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Sophia 1 with McIntosh/Lamm tubes? Please advise

My system is now B&W 804S, McIntosh MC275 amp and Lamm LL2 preamp, and Rel Storm III sub. The Lamm was the latest addition about 1.5 years ago and I REALLY like it.

I'm thinking of a next upgrade, either the speakers or amp. If I were to upgrade amp today I would probably go with Lamm ML1 or M1.1 hybrid. However, I'm leaning towards upgrading speakers first. Right track? BTW, the following upgrade would be a couple years away.

My budget for speakers is $5-6k, maybe $7k if I can let the sub go. Thinking of buying used. I've been reading about Wilson Sophia 1, Merlin VSM, and DeVore Nines (Silverbacks likely beyond my budget). Do you think these would match well with tubes? The Sophias are 89 dB (vs my B&W at 91 dB), but said to play very well at moderate levels. I'm certainly open to other suggestions.

I really enjoy the sense of 3D spaciousness during playback, the "musicians in the room" holographic presentation. Absolute true tonal balance is less important to me, to the extent is not grossly off, of course. Musicality and high definition are important, and also bass extension and definition.

The room is 33x15x8 ft, speakers on a short side, spaced about 7.5 ft between them, and 5 ft from front wall. Listening position on an equilateral triangle.

Music tastes: all over the place, but mostly rock, blues and jazz. The dynamic range/impact the Sophias are said to have are appealing too.
lewinskih01

Showing 4 responses by lloydelee21

lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Hi Lewinskih01,

Nice system! Enjoy! the 804s plus the REL must be a amazing combination...i have heard both just not together, but its not hard to imagine.

you will be hard pressed with $6K to 'kill' that setup. that is good news and bad news...good that you have a great setup...perhaps not so good if you are 'itching' to put $6K to work for an upgrade! ;)

If you are thinking 2 years from now and up to $6K, and if you are more focused on holographic, musicality and high definition (and less so on true tonal balance)...you might try Sonus Faber Ellipsa second hand...wait 2 years and you just might be able to stretch to a SF Amati. The Amati i do think would be a serious change you would enjoy considering.

Furthermore, many owners of SF love them with tubes and in particular Mcintosh tubes. You have a big room and the bigger SFs will fill them. I do like the Sophias a lot and for the money think they are very very good. i think both can be very well driven by your electronics (which i think are worth keeping given your considerations above).
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Hi Lewsinski01...i thought i saw Ellipsa for about 9500 earlier on AGon...and thought if your plan is to buy in 2 years...that price should come down to your price range within that timeframe.

Additionally, if you were to take your 804s and trade them in with your cash, that might also help.
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Lewinskih01,

You may wish to email Wilson...they are very good about responding in my experience. I think you might be alright with the Sophias being closer to wall, but so much depends on the rest of your dimensions, damping, etc. I have big Wilsons now and they were expertly setup by one of Wilson's favorite technical guys (in the world)...and he placed them within 3 feet of wall.

As for Summits...they really need a ton of power to get them going. They are capable of stunning resolution and soundstaging. Myles Astor (reviewer) uses 275 watt CJ ART monos, for example. I have spoken to him on a number of occasions and he has a very experienced ear. My two cents.

Good luck. Given your room issues, you may find panels slightly more challenging to setup anyway. AGain, good luck. Enjoy!
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Nice write up, Captain W!
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