1. Home
  2. speakers
  3. 197398-93199

I haven't been this excited in a while!

I have been growing my system for 8 years going through 8 preamps, 6 amps, 5 phonostages, 8 DACs, 8 streamers, 6 turntables and 7 sets of speakers.  Lots of long drives pulling a U-Haul haha.  I live in Memphis and have been to Dallas, Bethesda, DC, Jersey, Charlotte and Asheville.  

My Wilson Sophia 1 have been the speaker that keeps making the most musical sound in my system through all the electronic upgrades.  Other Wilson(Yvette/Sasha DAW/Alexia 1) had an overly bright/harsh sound that I could not enjoy.  EgglestonWorks Viginti and Focal 1038Be did the same.  I often have an experience with gear that doesn't fit the mould of what is expected.  Wilson and dealers all were in disbelief that my inverted metal dome tweeters in the Sophias play smoother than the soft-dome, but it wasn't just me...had a couple local audiophile friends over and I will never forget, one used the expression that they make you want to run out of the room.

A few weeks ago a friend  let me listen to his Harbeth Compact 7ES-2s and I was blown away.  All the assessments and reviews were spot on.  They were so musical and natural sounding.  This medium sized speaker was also super impressive in how the bass filled my large space.  

I started looking for some older model 40s and am going in about a week to pick up my M40.1s.  I was never a huge fan of their aesthetics with the old school box design.  I do love wood however it may be used in a home and with that sound they are looking more and more beautiful to me.  

Sonus Faber have a similar reputation and with their sleeker and more modern design, I had thought they would be my next contender but at the price point and the reviews of these 40.1s, as I said...I am just giddy over getting them home and seeing how they can perform.

I listen to all genres of music and will report back in a couple weeks on how things work out.  I was curious of others that are new to the Harbeth sound.

Cheers,
Dana

dhite71
dhite71 OP
454 posts
 

@audiovicker 

That is what happened to me and one of my friends that came over....we can't get it out of our mind!

@bubba12 

This is my fear that bigger isn't better but figured I had to start there or I would always wonder.  Selling them if they don't work out is not a problem, will just likely go on another roadtrip.  When I sold the Sasha DAW, I was essentially a dealer.  I drove them to Dallas and the guy was on a call the entire time while I uncrated them in his garage and set them up haha.  I broke even on that deal so didn't mind one bit to collect that $23k : )

hjdca's avatar
hjdca
247 posts
 

@dhite71 

Those are fantastic power tube amps you own.  No wonder your Wilsons sound so good.  Regarding your question comparing the Wilson Sophia 2 vs theWilson W/P 8, both my brother and I agree, that the midrange and tweeter are similar, but, the W/P 8 has more bass.  The W/P 8 has more slam and pressurizes my big room very well.  Both are great speakers, but, I also believe that the W/P 8 might be more dynamic. 

dhite71 OP
454 posts
 

@hjdca 

Thank you!  I feel very fortunate to have those amps.  I had the previous gen gear with the REF 75SE and was very happy.  It was tough to sell the Alexia and after about 6 months, Kurt from EchoHiFi reached out to me as he wanted them and had those amps so we worked out a trade.  It definitely all worked out going through that exercise as I would have always been curious about Alexia so got to check that off and ended up with end-game amps....NO, don't say REF 330M!  haha

tosnc
30 posts
 

I had the same experience with Wilson as you. Nothing sounded better than my Sophia 2s. Even the Sophia 3s. The newer Wilsons became a little strident on some tracks. The current Watt Puppies fixed that and they sounded like the Sophias but more bass and more articulate. Very easy to listen to. 

My Sophias were put in place and never moved for 15 years. When they were packed for trade in the foam around the speakers was very brittle. If they replaced it at Wilson, you are probably fine but maw want to remove the grills and gently touch it. They sell repair kits to replace it.  Also, mine had a crack on the left side of each where the top unit attached to the lower unit. Maybe that was the secret to great sound?😀

Enjoy the Harbeths and please provide your thoughts comparing them to the Sophias. There is no dealer around me so it should be interesting. 

dhite71 OP
454 posts
 

@tosnc 

I am glad to hear the new WP are providing a similar and better experience compared to the Sophias.  I had the opportunity to visit the Wilson factory about a year ago and got a tour that included a few songs in the listening room with the WP and it was quite impressive.  

More to discover