if you are willing to upgrade along the way then you will notice your rewards w. the WP7s. If not then you can stay w. the Sophias. Allow me to confuse things more. The lack of bass might become an issue on the Sophias and less of an issue w. the WP7s. It really will depend on your listening. I will not sacrifice bass. To me it is the foundation of much of the music I listen to. A great speaker without extended bass should not cost a lot of money. Also if yo ucan see yourself purchasing a Watchdog subwoofer (truly an amazing subwoofer) then the bass situation will be solved w. the 7s & I assume (I haven't heard it though) the Sophias. If you really want to finish it up get the Maxx IIs. Also if the tweeter is to "hot" you can warm it up by positioning & angling the 7s & changing resistor values (not encouraged though). The Maxx IIs the resistor changes are more "normal" occurence. Hope I helped. Your ears will be better than any of my words.

The WP7s give me greater access to the details that give recorded music its drama and movement. I believe that these details are microdynamic in nature, and they knock me out every time. The WP7s yield significantly more of this than the Sophias, and that's why I bought them instead. Bass extension, clarity and macrodynamics are also significantly better with the WP7s than the Sophias, but these are less critical factors in determining my emotional involvement with the music. All this being said, the MAXX2s are even better in this regard, and are worth the extra sheckels if you can afford them.

Vargus if you are interested in a Pair of Ferrari Fly Yellow WP7's I'll be glad to step up to some Maxx II's?

I've spent too much time listening to my dealers Maxx II's and will be looking at posting my WP7's up for sale. Depending on the sale price will deteremine if I can go to Maxx II's.

If you already made a decision let the group know what you decided on!

Chris

Hi Guys

I've been busy...listening to a lot of speakers!

Where to begin? Let's see- about 2 weeks ago, I listened to the Sophia's and W/P 7's back to back. This was with SS equipment (the Krell stuff I told you about before). I think the W/P goes higher and deeper than the Sophia, but isn't necessarily more musical. It may also be that the W/P was not optimized for that room, as I understand they are harder to set up than Sophia's.
Last week I went to visit an audiophile in London ON, and listened to his Sophia's with my JC-1's and AA Cap Reference. It sounded pretty good till Gilbert Yeung of Blue Circle arrived with one of his hybrid amps in tow, the BC 204. It was then that I heard real music- the combo of the Sophia's and this hybrid amp made the sound that I have been looking for so long. There was so much ease and liquid in the midrange, yet there was very little loss of slam and bass extension. I can see now why Wilson's sound so good with Lamm equipment.
Next up was listening to the Dynaudio Confidence C4 and the Revel Studio, again using my own equipment. The C4 I didn't really care for- it's bass extension was all wrong in the particular room we were listening to them in. They would probably sound good in the right room.
The Studio's were a different story- this is a synergistic combo with the JC-1's. The presentation is more airy and detailed than Sophia, particularly with symphonic pieces. This speaker is now on my short list.
Then I did something I shouldn't have done- I listened to the MAXX 2's for an extended period of time. This is by far the best speaker I have ever heard. Excellent midrange clarity, fantastic bass extension, very detailed and airy at the top, but all of it cohesive. I can only imagine how it would sound with one of those Blue Circle hybrids. Because of this, the MAXX2 is now at the top of my list and the only thing preventing me from going for it is how it will look and sound in my rather small room. My dealer has contacted Rives Audio for consultation in this regard.
Because I am looking at speakers in this price range, I am going to audition the Evidence Temptation next week. I am also going to listen to a new speaker, the Eben X-3. I'll report back when I have listened to them.
Ciao