Joey_V
Well-known member
Prelude:
After a hearty lunch at Weber Grill - good ol' prime ribeye steak - my 2 friends and I headed over to Glenn Poor on Michigan Ave. We popped in, ragged after our last medical final exam, and the owners greeted us. I looked around a little before Kirk (the owner) tracked me down just around the corner. I introduced myself and my friends and told him that I was interested in hearing the Wilsons. I told him that I've wanted to visit for quite some time, but never had the time to do so (school blows, I know). He asked me what speakers I was coming from... I told him I had a pair of Martin Logan Summits. He said, "Superb."
He asked for my age and I told him. He told me that I was a little advanced, but he also proceeded to tell me that the other day an 11 year old kid came by and his parents bought him a pair of Wilson speakers for his birthday.
He asked me, "Are you ready to graduate?"
I replied, "What do you mean?"
"From the Logans."
I laughed and I told him to bring his A-Game.
Wilson Sophia ($20,000 worth of gear):
Highs:
Very similar to the Summits. The highs are slightly on the warmer side, yet forward. It doesnt come off as brash nor does it come off as too focused. The vocal focus is solid, but not overly beamy. There was never what I call - fake sugar-coating around the harmonic tones of the vocal reproduction.. it just sounded real - much like on my Summits. There wasnt that overly synthesized presentation that I notice plagues many higher end speakers. I will add, the harmonic tones of the vocals came through with great detail and with great realism! You could definitely make out the singer's mouth - almost. This aspect of the Sophias truly TRULY rival the Summits.
Mids:
Superb! I think Wilson uses a similar, but tweaked version, driver as on the Sonus Faber Cremonas. That 6" driver was impressive in delivering the realistic presentation of the instruments as well as most of the vocal's lower harmonic band. I really enjoyed the palpable realism that the Sophias provided. There was this coherence that was unmistakably HIGH END. The midrange worked superbly well with the tweeter in creating a holographic image that rivals that of my Summits.
Lows:
Quick and transient. Although the Sophias go only to about 29hz, the bass was quick and never boomy. I was impressed that it rivaled what I remember the BW802D pumped out, considering the Sophias sport a single 10" driver while the 802D sport two 8" Rohacell woofers. While the Sophia had a nice bottom end, I will easily give the nod to the Summits in terms of overall extension, speed, and room integration capability. I must say, the Sophias were coherent from top to bottom, including the well chosen 10" bass driver.
Soundstage:
I felt that the Sophias were a very open speaker, very neutral in most aspects. I felt that it had the same degree of resolution as my Summits have, and had almost the same capability to present sonic information between the speakers (and sometimes outside the speakers).
Both, the Sophias and the Summits, present the vocalist right down center about 5 to 5.5 feet tall. Realistic for sure. Just as my Summits have the capability to have the singer's mouth float in mid air a foot or two or three infront of the speaker baffle plane, so did the Sophia. It was eerie how good the Sophias were in this respect. A definite tie, in my mind.
However, I felt that this is where the Summits take off. The Summits are uncanny in presenting sonic information in space. The Summits, even in my setup, definitely present with a slightly deeper soundstage while matching the Sophias' ability in presenting, say a guitar, on the inner right of the left speaker. However, pay attention here, the Summits are better at making the guitar sound cohesive .... like ONE guitar. I found myself having a slightly more difficult time in picturing the guitar as a guitar with the Sophias. Not that it was bad, but it just didnt present the guitar as lifelike in presentation as the Summits. Dont get me wrong, the guitar acoustics sounded unreal, just as good as the Summits, but that ability of the Summit to reproduce a guitar with just the right size and shape makes for a better experience, IMO.
Overall:
The Sophias are a superb speaker. Top to bottom, it is a very very well designed speaker - no ifs, ands, or buts. The driver coherence is unreal... very well done from what I heard. I also liked that it had a much better horizontal dispersion than my Summits present, as I felt that they need not be toed-in towards me and still deliver a holographic image that sounded and felt real. I think this is where the Sophias beat the Summits, the Sophias are less picky with placement. I could have them completely straight at me or toed in and the sonic signature remained very similar. With the Summits, if I toe them out a bit too much, I lose much of that holographic image and stage depth. But, bear in mind, with my tweaked positioning, the Summits are able to keep up with the Sophias and beat it in most everything, IMO.
I will add though, I found the Sophias to have a better sweet spot. I could move my head further along the horizontal axis without losing that center image. Could it be the amp, could it be the room? Who knows for sure.
Wilson Watt/Puppy7 ($35,000 worth of gear):
Highs:
With a completely different tweeter, the WWP7 definitely sounded more resolute than the Sophia or the Summits. The WWP7 had this uncanny ability to let you hear the raw fingers plucking through each guitar string - unreal indeed. However, this did not come without a price, I felt that the tweeter altered the vocals in a very deleterious manner. I did not like how it presented the vocals at an overly FOCUSED fashion... yes, you heard me.... I actually felt that it was somehow over-etched and over-synthesized. There was definitely that "WOW FACTOR", but after a few songs, it got to me.
Midrange:
I felt that the midrange was solid for the most part (just as good or better resolute than on the Sophia), but the vocals lacked the warmth that the Sophias had. It was a very distinct difference between the Wilson product line... the WWP7 sounded very different than the Sophias (and Summits) in terms of vocal reproduction. For one, even when driven by $13,000 worth of VK gear, I was dissapointed that the vocals lacked that weight and palpability that I find so alluring about the Summits and the Sophias. Perhaps it just wasnt for me.
Lows:
The WWP7 definitely trounced the Sophias in terms of extension while offering a somewhat better dynamic bass control. I felt that I had a better sense of the bass notes, but only slightly. The two 8" drivers definitely had better speed than the single 10" on the Sophia. The WWP7 can extend lower than even the Summits - though the Summits still have the nudge in terms of room correction, you cant beat that.
Soundstage:
Definitely as good as on the Sophias, with one exception.... the WWP7 were more resolute and were more adept at "LAYERING" the images. Background singers came through a foot or two behind the leading vocalist while the acoustic guitars (between the two speakers and slightly outside the speakers) were so resolute, that they hovered over a spot tangibly. There was no mistaking where on the stage it stood (and the same goes for everything else on stage). It was very impressive how resolute the WWP7 was. The stage was deep and the vocalist was forward to a certain extend... the stage was well populated and remained very realistic in terms of size and height.
Overall:
I felt that the WWP7 are among the MOST RESOLUTE speakers I've ever heard in my life. It's safe to say that they are easily toe to toe, equal to the Summits in resoluteness, while that extra tweaked tweeter on the WWP7 has the prepronderence to present sonic information in a more resolute manner than even the Summits. It's hard to explain, you have to hear to believe it really. It's not bright, its not sibilant... just a solidly resolute presentation that most will find heavenly. However, I found that it wasnt as natural in overall presentation as the Summits or the Sophias. I liked that extra weight in vocals.... that TANGIBLE holographic ball that floats about 5.5 feet above the ground. I love that forward yet warm vocal sound that the Sophias offer (much like the Summits). In the end, if I were given a choice between the Sophia or the WWP7, I wouldnt hesitate in picking the Sophias as my overall preferred speaker. And between the Sophias and the Summits, I would say that I prefer my Summits, still.
(Continued down below)
After a hearty lunch at Weber Grill - good ol' prime ribeye steak - my 2 friends and I headed over to Glenn Poor on Michigan Ave. We popped in, ragged after our last medical final exam, and the owners greeted us. I looked around a little before Kirk (the owner) tracked me down just around the corner. I introduced myself and my friends and told him that I was interested in hearing the Wilsons. I told him that I've wanted to visit for quite some time, but never had the time to do so (school blows, I know). He asked me what speakers I was coming from... I told him I had a pair of Martin Logan Summits. He said, "Superb."
He asked for my age and I told him. He told me that I was a little advanced, but he also proceeded to tell me that the other day an 11 year old kid came by and his parents bought him a pair of Wilson speakers for his birthday.
He asked me, "Are you ready to graduate?"
I replied, "What do you mean?"
"From the Logans."
I laughed and I told him to bring his A-Game.
Wilson Sophia ($20,000 worth of gear):
Highs:
Very similar to the Summits. The highs are slightly on the warmer side, yet forward. It doesnt come off as brash nor does it come off as too focused. The vocal focus is solid, but not overly beamy. There was never what I call - fake sugar-coating around the harmonic tones of the vocal reproduction.. it just sounded real - much like on my Summits. There wasnt that overly synthesized presentation that I notice plagues many higher end speakers. I will add, the harmonic tones of the vocals came through with great detail and with great realism! You could definitely make out the singer's mouth - almost. This aspect of the Sophias truly TRULY rival the Summits.
Mids:
Superb! I think Wilson uses a similar, but tweaked version, driver as on the Sonus Faber Cremonas. That 6" driver was impressive in delivering the realistic presentation of the instruments as well as most of the vocal's lower harmonic band. I really enjoyed the palpable realism that the Sophias provided. There was this coherence that was unmistakably HIGH END. The midrange worked superbly well with the tweeter in creating a holographic image that rivals that of my Summits.
Lows:
Quick and transient. Although the Sophias go only to about 29hz, the bass was quick and never boomy. I was impressed that it rivaled what I remember the BW802D pumped out, considering the Sophias sport a single 10" driver while the 802D sport two 8" Rohacell woofers. While the Sophia had a nice bottom end, I will easily give the nod to the Summits in terms of overall extension, speed, and room integration capability. I must say, the Sophias were coherent from top to bottom, including the well chosen 10" bass driver.
Soundstage:
I felt that the Sophias were a very open speaker, very neutral in most aspects. I felt that it had the same degree of resolution as my Summits have, and had almost the same capability to present sonic information between the speakers (and sometimes outside the speakers).
Both, the Sophias and the Summits, present the vocalist right down center about 5 to 5.5 feet tall. Realistic for sure. Just as my Summits have the capability to have the singer's mouth float in mid air a foot or two or three infront of the speaker baffle plane, so did the Sophia. It was eerie how good the Sophias were in this respect. A definite tie, in my mind.
However, I felt that this is where the Summits take off. The Summits are uncanny in presenting sonic information in space. The Summits, even in my setup, definitely present with a slightly deeper soundstage while matching the Sophias' ability in presenting, say a guitar, on the inner right of the left speaker. However, pay attention here, the Summits are better at making the guitar sound cohesive .... like ONE guitar. I found myself having a slightly more difficult time in picturing the guitar as a guitar with the Sophias. Not that it was bad, but it just didnt present the guitar as lifelike in presentation as the Summits. Dont get me wrong, the guitar acoustics sounded unreal, just as good as the Summits, but that ability of the Summit to reproduce a guitar with just the right size and shape makes for a better experience, IMO.
Overall:
The Sophias are a superb speaker. Top to bottom, it is a very very well designed speaker - no ifs, ands, or buts. The driver coherence is unreal... very well done from what I heard. I also liked that it had a much better horizontal dispersion than my Summits present, as I felt that they need not be toed-in towards me and still deliver a holographic image that sounded and felt real. I think this is where the Sophias beat the Summits, the Sophias are less picky with placement. I could have them completely straight at me or toed in and the sonic signature remained very similar. With the Summits, if I toe them out a bit too much, I lose much of that holographic image and stage depth. But, bear in mind, with my tweaked positioning, the Summits are able to keep up with the Sophias and beat it in most everything, IMO.
I will add though, I found the Sophias to have a better sweet spot. I could move my head further along the horizontal axis without losing that center image. Could it be the amp, could it be the room? Who knows for sure.
Wilson Watt/Puppy7 ($35,000 worth of gear):
Highs:
With a completely different tweeter, the WWP7 definitely sounded more resolute than the Sophia or the Summits. The WWP7 had this uncanny ability to let you hear the raw fingers plucking through each guitar string - unreal indeed. However, this did not come without a price, I felt that the tweeter altered the vocals in a very deleterious manner. I did not like how it presented the vocals at an overly FOCUSED fashion... yes, you heard me.... I actually felt that it was somehow over-etched and over-synthesized. There was definitely that "WOW FACTOR", but after a few songs, it got to me.
Midrange:
I felt that the midrange was solid for the most part (just as good or better resolute than on the Sophia), but the vocals lacked the warmth that the Sophias had. It was a very distinct difference between the Wilson product line... the WWP7 sounded very different than the Sophias (and Summits) in terms of vocal reproduction. For one, even when driven by $13,000 worth of VK gear, I was dissapointed that the vocals lacked that weight and palpability that I find so alluring about the Summits and the Sophias. Perhaps it just wasnt for me.
Lows:
The WWP7 definitely trounced the Sophias in terms of extension while offering a somewhat better dynamic bass control. I felt that I had a better sense of the bass notes, but only slightly. The two 8" drivers definitely had better speed than the single 10" on the Sophia. The WWP7 can extend lower than even the Summits - though the Summits still have the nudge in terms of room correction, you cant beat that.
Soundstage:
Definitely as good as on the Sophias, with one exception.... the WWP7 were more resolute and were more adept at "LAYERING" the images. Background singers came through a foot or two behind the leading vocalist while the acoustic guitars (between the two speakers and slightly outside the speakers) were so resolute, that they hovered over a spot tangibly. There was no mistaking where on the stage it stood (and the same goes for everything else on stage). It was very impressive how resolute the WWP7 was. The stage was deep and the vocalist was forward to a certain extend... the stage was well populated and remained very realistic in terms of size and height.
Overall:
I felt that the WWP7 are among the MOST RESOLUTE speakers I've ever heard in my life. It's safe to say that they are easily toe to toe, equal to the Summits in resoluteness, while that extra tweaked tweeter on the WWP7 has the prepronderence to present sonic information in a more resolute manner than even the Summits. It's hard to explain, you have to hear to believe it really. It's not bright, its not sibilant... just a solidly resolute presentation that most will find heavenly. However, I found that it wasnt as natural in overall presentation as the Summits or the Sophias. I liked that extra weight in vocals.... that TANGIBLE holographic ball that floats about 5.5 feet above the ground. I love that forward yet warm vocal sound that the Sophias offer (much like the Summits). In the end, if I were given a choice between the Sophia or the WWP7, I wouldnt hesitate in picking the Sophias as my overall preferred speaker. And between the Sophias and the Summits, I would say that I prefer my Summits, still.
(Continued down below)