ARCAM + WILSON Sophia review


I just bought a pair of Wilson Sophia 1s that replaced my B&W CDM-NT1s + Yamaha SW315 10" powered subwoofer combo. My problem with the previous setup (had it for 2 years) was that the system was overly bright, and the instrumentation was constrained. I say this because I listen to a wide variety of music, but my ultimate goal is to get symphonic/orchestral pieces sounding like a live performance.

I listened to the Sophias from 7pm - 11pm straight. I could not stop listening! Instead of being bright, the speakers really projected music naturally, I don't know how else to put it. It was as if I was listening to the performance live... there was space between the instrumentation, a fullness to the sound, imaging. The speakers drew me in, rather than being neutral-to-slightly standoffish, as was the case with the B&Ws. I know it's probably not fair to compare a 7k loudspeaker with a 1k loudspeaker, but such is life. I wish I would have made the move sooner.

The equipment is very reasonable:

Arcam A85 Solid State Integrated
Arcam DV27A DVD player
Audioquest Jaguar interconnects
Van Hybrid speaker cables

I never thought the Arcam could sound so well, and it powers the Wilsons just fine with plenty of reserve and bass. I tend to listen to music louder than most, simply because I often-times like to feel the music when I'm listening.

For anyone that is thinking of plunking down massive amounts of cash on source equipment/cables, please consider spending the bulk on the speakers... it'll make all the difference!
musicwave
"For anyone that is thinking of plunking down massive amounts of cash on source equipment/cables, please consider spending the bulk on the speakers... it'll make all the difference!"

Bravo! Smartest post of the day!! IMHO, at least 50% of the budget should be in the speakers. 15% source, 25% amp, 10% cables and such...

-RW-
Hi Musicwave,

Glad you are impressed with that combo, I had both the Arcam amplifier and the Sophia's but just not in the same system. Have you ever tried any other amps on the Sophia's?

I hope you will get a chance to try a few different ones some day, just wanted to make sure you get the most of the Sophia's thats all,and not going crazy of course.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Musicwave- congratulations on your new rig. Happy to hear you've made a big improvement by changing the speakers. The Sophia is a revealing speaker, so when the day comes that you think about making an upgrade, changing the int amp will present many options for which you will, IMHO, realize more signficant improvements.
I've had many different Components and Cables hooked-up to my Sophias over the past 3-years, and they have always sounded great - that great sound does however improve substantially when you move up to reference-grade components - then the Sophias sound simply mind blowing - but I do agree that you don't have to spend $30K on a front end to fully enjoy the Sophias. A used pair of Sophias (I) at around $6K are possibly the best Speaker deal out there, and a great initial purchase to building a really good sounding system that you will enjoy for many years...
In the demos I've heard, the Wilsons really come alive with good tube electronics like VTL and ARC, connected up with Transparent Cable.