Sophia 2/Magico V2 versus Sasha/Magico V3

Yes, I settled on the Sasha.

I think the V2s will do nicely in your size room.

Wendell, I'm not describing the Sasha, I'm describing the Sophia 2 and wondering what characteristics of that speaker are retained in the Sasha - or put another way, what are the differences between the two?

I'm really hoping somebody can compare the V2s to the V3s...

I've been really enjoying the V2s, mostly because (and this doesn't match Ricred1's experience) I find them more balanced. I feel I'm hearing everything in the recording at proper levels whereas with the Sophia 2 the upper midrange frequencies are recessed/compressed.

I'd love a mix of the two speakers because the Wilsons have more slam and presence. I've ruled out the V3 for the time being and am pursuing the Sasha. I will be auditioning them again this coming Thursday.

Hce4, thank you so much for contributing to the thread. Your post was very helpful.

I think bass & palpability are the weak spots of the V2s. When I switch back to the Sophia 2's, the first thing that hits me is the character of the bass and the dynamics. The V2 *is* wooly by comparison, but not enough to keep me from enjoying it, especially with its overall coherence.

It took me a while to warm up to the V2s as I normally do prefer a more forward presentation. I like the Wilson house sound in this regard, and really prefer the dynamics on the Wilsons, but that being said, if I had to choose between the Sophia 2 and the V2 I now think I would prefer the V2. I can listen without fatigue - at any volume level, and feel I'm hearing more information - even though they are colored (I agree with you on this). Pop recordings that are etched and painful on the Wilsons are enjoyable on the Magicos. I really think the Wilsons have a upper mid 'hump' that, while exciting, hurts.

I am also curious about trying different amps. TAS' review of the V2s claimed they needed 250-300 watts to sing and my XA 100.5's aren't less than this.

I had ruled out the V3s because my dealer doesn't have a pair that I could audition in my room and I don't want to take a chance (different tweeter, too many 'meh' reviews compared to the V2s). I could easily imagine that the dedicated midrange would outperform the V2 and that the extra bass weight would go a long way, but for all I know there'd be too much bass for my room (14x25x8).

I still have very high hopes for the Sasha. We'll see what happens in the upcoming week. I'm hoping to get a home audition at some point.

Initially I moved the Sophia 2's out of the room when I got the V2s, but as I still use the Sophia 2's for movies, I now keep them tucked in the front corners.

When I watch a movie, I move the V2s off to the sides.

Neither is ideal, but more of a pita than an adverse affect on performance.

I did. I've also heard the V3.

The Sasha is one heck of an impressive speaker in the right environment. I've heard it in 5 different setups, PLUS my own (had a home audition).

I've never heard such a dynamic speaker. It does well with pretty much every type of music, but is very system and room dependant. It overwhelmed my room unfortunately (14 x 25 x 7.5 sealed) and shook my entire house with it's subwoofer-like low frequency extension.

I loved the midrange resolution. Not so much 'lush' like, say, the magico, but more textured. Piano had weigh, sparkle and attack. However, in my system the very exteneded high frequencies were alaso a problem - sibilence was painful.

My room is still a challenge. I need more bass traps. I'm still thinking of ways I can make the Sasha work, they're that good.

Elberoth2,

Interesting to hear that the tweeter settled. I'm pretty sure the pair I demoed had more than 400 hours as the dealer has had them for a few months. The dealer has ordered some resisters to try attenuating the low frequencies. I'll ask about the high frequencies as well.

My room is treated, but more relevant to my issue, it is soundproofed. Between a concrete floor and soundproofed walls/ceiling, the bass doesn't have anywhere to go. I have some RealTrap traps in some of the corners (not all corners mind you).

The difference in low frequency extension between the Sophia and the Sasha is huge though.

I've just ordered RealTraps latest product - 'MegaTrap'
http://www.realtraps.com/p_megatraps.htm

I ordered 10 of these, and it's going to take some re-working of my room to get these into the corners. If that doesn't do the trick, probably nothing will, well apart from the resistors perhaps.

Elberoth2, what is the performance of your room like with regard to bass leakage etc?

Elberoth2,

Just saw pics of your room - very nice! How high is the ceiling? It looks very high and I'm guessing your room has a lot more cubic space than mine...

Nevermind, just finished reading the entire thread you provided the link to.

There is no similarities between our rooms. :-)