1. Home
  2. speakers
  3. 1324853436

Wilson Sophia vs Aerial 7/9

My next speaker move will likely be to full range, so trying to start understanding how models compare.

I've read good things about these here for years, and recently heard the Sophia 3 at a local store and was impressed. (not to mention the Sasha, omg that was some experience, driven by a pair of Ayre mx-r, but out of my price range alas). The Sophia 1/2 used are in my range, as are the 7b/9. Of course the lower models would be a more comfortable spend but if pressed I could save longer for the higher.

Wide range of music, so hard to pin down on that. More to the rock/pop/jazz side of things than classical, but some of that as well.

Amplification is Ayre AX-7e. (Is this even a good match for either of these speakers?) Should I be considering something else?

Thanks for any advice or insight.
joncourage
polk432
1,116 posts
 
Sophia 1,2, and 3 sound great and Ayre is a good amp, just don't buy them in Tampa.
teajay
1,333 posts
 
Hi Joncourage,

I'm a little confused regarding what Aerial speaker model you are refering to in your post. I'm just about done reviewing Aerial's new model the 7T speaker for the website hometheaterreview.com. In my opinion it far surpasses the performance of both the Wilson Sophia and Sasha in significant ways and retails for $10000.00 which is still alot less expensive then either of the Wilsons. If you want more details E-mail me your phone number and it would be a pleasure to share the details regarding this superlative speaker's performance.
koestner
293 posts
 
Polk432... There aren't a lot of Hi-fi stores out there and since I live close to Tampa I would appreciate knowing why the warning? Did you know/experience something we should all know? If you wish to "private message" then jkoestner@cfl.rr.com please.
brownsfan
1,238 posts
 
Joncourage,

I have heard the Sophia 3's and the new Aerial 7T's, though not in the same store, nor did I hear them on the same day. I loved the sophia's, but was not favorably impressed with the Aerials. The Aerials so underperformed my expectations, that I asked the dealer to move them to a different room and drive them with a reference BAT/Esoteric system. We are talking a 100K + front end here. The Aerials still underperformed my expectations, and significantly underperformed the Magnepan 3.7'Rs, which I heard in the same system in the same room on the same day.
It is possible, that the Aerials were not broken in yet, but the dealer made no apologies for the Aerials. I walked into the store that day expecting to place an order for the Aerials, but I did not feel like these speakers were for me. I bought the maggies, but I certainly could have loved the Sophias. Something might have been wrong with the demos I heard. My point is not to discount Teajay's opinion, which I certainly respect, but just to point out that people hear things differently. Go listen, listen carefully with carefully selected music, and buy what your ears tell you is to your liking. Neither the sophias nor the Aerials are especially difficult to drive to my knowledge.
More to discover