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Old 03-06-2018, 11:26 PM
PHC1 PHC1 is offline
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Default Sabrina impressions

Stopped by to give the Sabrina a listen for the first time a few days ago. From what I understand, the Sabrina was Daryl's work not Dave Wilsons.

Driven by VTL ST-150 amp, VTL 2.5 preamp, Bryston DAC, Transparent cabling and listening in a room that was rather large and spacious for the smaller Sabrinas, here are my impressions.

I will give it a rating of 1 to 5 thumbs up.

Considering the VTL is a tube amp but with ample power, starting from:

Treble. Really liked the treble response. I found the treble plenty extended and airy but without a trace of harshness in the context of the system and room acoustics. Don't know the specifics, new tweeter or not but... Treble was spot on for MY taste. Why not 5? I'd need to listen to a good solid state amp like the D'Agostino to see if that would bring even airier and vibrant treble before I could give the treble 5 thumbs up.

Mids. I found the mids in the context of the system to be on the slightly darker and recessed side of neutral. A bit too weighty and chesty. Very well could have been the placement of the speaker which was rather close to the front wall and tied in with the bass which I will describe next. As it was, I would give the midrange rating. Funny how my ears have become accustomed to the Harbeth midrange and now all speakers sound either too recessed and dark or too forward and lacking proper weight... As the Sabrina was in the context of that system, I still found the midrange is something I could easily live with.

Bass. While the bass was very impressive in slam and dynamic impact and plumbing depths quite impressive for a smaller speaker like the Sabrina, I found the bass to be a bit wooly and bloated. Articulation was just OK and obviously something was going on there. I find it hard to believe the product from Wilson which are always impressive top to bottom would pass the design stages with this kind of bass response. Two factors here, either the placement of the speakers or the VTL simply could not drive the woofer properly. I am inclined to say the speaker was too close and coupling to the wall although I did not pick up on the typical overhang that goes along with that anomaly.

Dynamic contrast and PRAT. Here is where the Sabrina absolutely shined. It is a Wilson speaker and as such, it is bound to impress. It did. Foot tapping, head bobbing, it easily evokes an emotional response and I simply got into the groove with Sabrina right off the bat. Song after song, 1.5 hrs later, I did not want to get up and leave but I had to....

Overall I felt the Sabrina is a very well balanced speaker and if the bass was better presented that day and I will follow up on this, I'd say this speaker is definitely worth the money and it is a very engaging, dynamic but smooth and non fatiguing example of what Wilson Audio can achieve from their lower level products which are in many ways no less impressive than the bigger brothers and sisters.

Would I own a Sabrina. That is a big YES even though I am enjoying my Harbeth speakers, I am still partial to Wilson and ALWAYS enjoy a good audition of Wilson products. Color me impressed with the Sabrina as well.





Last edited by PHC1; 03-07-2018 at 12:15 AM.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:15 AM
Charles Charles is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHC1 View Post
Stopped by to give the Sabrina a listen for the first time a few days ago. From what I understand, the Sabrina was Daryl's work not Dave Wilsons.

Driven by VTL ST-150 amp, VTL 2.5 preamp, Bryston DAC, Transparent cabling and listening in a room that was rather large and spacious for the smaller Sabrinas, here are my impressions.

I will give it a rating of 1 to 5 thumbs up.

Considering the VTL is a tube amp but with ample power, starting from:

Treble. Really liked the treble response. I found the treble plenty extended and airy but without a trace of harshness in the context of the system and room acoustics. Don't know the specifics, new tweeter or not but... Treble was spot on for MY taste. Why not 5? I'd need to listen to a good solid state amp like the D'Agostino to see if that would bring even airier and vibrant treble before I could give the treble 5 thumbs up.

Mids. I found the mids in the context of the system to be on the slightly darker and recessed side of neutral. A bit too weighty and chesty. Very well could have been the placement of the speaker which was rather close to the front wall and tied in with the bass which I will describe next. As it was, I would give the midrange rating. Funny how my ears have become accustomed to the Harbeth midrange and now all speakers sound either too recessed and dark or too forward and lacking proper weight... As the Sabrina was in the context of that system, I still found the midrange is something I could easily live with.

Bass. While the bass was very impressive in slam and dynamic impact and plumbing depths quite impressive for a smaller speaker like the Sabrina, I found the bass to be a bit wooly and bloated. Articulation was just OK and obviously something was going on there. I find it hard to believe the product from Wilson which are always impressive top to bottom would pass the design stages with this kind of bass response. Two factors here, either the placement of the speakers or the VTL simply could not drive the woofer properly. I am inclined to say the speaker was too close and coupling to the wall although I did not pick up on the typical overhang that goes along with that anomaly.

Dynamic contrast and PRAT. Here is where the Sabrina absolutely shined. It is a Wilson speaker and as such, it is bound to impress. It did. Foot tapping, head bobbing, it easily evokes an emotional response and I simply got into the groove with Sabrina right off the bat. Song after song, 1.5 hrs later, I did not want to get up and leave but I had to....

Overall I felt the Sabrina is a very well balanced speaker and if the bass was better presented that day and I will follow up on this, I'd say this speaker is definitely worth the money and it is a very engaging, dynamic but smooth and non fatiguing example of what Wilson Audio can achieve from their lower level products which are in many ways no less impressive than the bigger brothers and sisters.

Would I own a Sabrina. That is a big YES even though I am enjoying my Harbeth speakers, I am still partial to Wilson and ALWAYS enjoy a good audition of Wilson products. Color me impressed with the Sabrina as well.




Several years ago when Alexia was first introduced I heard the same problem in the bass which was immediately solved by a bigger Mac amp run off the 4 ohm tap. It previously had been paired with a Mac integrated amp run off 8 ohm tap. The bass had sound bloated and uncontrolled.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:16 AM
1KW 1KW is offline
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Nice write up Serge, these look a lot better than the prior R2D2 appearance of the past
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:24 AM
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Thank you for a detailed analysis.

I was very impressed as well, when I heard the speakers at my dealer’s store.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:53 AM
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Serge, nice little review.
I've heard these a couple of years ago, and they were very agreeable on acoustic music.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:54 AM
Mikado463 Mikado463 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KW View Post
these look a lot better than the prior R2D2 appearance of the past
agreed, thanks for taking the time to review Serge.
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:13 PM
FDPDK FDPDK is offline
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Serge , thank you very much for this write up...thats made very well.

I heard the Sabrinas at a dealer , with acoustic treated room and using ARC Ref. 6 /
ARC Ref. 150 and a ARC CD 9 all cables where Nordost Valhalla 2 , and to my memory they sounded really really good. While the Sasha 2 was better , and should be.
by the way the Sabrinas was out in the room quite a bit. Unfortunately i dont recap how the bass was ,as its now almost a year since i heard them.
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:50 PM
PHC1 PHC1 is offline
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Serge , thank you very much for this write up...thats made very well.

Sasha 2 was better , and should be.
I have lived with Sophia II, Sophia III, Sasha and Alexia for some time as well as the other incredible home theater related speakers such as the Polaris and Mezzo and surrounds. I've auditioned most of the Wilson speakers at one time or another from the Duette's and up to and including the Alexandrias.

Of course as you go up the line those speakers bring more to the table, no doubt about it. Having said that, the Sabrina all in itself is a very enjoyable speaker that I would not hesitate to buy and spend many years listening to. It is definitely enough of a speaker to present the listener with all the great aspects that go into enjoying music and keeping the cost at more down to earth levels.

I certainly do not need Alexandrias nor would I ever buy them for even my 26x31 room as they are really meant to fill a much bigger space with incredible pressurization and the grand scale of sound they can recreate in proper acoustical spaces and I have heard those beasts in the wild! Unforgettable experience. The Sabrina's would be more than enough at substantial savings for me and I am saying that as a previous Wilson speaker owner. Speaking for myself only of course, I realize that many will prefer to reach for the higher shelves and that is absolutely understandable as well.

Last edited by PHC1; 03-07-2018 at 12:57 PM.
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Old 03-07-2018, 01:20 PM
FDPDK FDPDK is offline
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Serge , thanks very much for that. I must say that for myself and my small room i am aiming for a used pair of Sabrinas , some time in the future
And its very good to about your impressions , having tried several of the Wilson speakers.
It also help to know wha your impressions are about the different speakers, and of course or at least for me money is something i have to consider .
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Old 03-07-2018, 01:29 PM
PHC1 PHC1 is offline
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Originally Posted by FDPDK View Post
Serge , thanks very much for that. I must say that for myself and my small room i am aiming for a used pair of Sabrinas , some time in the future
And its very good to about your impressions , having tried several of the Wilson speakers.
It also help to know wha your impressions are about the different speakers, and of course or at least for me money is something i have to consider .
Not knowing the size of your room I’d say that if you can give them at least 2 feet of breathing room from their rear firing ports, you should be able to find a good balance. The effortless dynamic contrast of the Sabrina and other Wilson speakers is a big plus since you don’t have to play them loud and overwhelm the room to keep the PRAT factor going. Good luck in your quest, I’m sure you will love them.
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