2fastdriving
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I had B&W 802 Diamond speakers and recently upgraded to Wilson Sasha's. I decide to post a little review of why I did it and what I think about them now that I've immersed myself in their glory for over a week.
I first want to say that I really like the 802 Diamond, they are a great value for their price point. Nothing I say in this post should be taken as a dislike for those speakers.
I was prompted to look at other speakers that my dealer (Definitive Audio in Bellevue/Seattle, WA) carries because of their trade up program. I feel it is a really good program, and I didn't want to let it slip through my fingers without some deep thought. I decided to check out other offerings they carry. Unfortunately, because of the way they are set up, I could pretty much only hear Wilson. They carry VA, but don't have the "good stuff" like VA's "The Music". Now...I know I could have gone to Magnolia or traveled a bit to see other brands. But I've heard other brands at various events and shows and friends places. I knew what I was looking for, and I figured that if the Sasha's could deliver it, I would go for it.
What was I looking for? I wanted a touch more realism. My 802's had gobs of detail and punchy lows and crispy highs, but everything seemed just a touch mechanical. I wanted something to breathe life into what I was hearing. I love a lot of female singer/songwriter artists such as Jewel, and I know how her voice should sound. It should sound like she is in the room, not an artificial reproduction. There should be an organic quality to her voice, her breathing, and the plucking of her guitar.
My dealer gave me a whole afternoon with the Sasha's paired with my exact equipment...except I think the Transparent speaker cable was a few levels up from mine.
I felt that there was some magical stuff happening in the midrange and that voices finally sounded as though they were real. No mechanical approximation. No "cones in a box" coloration. However I was disappointed in the bass quality in that listening session. The dealer assured me it was the room, and I agreed that must be it. I placed my order. Since I have McIntosh gear and Transparent cables, I was very excited to be able to say my system was mostly Made in the USA! (Mac Mini and NAD CD player and Rega turntable are not).
Between the time I placed the order and received them, I was treated to a tour of the Wilson facility with my dealer. I was able to meet David Wilson himself and his wife and daughter (our very own Debby here on AS). I had a great time and feel very lucky to have done such a tour. it was unforgettable.
When I received my Sasha's on the big day, the first that thing struck me is how well they pack and ship these things. It's obviously an obsession to do it right. After my tour, that shouldn't be a surprise at all. But these things come in huge crates that are very well made, and are wrapped up like mummies with protective wrapping. It took a long time to get them unpacked and unwrapped. I did most of that. My dealer did the set up.
The first thing that struck me about the sound was the BASS. I was genuinely worried that my 802's destroy the Sasha in bass output and that I would be disappointed. HA! Whatever. The bass that the Sasha makes in a normal room when set up properly is absolutely glorious. I suppose you could make it go deeper with a sub, but I feel it is unnecessary for 2-channel and it would be tough to integrate. I am used to bass being felt, not heard very much. The Sasha gives bass a real "texture" that you can hear and feel. It seems as though there is a sub in the room at times, but on other recordings there is very little bass. So I feel comfortable it is putting out exactly what is on the recording. No editorializing, no "pumped up port". If it's on the recording you will be getting it.
The midrange and tweeter are not quite giving me the magic that I heard in the dealer room. That said, they are still besting the 802 in every way. I feel I will need to play with room treatments a bit more to wring that last bit of perfection out of them. So how are they better than the 802? Same thing that I mentioned I heard in that demo: you get the detail and crispy highs but you also get a sense that "you are there". A sense that the voices are palpable. They sound more convincingly real. So do guitars. You can hear the resonance of the guitar string against the frets. You can "feel" the plucking. I could hear some of these things with the 802...it is very revealing. But it was there as detail, an asterisk. Not as an integrated part of the performance. Now it is as though it's there for a REASON. Those details tie the recording together and paint a beautiful portrait of sound in three dimensional space.
Another thing that struck me about the Sasha's was the dynamic power they can present. You can play a piece of music that is very soft and then it goes extremely loud. The Sasha's do not feel like they are stressed at all. They just very naturally present it to you as though you are part of a performance. (I am sure my MC452 plays a role in this! Great pairing with Sasha's!) I've also noticed that I can listen to music at a much louder volume with very little discomfort. This is dangerous to my hearing, I realize, but I also think it proves that the Sasha is much more able to play at high levels with little distortion. My 802's would be very hard on my ears at levels such as this. It was easy for me to say "ok, that's enough...it's starting to sound like crap and hurt my ears" before. Now, I can keep turning it up, and it keeps sounding better. That's scary!
Overall, I can say that spending this much money on an audio product is a first for me, and kind of daunting. I am not "rich", and it's a big deal to invest this much in a hobby. Let's face it, I could live with my 802's...which were paid for! But I love that my money is buying me state of the art speakers and helping to keep Americans employed. Huge bonus.
I feel my entire upgrade process was top notch. From my dealer's demo (with the exception of an over-damped room) to the factory visit to the delivery and set up - it was all great. The fit and finish, the quality is everywhere. And I am proud that it's made in America.
I first want to say that I really like the 802 Diamond, they are a great value for their price point. Nothing I say in this post should be taken as a dislike for those speakers.
I was prompted to look at other speakers that my dealer (Definitive Audio in Bellevue/Seattle, WA) carries because of their trade up program. I feel it is a really good program, and I didn't want to let it slip through my fingers without some deep thought. I decided to check out other offerings they carry. Unfortunately, because of the way they are set up, I could pretty much only hear Wilson. They carry VA, but don't have the "good stuff" like VA's "The Music". Now...I know I could have gone to Magnolia or traveled a bit to see other brands. But I've heard other brands at various events and shows and friends places. I knew what I was looking for, and I figured that if the Sasha's could deliver it, I would go for it.
What was I looking for? I wanted a touch more realism. My 802's had gobs of detail and punchy lows and crispy highs, but everything seemed just a touch mechanical. I wanted something to breathe life into what I was hearing. I love a lot of female singer/songwriter artists such as Jewel, and I know how her voice should sound. It should sound like she is in the room, not an artificial reproduction. There should be an organic quality to her voice, her breathing, and the plucking of her guitar.
My dealer gave me a whole afternoon with the Sasha's paired with my exact equipment...except I think the Transparent speaker cable was a few levels up from mine.
I felt that there was some magical stuff happening in the midrange and that voices finally sounded as though they were real. No mechanical approximation. No "cones in a box" coloration. However I was disappointed in the bass quality in that listening session. The dealer assured me it was the room, and I agreed that must be it. I placed my order. Since I have McIntosh gear and Transparent cables, I was very excited to be able to say my system was mostly Made in the USA! (Mac Mini and NAD CD player and Rega turntable are not).
Between the time I placed the order and received them, I was treated to a tour of the Wilson facility with my dealer. I was able to meet David Wilson himself and his wife and daughter (our very own Debby here on AS). I had a great time and feel very lucky to have done such a tour. it was unforgettable.
When I received my Sasha's on the big day, the first that thing struck me is how well they pack and ship these things. It's obviously an obsession to do it right. After my tour, that shouldn't be a surprise at all. But these things come in huge crates that are very well made, and are wrapped up like mummies with protective wrapping. It took a long time to get them unpacked and unwrapped. I did most of that. My dealer did the set up.
The first thing that struck me about the sound was the BASS. I was genuinely worried that my 802's destroy the Sasha in bass output and that I would be disappointed. HA! Whatever. The bass that the Sasha makes in a normal room when set up properly is absolutely glorious. I suppose you could make it go deeper with a sub, but I feel it is unnecessary for 2-channel and it would be tough to integrate. I am used to bass being felt, not heard very much. The Sasha gives bass a real "texture" that you can hear and feel. It seems as though there is a sub in the room at times, but on other recordings there is very little bass. So I feel comfortable it is putting out exactly what is on the recording. No editorializing, no "pumped up port". If it's on the recording you will be getting it.
The midrange and tweeter are not quite giving me the magic that I heard in the dealer room. That said, they are still besting the 802 in every way. I feel I will need to play with room treatments a bit more to wring that last bit of perfection out of them. So how are they better than the 802? Same thing that I mentioned I heard in that demo: you get the detail and crispy highs but you also get a sense that "you are there". A sense that the voices are palpable. They sound more convincingly real. So do guitars. You can hear the resonance of the guitar string against the frets. You can "feel" the plucking. I could hear some of these things with the 802...it is very revealing. But it was there as detail, an asterisk. Not as an integrated part of the performance. Now it is as though it's there for a REASON. Those details tie the recording together and paint a beautiful portrait of sound in three dimensional space.
Another thing that struck me about the Sasha's was the dynamic power they can present. You can play a piece of music that is very soft and then it goes extremely loud. The Sasha's do not feel like they are stressed at all. They just very naturally present it to you as though you are part of a performance. (I am sure my MC452 plays a role in this! Great pairing with Sasha's!) I've also noticed that I can listen to music at a much louder volume with very little discomfort. This is dangerous to my hearing, I realize, but I also think it proves that the Sasha is much more able to play at high levels with little distortion. My 802's would be very hard on my ears at levels such as this. It was easy for me to say "ok, that's enough...it's starting to sound like crap and hurt my ears" before. Now, I can keep turning it up, and it keeps sounding better. That's scary!
Overall, I can say that spending this much money on an audio product is a first for me, and kind of daunting. I am not "rich", and it's a big deal to invest this much in a hobby. Let's face it, I could live with my 802's...which were paid for! But I love that my money is buying me state of the art speakers and helping to keep Americans employed. Huge bonus.
I feel my entire upgrade process was top notch. From my dealer's demo (with the exception of an over-damped room) to the factory visit to the delivery and set up - it was all great. The fit and finish, the quality is everywhere. And I am proud that it's made in America.
