Watt/Puppy 7 or Sophia?

you have some money, you have a nice house, and you want a reference-level pair of speakers. so your biggest problem is that you seem to just be in the early stages of researching what you want, with a myriad of choices to make. and, if you haven't heard (sonus faber) loudspeakers just for an example, you could possibly end up making hasty decision that you might regret in the future. recalling your experience with the blue circle amplifier, i can only say that in my case it took a lot of years trying different components in MY ROOM. if you want a synergistic system right away, you may need a really good friend/audio consultant to help you out, and find out what kind of music you like and what your sound-preferences are. just as an example, my present amplifier sounded "okay" at the dealer, but when i got it home, it blossomed into something really special. THEN, not leaving well-enough alone, i started a SERIOUS upgrading of wires- i now have to stick my neck out and state that, imho, wires are a component-level part of the results you might potentially obtain. my speakers are doing things now i didn't know they were capable of. ditto for my front-end components. as long as we're stuck with so many separate components, so many possibilities (what about big-buck power cords and conditioners, isolation platforms, ACOUSTICS, etc.), RESEARCH is inevitable and must be embraced as a "fun" endeavor, rather than a time-consuming chore. i love classical music, and played a musical instrument for 12 yeare, so i've been dreaming of a great-sounding stereo since i was 15yo or so... otherwise...

I certainly agree about interconnect and speaker cables.

I have tried them all and IMO there is simply nothing better than Nordost Valhalla. You should audition this cable as it is a must have in any system

I too am looking at both these speakers in the near future. I have only heard the Sophias to date - I'll post what I hear!

I've had the opportunity to hear both in my house with my system (I have an awesome dealer). The WP7s are worth every penny of the difference. Greater dynamic range, lower, better defined bass, all the other aspects of the sound; soundstage, depth, imaging, et.. all vastly improved. However, they're VERY sensitive to setup and ancillarly gear.

I said I'd post - I did hear both. In my opinion the differences were marginal, so obviously I bought the Sophias. From here I want to upgrade the rest of my system, but the next port of call would not naturally be the WP7 (8? 9? etc) but the larger brothers (Maxx / X1) or similar from another brand.

My next choice would, however, be dependent upon being able to get it into my living room as it was a significant struggle to get the Sophias into my 1st floor living room.

If the WP7s are sensitive to downstream electronics, have a look at some room treatment too - mine sound fierce as it is! (Treatment is ordered!)