Wilson Sasha vs Meridian DSP 7200?

Kippyy,

I have had Ayre K-1xe, Ayre C-5xe & Wilson Sophias for 3 years and have listened extensively to Wilson WP7s & 8s and Maxx 2s. Also spent an evening listening to an all-Meridian setup with DSP8000s and Meridian surrounds at my dealer.

I agree with Theo. You can't go wrong with Ayre-Wilson - a very musical and revealing synergy with them. When you change cables or anything else in the system, you can immediately hear the difference. I, too, found the all Meridian system to be not terribly emotionally involving except on the best live rock concert recordings, it had a "you are there" presence.

Hope this helps.

Ed

Madfloyd,

Well, Pass amps are hard to beat and I can and have lived happily with Threshold Class A mono blocks. I have Lamm M1.2 hybrids, which I like a little better than the Ayre MXR mono blocks because they have a bit richer, fuller sound, and because I like the sound of pure class A amps and what an outstanding NOS 6922 type tube does for the richness and fullness of the sound and the natural decay of the notes.

I think the Ayre preamps are among the very best preamps. Very neutral, incredible dynamics, PraT, huge soundstage with very precise and anchored imaging, tonal balance and air.

Wilsons are great speakers and the Sophias are more forgiving than the speakers further up the line, but they are still so revealing that you can easily hear what a preamp does to the sound. That's why I think the Ayre preamps are a great match with Wilsons. They pass the music without adding anything and without subtracting much.

If you are ever looking for a new preamp, I think you should give the Ayre preamps an audition with your Pass amps and Wilsons.

Ed