Sasha vs. 802 Diamond

[2fastdriving]

I am considering making the move from 802 Diamonds to Sashas. I am definitely going to set up an audition at my dealer with my electronics at some point. However I was just curious how many of you have upgraded from 802's to Sashas? How would you describe the differences?

For the record, I don't have anything really bad to say about 802's, and in fact I think they are a great value. But I realize there is better out there, and whatever brings me closest to the music is what I will end up with in my house. It's as simple as that.

The only reservation I have so far is that I like some hard rock, and every time I have heard Wilsons at the dealer, they are paired with ARC gear. I just feel like ARC/Wilson combo isn't good for hard rock. They don't seem to have much "kick". However when playing jazz or acoustic type material, they certainly sing! It could be their room. My room seems to have more bass energy, theirs is so dampened that there is very little.

When I do go listen to the Sasha vs. 802 (they have both) with McIntosh gear like mine, I will let you all know what my experience is.

[Still-One]

Marc
You might get several different answers on this one. First question, are your speakers 802d's or the current 802 Diamond Series? In my opinion the if you put the older versions from these companies on a line it would looks something like this.

warmer <-----802D------Middle-------WP8-----> cooler

warmer <--------Diamond---Middle---Sasha----> cooler

In general I prefer the lower end of the Wilson while, the mids now equal with the high end of the B&W. The B&W might need a bit more power for rock.

Both speakers have good resale, with the B&W maybe holding a slightly higher percentage of its value in the short term.

It will be interesting what other think. Happy hunting.

[Kingsrule]

+1

[2fastdriving]

I have the current diamond. I feel that the bass is better with the 802 but like I said, I think the dealers room is very dampened with concrete floors and bass traps. I wish I could hear sashas in my living room...

[Vinylpressing]

The 802 D with the new tweeter is a great speaker.

For me, it comes down to your personal preference. The Wilson is much more neutral sounding, and the B&W has very much a signature sound that you see across their line.

I am pretty sure that the bass response in the dealer showroom will be very different then your room.

Here in Seattle, the dealer has some great rooms, but they are heavily damped. Partly to keep the sound from bleeding across rooms. I have seen a huge different in the dealer room vs. in home. I run the volume much lower at home, and get way more bass then in the showroom. I am sure it is similar at your dealer.

Get your dealer to do allow you an in-home audition.

For any style of music (we cover them all at my house), you will be happy with the Wilson sound.

What amps are you using? That also plays into the equation.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by Vinylpressing

Here in Seattle, the dealer has some great rooms, but they are heavily damped. Partly to keep the sound from bleeding across rooms. I have seen a huge different in the dealer room vs. in home. I run the volume much lower at home, and get way more bass then in the showroom. I am sure it is similar at your dealer.

We are talking about the same crack dealer . In fact the room I mentioned is the one you and Gary are talking in the Wilson video.

I am sure bass will be better at home. Not sure they would let me take sashas home though?!

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

We are talking about the same crack dealer . In fact the room I mentioned is the one you and Gary are talking in the Wilson video.

I am sure bass will be better at home. Not sure they would let me take sashas home though?!

If the dealer knows you are serious I would think he would encourage you to try them in your home. Worst case, he should charge you for a couple hours for delivery and set-up "only" if you decide not to buy. That would be a cost you should be willing to deal with to try them out.

[Vinylpressing]

@Marc

Sent you private mail

[tom_hankins]

A good friend went from 802d (not the newer diamond) to sasha, IMO big upgrade across the board. So much more coherent from top to bottom. More detail, bass integrated better, to my ears a much better speaker.
At the time of change he was using Mac 500 tube pre with 2301 mono tube amps. Later changed that to all BAT system with Sashas. But I had the chance to hear both speakers with the Mac gear.
Unless the daimond series are a very big upgrade over the D series I think the sashas would be a big improvment, from what I heard. I own neither brand of speaker.

[harri009]

Originally Posted by tom_hankins

A good friend went from 802d (not the newer diamond) to sasha, IMO big upgrade across the board. So much more coherent from top to bottom. More detail, bass integrated better, to my ears a much better speaker.
At the time of change he was using Mac 500 tube pre with 2301 mono tube amps. Later changed that to all BAT system with Sashas. But I had the chance to hear both speakers with the Mac gear.
Unless the daimond series are a very big upgrade over the D series I think the sashas would be a big improvment, from what I heard. I own neither brand of speaker.

Never mind looks like I could have spoke to soon. Disregard