Wilson Sasha replace Eggleston Works Andra II's -- interesting comparison

[vintage_tube]

Really hard to find articles such as you are about to read, especially when it comes to the Eggleston Works Andra II's of which are only supported by approx 20 dealers nationwide; whereas the Wilson's are represented by 40+ dealers.

The crux of the article comparing them follows and I was impressed by the Sasha comparison to the Andra II of which came to market in 2002. A 9 year difference in technology and research put the Sasha ahead; yet the Andra II which can be had for less than 1/3 the Sasha price on the used market is a true bargain.

The full article can be read at: The Audio Beat - Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha W/P Loudspeakers

[Offstage voice] "What about the Andras?"


"Marc Mickelson let me know that he has received e-mail asking what I thought about the Sasha vis-à-vis the EgglestonWorks Andra IIs ($18,900/pair when still available), which have served as one of my primary reference speakers for a good share of the last ten years. First, in fairness, it must be said that the Andra II debuted in 2002 and the Sasha is as new and fresh as a fine spring day. I have not seen, much less heard, the Andra III, and these remarks apply only to its now-replaced sister. As the late, great classical organist Virgil Fox might have put it, "Now away we go!"

Both speakers have wonderfully inert cabinets and are spectacularly finished, the Sasha being ever so slightly more so. It is in the bass region where the Sasha scores a decisive victory that verged on being a vicious beatdown. The Andra II’s bass is very good, as far as it goes, which is to somewhere in the lower 30s in my current room. This room does not provide the assistive loading of the room in which I reviewed the Andra II back in 2002. The Sasha provided noticeably better definition and tautness and took that superiority into the very low 20s with consummate ease and shattering, floor-shaking power when called upon to do so. Here it was no contest: Sasha in a convincing TKO.

Through the mids, it was very nearly a push, with the Sasha inching a bit ahead. The Sasha's new midrange driver is truly special. As noted above, this unprepossessing-looking unit achieves a level of nuance and detail retrieval that has heretofore been the exclusive provenance of planar and electrostatic drivers. The Andra II’s midrange is, and remains, striking and exemplary in its honesty, and it took the Sasha to better it. The improvement is there, though it is marginal, but at these levels of performance (and cost) being marginally better is more significant than it is with lesser components. Slight advantage to Sasha.

In terms of the highs, the Andra II’s Dynaudio Esotar is perhaps my all-time favorite dome tweeter. Its airiness, precision and delicacy still remain at the top of the mark. Wilson Audio has worked wonders with its new version of the Focal Tioxid tweeter, to be sure. The Sasha W/P had definition and subtlety that were lacking from even the MAXX 2. The tweeter integrates better with its companion midrange driver(s) than any previous Wilson tweeter and provides musically excellent overall sonics, but it is not the last word in any one quality one desires from a tweeter, acquitting itself well across the board instead. Here, the Andra II wins by a head’s length.

The Sasha consistently threw a bigger and more clearly defined soundstage and provided dynamics both great and small that few speakers anywhere can match. Overall, the Sasha was the better speaker in nearly every meaningful way. And well it should be. It is a much newer design, is made of highly exotic materials, and costs more, even considering the overall inflation of prices of high-end gear over the last seven-plus years. This does not mean that the Andra II isn’t a marvelously musical and enjoyable speaker. It always has been and remains so. If you have Andra IIs and you find them satisfying, there is no rational reason to take out a second mortgage and rush out to replace them with Sasha W/Ps unless you are a deep-bass fanatic. Horses for courses and all that."

Bob