Finally, I'm a Wilson owner...

[cmalak]

Robert...congrats on the new S3's. The Sebring Blue is very nice. Enjoy them and looking forward to read about your room measurement and treatments, etc...Good luck and enjoy

[PHC1]

Robert, congrats on your new Sophias! Room looks fantastic.

[two dot]

Robert,

Beautiful speakers, beautiful room.

Congrats.

Listen in good health.

Stephen

[Yardbird]

Robert.
Congratulations on a very musical system, one I'm sure you'll be enjoying for a long time to come...I own the same N802's and am contemplating a move to either Avalon Indras or Sophia 3's, so would love to see any more impressions you can find the time to share! Thanks!

[JohnK]

Robert, I think we can have a lot of fun with mics, computers, graphs, charts, etc.

[JohnK]

Outputs to the microphone are balanced, but the outputs that are used to go from the Mobilepre to your I-7 are 1/4". All you need, though, is an 1/4" to XLR cable, which are cheap and readily available...

Robert, there's a decent chance I have some these kicking around in the basement. Let me check and check the gender too ...

[Elberoth]

Originally Posted by BlueChiaro

This is the right channel reflected in the left...

That image best shows the quality of Wilson finish

Great color BTW. Now need to play them for at least 400h to burn them in. At first they may sound a bit bright / hard.

[1KW]

Robert I think your room looks great the way it is right now All I would do is put 1 Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman in the sweet spot and you have a wonderful listening space.

[BlueChiaro]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

I use the M-Audio MobilePre USB, it's nice because it's bus-powered via your USB port and provides phantom power for the mike.

Amazon.com: M-Audio MobilePre: Musical Instruments

Outputs to the microphone are balanced, but the outputs that are used to go from the Mobilepre to your I-7 are 1/4". All you need, though, is an 1/4" to XLR cable, which are cheap and readily available...

Amazon.com: Hosa 20' Balanced 3 Pin XLR Male to Stereo (TRS) 1/4" Male Audio Interconnect Cable: Electronics

I use a 1/4" to RCA cable for my setup, and the MobilePre comes with a long USB cable to go from your mike preamp to your laptop.

Just be sure to get cables long enough so you can place the mike where you sit between the length of the output cable to the amp and the cable going from the MobilePre to the microphone.

You can then play around with your speaker placement in the room and sitting position to optimize both. I found that moving the microphone position a little as 6" will give a different in-room response. I could even see the difference in taking the grilles off the Dyns.

Thanks for the details, Puma Cat...that's precisely the setup I want to deploy, so knowing that it works for you takes the potential compatibility issue off the table. I see that John says that he may have something kicking around his basement for me, but, if not, I now know the direction to go. I hope to get this up & analyzing over the next couple of weeks. Again, I appreciate your help!

[BlueChiaro]

TOGA, Cyril, Serge, Stephen, and Elberoth, thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I was away for a couple of days and was missin' my new toys! I attended a Jazz at Lincoln Center event, last night, and I turned to my wife and said, "I don't think this sounds as good as home!" I actually meant it, though, as there was a strange reverb with the vocals. We still had a blast, but I'm glad to be home so I can enjoy the toy.

Yardbird, I don't claim to have a golden ear or a golden touch with the keyboard, but I will do my best to highlight what I've noticed over the first couple of days. Out of the box, I played some chamber orchestra music, and, within seconds, I was struck by the detail of the strings. Rather than the wall of sound which I was accustomed to hearing, I had the impression that I could almost count the number of violins playing. Maybe it's simply more clarity in the highs, but whatever the difference, it sounded like live music to my ears.

When I moved on to play some other things with which I am very familiar...Fourplay's self-title CD, for example...again, I would say that I experienced a more "there" feeling from the reproduction. The bass is more defined and clear than what I got from the N802s...but it doesn't overpower by any means. Sophia 3 also plays lower...as I have heard notes on a couple of CDs which I either never heard or were muddied, previously. One experience which has been fun is "feeling the music." My room has a traditionally framed wood floor, and the music has come up through my feet on songs which never did that, before. One was the opening track from Marcus Miller's M2.

To provide perspective, I have had my N802s since 1999, and I've thoroughly enjoyed them, but for pure musical reproduction, the Sophia 3 is well beyond them in terms of definition, clarity, bass, imaging, etc. I can't think of one area where I feel that the B&Ws outperforms the Wilsons...which, considering the age/price ratio, should be the case. I would have listened to the new 802Di, but my buddy who sells B&W didn't have a pair on display, and, then, I got swept up in the opportunity to buy the Sophias...and the rest is history. In retrospect, I'm thrilled at the purchase, and I don't have a hint of regret. If I can be of further help, please don't hesitate to PM me...glad to share what little thoughts I have.

David, one of the WAF conditions on getting the Wilsons was that we have the ability to seat 2-3 people, so the individual listening chair option is out the window.