Wilson vs Rockport
 

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare Rockport Mira 2s to Sophia IIIs or Rockport Avior's to Sasha's?

Ricjor1...you should send a PM to trponhunter. He is a dealer down in Coral Gables (Miami) and he carries both lines. He should be able to give you a comparison. I am very familiar with the Rockport sound, although I have not heard the Mira 2s or the Aviors yet. I have heard the original Miras, Ankaas and Aquilas numerous times. I have also heard the Sophia 2s (not 3s) as well as the Sashas, once each at different auditions. The Sashas were very very good. I personally prefer the Rockport house sound over the Wilson house sound but that is my personal preference. If you can seek out an audition of both, I would highly recommend you do so. Maybe a vacation to Miami in the winter months is in order :D :thumbsup:

I've found Mark to be super helpful, and he already has the Avior in his store. He no longer carries Wilson but did for a long time, and I'm sure he can compare/contrast the brands for you.

But you'll still have to listen for yourself. I don't know that any of these expensive speakers are "better" than the others, assuming a certain level of sound quality and design expertise, but they are certainly "different" and you'll find that you prefer one over the other. And in that price range, you may also want to consider the Magico S5 and/or Q1 and the Sony SS-AR1.

Those are all speakers I'm considering or have considered.

cmalak
I've already been in contact with trponhunter. Although everyone hears differently and has different priorities, I wanted to get a few opinions on the differences between Rockport and Wilson. I recently listened to Magico, B&W, and still prefer Wilson. I want to comapre my Sophia 3s to Rockport and Sasha's prior to selling them. Who knows, maybe I'll stay with Sophia 3s!

VT Skier

Thanks for your input. I have never purchased any product without listening, but I like hearing different opinions. I understand there are no absolutes with our "hobby", only "preferences".

Well, it sounds like you and I are in the same place. I've heard the Sashas and thought they were great, particularly against the Sophia, but I haven't heard any Rockport models. Nor have I heard the Sony, but I hope to next year.

I originally thought I would buy the Magico Q3 but didn't care for the sound with my electronics. Then I almost bought the Stradivari but walked away from a dealer who's a bit of a nut job (and that's being charitable). I have no idea how some of these people stay in business. But I digress. Like many of us, my search continues, and if I don't find something I consider a great speaker at the asking price, I will continue to enjoy my Dynaudio Sapphire.

Good luck in your search.

VT Skier,

I'm really not unhappy with my current sound; however I would like to go to the next level. I'm looking for something that provides a significant enough difference to justify what I want to spend. If I don't hear what I'm looking for, I will focus on room treatment and upgrading my source. Personally I believe in starting with Speakers and building around them.

We're definitely in the same place. I've heard speakers I like better than mine, but they're so much more expensive they aren't worth it to me. But I like to listen to the new speakers, and it seems like there are loads of good choices from $15-30,000.

FWIW, I think the Sashas are better than the Sophias, but I'm not sure I'd upgrade if I had the Sophias.

Hi Ricjor1,

I would encourage you to be even more specific when you say "go to the next level". The reason I say this is that one speaker might give you more dynamic capablities, another might give you better tone, and yet another might give you better coherence or better imaging/staging.

When I was in your shoes 2 years ago, I took the time to write down exactly what I was looking for and how I wanted to improve on the Martin Logans I had at the time. For example, I wanted to keep the coherence, speed, and transparency of the Logans but was looking for better tone, body, large scale dynamics and emotional connection. I even made up a listening evaluation sheet based on these qualities that I would take notes on when auditioning various speakers. When I listened to a speaker that gave me some of what I was looking for, but was lacking in what I already had or lacking in another important quality that was important to me, it was easy to pass on that speaker regardless of how good it was as what it did right. (I know, I know...kind of an anal process but aren't we all a little bit that way with our systems?)

Using this somewhat systematic process led me to the most confident audio decision I have ever made and I've not looked back.

Most importantly, have fun in the process. If you can, travel to other cities to hear the speakers you are interested in. Hearing them in different rooms, with different electronics can be educational.

Regards,

Dave

daveneumann

You make very good points and I'm trying to take a systematic approach. I want to maintain the following of my Sophia IIIs: dynamics, ability to disappear, and what I consider good imaging. What I would like to improve: spacing between instruments, slightly higher and bigger soundstage with more front to back placement. I don't even know if it's possible within my budget, because I submit the Sophia IIIs are already very, very good. In addition, I already own Sophia IIIs, so I may hear something that sounds better in some areas, but not worth selling my Sophia's to get them.

At this level, with very few exceptions, there are relatively small differences between the top tier speakers and so much of it comes down to personal preference. Unfortunately, most sales people in the industry tend to exaggerate the differences.