Wilson versus Vivid Audio and Magico

[dcvibe]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

I still think that anyone considering the Alexia should also listen to the Sasha 2 if they haven't done so.

I am blown away by the improvement over the original Sasha. It's very hard to believe a tweeter can make that much difference (I know I am over simplifying things) but it definitely takes things up a notch. It is 90% of an Alexia, instead of 75% previously. Something to that effect, I would say.

The dealers I have spoke with seem more interested in pushing Alexia over Sasha 2 when coming from Sasha 1. I guess it all depends on what kind of funds you have and how much value you place on the differences you hear. Thanks for your advice.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by dcvibe

The dealers I have spoke with seem more interested in pushing Alexia over Sasha 2 when coming from Sasha 1. I guess it all depends on what kind of funds you have and how much value you place on the differences you hear. Thanks for your advice.

Whatever you do, don't allow dealers to "push" you in any direction. My dealer specifically did NOT push the Alexia and actually helped me upgrade to the Sasha 2. I am just saying that you should give them a try. trust your own ears, not your dealer's.

That said, you are not gonna go wrong with anything you are considering.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BillK

At the very least I can say either the Alexia or the Giya G2 will be a substantial leap forward from the sound of the Sasha 1.

As much as the Sasha did right, to me they still had their moments where they didn't sound quite right to me.

One test I used was to find a recording with say a trombone located fully in one channel.

On the Sasha there was a good soundfield on stereo sounds, but with a single channel sound like that I could always hear the sound was coming from THAT driver in THAT speaker.

The Giya G2 never had that issue, nor, in my experience, does the Alexia, with the instrument sounding like it's on that side of the stage, rather than sound eminating from a particular cone.

I think this is the kind of improvement you get with a very expensive well designed modern speaker. What you are saying is that in rare instances the sound field collapses with the older Sasha. The question is whether this type effect is worth the many thousands of dollars it takes to correct. The old Sasha is a great speaker. Also, this sound field collapse may be impossible to prevent in some rooms. A recording engineer ought to be able to prevent this undesirable effect. If you have a test record a 100% mono signal will produce this effect. It certainly is an interesting observation.

[dcvibe]

I listened to Magico q3, Vivid Giya G2, Magico S5, and Rockport Avior this weekend. I posted a review in the Magico forum. My Sasha 1's are still quite good in comparison but the q3 and Vivid Giya G2 were something special. I would like to hear the Alexia but it would require another airplane trip...

[Aquarius]

I had a chance to compare several models of Wilson vs. Vivid vs. Magico. To precise, I listened to Sasha, Sophia, 1,2 and 3, Alexia and Maxx 3. I also listened to Magico older V and newer S models, Q5 and Vivid Giya G2 and K1 as well. You may say all of these speakers are great. And they are but brands itself are not. If you are willing to pay serious amount of money for a par of speakers, you should pay for one with legacy and quality support. These days new comers are just too expensive. Vivid does not justify its price. Magico too. I can't post pictures here, not yet, but I have a strong evidence and I can easily show where the problem is. Yes, I'm a Wilson speaker owner but not just for quality of sound but for strong believe in company, legacy and support. As I see it, it's almost one of a kind in business. Magico are really superb speakers but way to expensive. Vivid? Sorry, to me it's just a half product no matter how great they sound.

[Pavel]

dcvibe , first thing I noticed when reading your listening impressions is that you can't stop talking Giyas, even when describing the Magicos you finally chose. To me that fact alone speaks volumes of Giya's capabilities. Were Giyas your benchmark? Or was it the Magicos? May I ask if you would still choose Magicos if they were priced equally with Giyas? I did some search in other threads and that's what I found:

Originally Posted by dcvibe

I listened to Magico q3, Vivid Giya G2, Magico S5, and Rockport Avior this weekend...but the q3 and Vivid Giya G2 were something special. I would like to hear the Alexia but it would require another airplane trip...

Originally Posted by dcvibe

Thanks for your thoughts. Cost is always in play. Alexia went up to 52K retail recently in standard finish. Vivid Giya G2 is 50K retail, Magico s5/q3 are considerably less. So is the Rockport. Wilson speakers are very difficult to set up in my experience so buying them second hand is difficult. As a result it is much harder to get special pricing on them...

Originally Posted by dcvibe

Thanks. I have decided on Magico Q3's. The quality of a Magico speaker should not be questioned when you see one in person their fit and finish is incredible... To be honest I never had the opportunity to listen to Wilson Alexia. But in the end they were going to cost a lot more than the Q3's so I just could not reach that far.

[dcvibe]

Hi,

Regarding cost...

If cost didn't factor in I would probably go Alexia. As a current Wilson owner it is easy to know that there will be definite improvements moving up the line in the same brand. I just haven't been able to get where I need to be price wise to make the Alexia a reality. I don't want to buy Alexia on Audiogon because the setup is so challenging.

Regarding cost and Magico Q3 or Giya G2...

Based on demo models these speakers would have cost me about the same. The Giya is an easy speaker to love. No stress. Just listen to music. The Magico is technical and so clean and transparent. So many layers and detail. In the end the Magico reminds me that I have a special system and I remember the listening experience more if that makes sense. For those that want to dissect the music and are excited by subtle nuance I think the magicos do that better than the Giya. Others may argue the contrary. The Giya is a fabulous speaker. As I've said before... all of the speakers I've auditioned in this go around are excellent. We all take risks in this hobby and for me I think Alexia would be the lowest risk but happens to cost the most based on what is currently available.

Hope this helps.

[Kingsrule]

Whats so challenging about the Alexia setup?
Read the manual, take the measurements, set the speakers and then make the subtle adjustments.
Its not black magic or rocket science

[dcvibe]

My mind is racing in circles… Thought I had decided on Magico Q3 now am wondering if I should pay more and go with Alexia… Going up the Wilson line just seems like the safest path… Not sure what to do. Wilson Alexia would come with expert setup and room analysis. They would make sure my watch dog was tuned in appropriately as well. Seems like I will get some help with the Magico's as well for an extra fee but I have a feeling the Wilson actual setup process will be at a different level.

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by dcvibe

My mind is racing in circles… Thought I had decided on Magico Q3 now am wondering if I should pay more and go with Alexia… Going up the Wilson line just seems like the safest path… Not sure what to do. Wilson Alexia would come with expert setup and room analysis. They would make sure my watch dog was tuned in appropriately as well. Seems like I will get some help with the Magico's as well for an extra fee but I have a feeling the Wilson actual setup process will be at a different level.

Hi Dcvibe,

I think the answer might be more auditioning time of both sets of speakers. With more listening time, the decision should become more clear. These two models do sound materially different. Trust your ears.

Best,
Ken