Well (flame suit on) I think a lot of people perceive Wilson to be better because they cost MUCH more. If other companies such as ,Focal, B&W, Wilson, etc had the 3.7s in there line-up I bet they would be priced in the 18,000-25,000 rang. People also seem to like Wilsons if they value the bass drum punch highly.
Anyway I went shopping and thought I was set on a pair of Wilsons before listening (based on on-line reviews). While I liked them very much I ended up deciding on the Theils 3.7 over the sophia (cost not a concern... both expensive in the real world). I had NO interest in Theils before I heard them... they were not even on my sort list. The 3.7s had a lot more detail than the Sophia in the upper mids and highs. This extra detail was NOT brightness but real detail. The sophia (note it was a different shop/set up) seemed to have a sight mid bass hump and lacked a good amount of detail compared to the 3.7s. The sight mid bass hump did give them a little more body but to me it was less transparent. I heard the Duettes on they same system/room as the 3.7 and them seemed to have a very similar signature as the Sophia (slight bass hump and less detailed than the 3.7s) but the Duettes were not quite as dynamic. As a side note the Duettes seem good for there size but seemed about $5,000 over priced... almost the same price as the Sophia but not near as smooth.
On the 3.7 CDs with body had body and CDs without warmth/body did not. While the Sophias had a sight signiture (kick drum anyone?) to them IMO. Please keep in mind that my comments on from a purist standpoint and very critical, both are very good speakers!
If the Theils cost more I would still buy them over the Sophias. But I would still buy a pair of use Sophias if they were local and use them in a second system.
As a side note listen to Hard Rock 95% of the time.
