Quote:
Originally Posted by cmalak
Absolutely. I am intrigued by the Wilson speakers after reading your experience with both the Sophia 2s and the Sashas. I had an opportunity to audition the Sophia 2s earlier this year but it was with equipment I was not familiar with and the setup may have not been optimal, but back then I found them to be a bit sterile. They did a lot of things well but they just did not draw me into the music. Everything I have read though is that Wilson's in general mate well with ARC gear and so I should give them another listen. I have been eyeing the Rockport Miras for over a year now (which are in the same price point as the Sophias) and those are phenomenal speakers but I should certainly give the Sophias another listen.
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Have not heard the Wilson/ARC combination but have owned plenty of ARC gear before. It would depend which ARC gear you'd be using. Yes, the Sophia II can and do sound a bit sterile when paired up with leaner sounding gear as can many other Wilson speakers. If you can find the now long discontinued ARC 100.2 amp, that would probably be a very musical combo.
I have noticed a trend that dealers will typically pair the Sophia II with less refined/cheaper gear to prove a point that you don't have to spend lots of money to get great sound. I am not sure I agree with that approach as it doesn't do the Sophia II justice. I can tell you that with my Lamm M1.2s the Sophia II was a great sounding speaker. With many other amps that do not have the muscular and rich harmonic signature, the upper mids can sound a bit on the cooler, sterile side of things. Lamm and Wilson is probably one of the most popular combinations and have won many "best of show" awards.