So I went and listened to the Sasha's on Saturday. Very, very impressive sounding loudspeaker. I've never heard better in terms of overall coherency, dynamics, soundstaging - the works. I was smitten.

So I'm talking about it with my wife this morning. I showed her some pictures from Wilson's web site. She literally laughed out loud and said "you've got to be kidding, it looks like a robot!" This is the very tolerant woman who loves the look of McIntosh stuff and has encouraged me to get rid of the rest of my non-McIntosh gear.

Now I have to admit that when I look at pictures of the Sasha, some lyrics from Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage start to go through my head....
"It looks like a cross between an industrial vacuum cleaner and a chrome piggy bank with ..... "

I didn't find the appearance, in person, to be a problem at all. I've got pretty much free reign on the listening room, but her response was suprising. Our house isn't exactly in the style of Mies van der Rohe.

So, how did you do it?
How did you get to yes?
What was the collateral damage?

Throw me a bone here, would ya?

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Main: Sophia 2, MC 2301, C500t, MCD 500, Nottingham Dias, Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation, Sonos
Lake: ProAc Response 1sc, MAC 4300V, Rega P3/Elys
HT: MX 135, JVC RS50, Stewart, Oppo BDP95, Audax home made HT speakers, Tumult Sub, 3kW of amps.

I've explained WAF to my wife and she get's a kick out of it. I took her to two audio stores and she said the Revel Ultima's had good WAF so she was happy that was the speaker I was buying. She said the Wilson and B&W "looked like robots". Go figure.
When I bought B&W N802's to try for a couple of months the first thing she said when I unboxed them was "bad WAF" and walked off grinning....

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Speakers: Magnepan 1.7
Accuphase: E-408 180 watt integrated amp. DAC & phono boards. Accuphase DP-55V CD/DAC
MacMini music server, Ipad remote. PS Audio PPP. Kimber Hero, Kimber 8TC. Halide Bridge

I think Wilson's are beautiful, and are stunning. They are certainly designed as form following function, but the lute shape of the SF speakers is formed for their function as well. Having owned Sonus Faber, I greatly prefer the Wilson sound, and I also think they are eye candy.

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For I am not ashamed, for I know [in] Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able...

Wilson speakers reside in some very upscale homes. Check the net for pics. Nuff said. Robots or whatever else you can think of, it doesn't change the fact that the Sophia II, Sasha, Maxx 3 and Alexandria X2v2 are some of the most impressive speakers in their respective price ranges. Oh yeah, they also come in multiple colors as well as custom. Who else offers that?

__________________
System 7.1:
Wilson Sasha/Mezzo/Watch surrounds
D'Agostino Momentum x3 amps
Bryston 4B SST2 x2 amps
Krell S1200U pre/pro
Oppo Blu
Sony Blu changer
McIntosh MS300 music server
EAR/Yoshino Acute III tubed CDP
Transparent Ultra cabling
JL Audio F212 Sub
Lumagen video processor
JVC RS-35U projector
Stewart Screen

No question these are great speakers - don't get me wrong, I love 'em.
I've just got a bit of internal selling to do!
I've never before gotten the reaction I got from the pictures on the Wilson web site.
I have since found a few pix where the speakers were more integrated with their surroundings, so that has helped.

__________________
Main: Sophia 2, MC 2301, C500t, MCD 500, Nottingham Dias, Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation, Sonos
Lake: ProAc Response 1sc, MAC 4300V, Rega P3/Elys
HT: MX 135, JVC RS50, Stewart, Oppo BDP95, Audax home made HT speakers, Tumult Sub, 3kW of amps.

They grow on you aesthetically speaking. Their performance is something else though! Isn't that the reason we pay crazy bucks in this hobby? The shape has to be the way it is so they can implement all the design features of the speaker. Would you rather pay $26k for a speaker that looks more pleasing but doesn't perform nearly as well? I wouldn't. I actually find them very elegant with high tech appeal. To me they speak "the pinnacle" of modern speaker design, a futuristic looking speaker, a robot if you will. Those robots do make me smile everytime I walk by though and when I sit down to listen, I know exactly what I paid for.

__________________
System 7.1:
Wilson Sasha/Mezzo/Watch surrounds
D'Agostino Momentum x3 amps
Bryston 4B SST2 x2 amps
Krell S1200U pre/pro
Oppo Blu
Sony Blu changer
McIntosh MS300 music server
EAR/Yoshino Acute III tubed CDP
Transparent Ultra cabling
JL Audio F212 Sub
Lumagen video processor
JVC RS-35U projector
Stewart Screen

They do grow on you. At first I thought of the R2D2 robot thing and my wife said nope, no way.
Now they will probably be my next speaker since I write the checks. I have become use to their futuristic or retro design.

The high end SF would look nice in my main room, although, and even in the off position and as furniture.
My goal is to have 5 vertical speakers and 4 subs at the end of this journey, just for multi channel music alone room. I always notice a dip in center channels (horizontal design and usually too low of a placement) that pulls me out of the music/movie.
5 Sasha's would be great! Plus I would feel well protected.

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McIntosh 501's, Sonus Faber Elipsa speakers,McIntosh LS 360's Full Surround Speakers in Home Theater. (2) MR85, MCD201, C46 Pre, (2) JL F113 Fathom Subs, (1) JL F112, MA2275 Int Amp, Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor Speakers, Project Turntable. Blackbird Cart, Clearaudio Concept table, MC, Oppo 95 120 inch screen and an Epson 1080UB Projector. Nothing better then Pipes/Cigars, and a Great movie with the JL subs Pounding. MAC1700 Receiver and ML-1C speakers

If you want to learn from me - an eventual loser after a few years of having the fun time of my life is gears rotation, here are some tricks:

1. Downplay the cost of the gear. Make it sound as though its the bargain of the century or moment.

2. Tell her to look at the beauty from another angle ... well, you have to cook that angle and describe it. Work on the story.

3. This is going to be the LAST speaker I would ever own. This line works ... until the next LAST speakers or gears comes along.

4. Take her out for a nice outing/dinner and then spring the surprise present. Dont have to be expensive but sure need to be corny. Be as loving as you can ... and the statement "dear, you are the best, so loving, so understanding of my hifi needs" ...... "love you to death ...". Ok, Ok, skip the "death" cause one day, it will happen.

It happen to me when I was caught!

Honestly, the above have served me well all these years. Its just that I dont know when to stop and who to trust!

Certainly, the Sasha is one nice speaker ... and certainly would be THE LAST one for me. I am still working on that! Unless of course, my wife throws the cash for an all MBL Reference System which she simply adored after my good friend from Coherence sold her the looks of the gears!

Cheers!

My wife and I were on a little mini vacation in Scottsdale when we went shopping one day. After going to some high end boutiques with her, she tagged along with me to a Wilson and Vandersteen dealer. In the room he had the Vandersteen 5A (without the grills), a pair of Max 3 and the Sasha's in the Desert Gold color. By comparison, the Sasha's looked small and elegant. My wife loved the color and after hearing the speakers she said "You must buy them!" She's always gotten the new cars, new furniture, and is a constant clothes buyer. She said it's now my turn.

Over the next several months she kept asking me if I ordered the Sasha's yet. So I finally did it.

I guess I'm very lucky...and she's really pretty and a lot of fun too! We are coming up on our 25th anniversary this fall. I think I'll keep her.

Awesome! Congrats.

__________________
System 7.1:
Wilson Sasha/Mezzo/Watch surrounds
D'Agostino Momentum x3 amps
Bryston 4B SST2 x2 amps
Krell S1200U pre/pro
Oppo Blu
Sony Blu changer
McIntosh MS300 music server
EAR/Yoshino Acute III tubed CDP
Transparent Ultra cabling
JL Audio F212 Sub
Lumagen video processor
JVC RS-35U projector
Stewart Screen