It seems to me the OP was looking for people to compare loudspeakers they have heard. Or at a minimum, the OP asked for people to list the speakers that "did not take the gold."
Perhaps that's a question that yields a less than interesting outcome. So far no one has answered the question. An answer might look like:
"I was amazed when I listened to the Wilson Sophia at a dealer and I thought I heard the woofer cone strike the back of the assembly when a loud drum thwack was played back on Reference recordings' 'Pomp & Pipes'. If it was not that, then all I could figure was the small tube amp they had connected to it could not deliver the required power."
or...
"I owned the PSB stratus Gold i's with McIntosh MC300 and C15 preamp, and could never get them to sound good in two different rooms, whereas the B&W M802's with the same electronics were fantastic in every room."
Those are two of my experiences. (btw, I also heard the Sophias at another dealer with Ayre electronics and they were quite fantastic, though I did not hear the same CD).
Such testimonials also offer the potential buyer/researcher a direct lead to contact the poster by personal email on the sidelines, as to not get into a "my brand is better than your brand" dispute, though of course that discourse is perhaps the oft consequence of any useful comparisons people present from experience.
Any kind of direct reference and comparision is the most meaningful data that people can share on a forum like this in my opinion (especially on "what's the best" threads). Answers like "B&W 800D's are the best" or "Harbeth M40's are the best" are those that have had members chastising "what's the best" threads for years. Without frame of reference of what you have owned/heard and did not like, the rest is meaningless.
Perhaps the OP can tell us if that is what they were asking.
Perhaps that's a question that yields a less than interesting outcome. So far no one has answered the question. An answer might look like:
"I was amazed when I listened to the Wilson Sophia at a dealer and I thought I heard the woofer cone strike the back of the assembly when a loud drum thwack was played back on Reference recordings' 'Pomp & Pipes'. If it was not that, then all I could figure was the small tube amp they had connected to it could not deliver the required power."
or...
"I owned the PSB stratus Gold i's with McIntosh MC300 and C15 preamp, and could never get them to sound good in two different rooms, whereas the B&W M802's with the same electronics were fantastic in every room."
Those are two of my experiences. (btw, I also heard the Sophias at another dealer with Ayre electronics and they were quite fantastic, though I did not hear the same CD).
Such testimonials also offer the potential buyer/researcher a direct lead to contact the poster by personal email on the sidelines, as to not get into a "my brand is better than your brand" dispute, though of course that discourse is perhaps the oft consequence of any useful comparisons people present from experience.
Any kind of direct reference and comparision is the most meaningful data that people can share on a forum like this in my opinion (especially on "what's the best" threads). Answers like "B&W 800D's are the best" or "Harbeth M40's are the best" are those that have had members chastising "what's the best" threads for years. Without frame of reference of what you have owned/heard and did not like, the rest is meaningless.
Perhaps the OP can tell us if that is what they were asking.