Upgrading from Wilson Sophia 2's?

Thanks for the responses so far.

To answer some of the questions:

The room is 14 x 25 x 7.5. It's actually a dedicated home theater. Listening position is the middle of the room (not ideal I know, but I have a riser with second row of seating behind me and I can’t move backwards). The room is soundproofed and carpet is a thick shag. I have Real Traps (corner mondo bass traps) in the front corners. I use two Real Trap panels for first reflections (just leaning against the side walls). The front wall is NOT treated as there is a 11’ wide screen (for home theater the speakers are tucked into the corners and EQ’d; for 2 channel I pull them out in front of the screen).

I’ve always thought the room was on the dead side of things (I used to have several ASC wall planks on the side walls but removed them seeking more ‘air). Previous speakers were Aerials (very rolled off high end and sounded muddy in this room).

There are pros and cons about the forwardness of the Sophias. They have nice presence and transients are great. But even with good recordings there can be certain higher frequencies that are painful. I listen at about 85db which is probably relevant to the conversation since at very low volumes it’s not an issue.

I’ve played with different speaker cables and interconnects. This has helped (also been playing with different preamps which has helped) but not solved the problem completely. I am certainly open to the possibility that it could be the room. Couches are leather and have fairly high backs – so the ones on the riser are probably somewhat deflecting sound. The rear wall has all the equipment racks and doesn’t have a lot of bare wall space. I’ve considered getting drapes for the screen.

As for budget, I’m willing to go ‘up’ from the Sophias (for example I would entertain the new Sashas, but probably not higher than that).

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Enjoying them for the most part, but they can sound aggressive and make mediocre recordings sound like crap and be somewhat fatiguing.

IMO,thats why alot of folks shy away from Wilson.Tons of speakers out there..Only you can decide what works for you,happy listening

Sounds like you've got a pretty nice room.

Why not try the cheap and easy test to see if the 1st reflection from the screen between the speakers has any affect on the forward/aggressiveness?

Hang some heavy comforters in front of the screen, then give it a listen.

The front wall reflection can often be worse than the sidewalls.

Nah, buy new speakers. That's the end game isn't it?

Isn't this thread really about justification for buying new speakers?

"Isn't this thread really about justification for buying new speakers?"

Justification? No.

Changing speakers is not something I would do casually.

In this economy it sucks to have to sell gear. It either takes forever or you lose a fair bit. Selling speakers is the worst since they're heavy beasts, require freight etc.

What I am seeking is something that will satisfy me (and yes, I'm picky). I'm close with the Sophias, and if I had to keep them I would (and that may be what I end up doing). While I've tried to tune them to taste, I haven't been totally successful. So I can't help but wonder if I'm trying to fit a square ped into a round hole, which ultimately leads to considering other speakers. Since there's nothing that leaps to mind (other than the Sashas), I thought I would seek suggestions.

Again, I do appreciate that it could be my room.