I've had 48 hours to collect my thoughts, as honestly what happened on Saturday was unexpected. This journey has been to find a "final step" reference loudspeaker that I can own for years to come that I find *substantially* better than what I have, most likely due to cabinet tech that higher priced speakers include. I've had a number of speakers of all types (with horns, a completely separate genre still to come). Metal drivers, natural wood drivers, higher order crossovers, lower order crossovers, lively cabinets, dead cabinets, soft dome tweeters, Be versions. The companies involved- Wilson, Gamut, YG Acoustics, and Rockport - couldn't be more different but all strive for reference sound.
First, there is no speaker that is the best in all areas of sound, period. I have been critical on every speaker I've auditioned thus far. So what you are left with is simply finding which one hits the most criteria for you and go in that direction. We can argue about designs and crossovers, et al. but what it really comes down to is which speaker while you are listening to it makes you sink in your chair for hours without thinking about any of that design crap and puts a smile on your race. There are two speakers that made me relax - the Gamut RS and the YG Sonja 2.2 - but the Gamut, while relaxing, left me with a flustered look moreso than a smile.
In my Wilson vs YG review previously, I wrote that the YG painted a pure, coherent canvas in front of me that was alive and present. This time around, I wanted to find if that magic extended to the smaller Hailey 2 and focus on macro dynamics - which in my Rockport demo bothered me. We started by first swapping the ARC Ref 10 preamp for the internal MSB Ref dac version and both Ron and I preferred the ARC - hence, we used that and the Dagostino phono preamp for several hours of pure analog fun. Fwiw, I found the added space around instruments, larger soundstage, and a hint of tube tonality welcome vs the "sharper" more resolute MSB. Then again, I'm a tube guy.
The DNA of the Hailey is clear - it has that clarity and purity of all the YG speakers. It also had that lower level microdynamic energy that I prefer (which I believe is due to not dampening the entire cabinet ironically like Gamut or Devore), although not quite to the extent of the Sonja. Coherency seemed excellent - and Alex's position of the Hailey seemed spot on as they disappeared. I really enjoyed this audition - it was truly excellent. My only quibble was that the bass seemed a bit light in Alma's massive room. I didn't get quite the impact on Blake Mill's Heigh Ho that I have at home or that I experienced on the Rockports. I also noticed the Hailey was more efficient than its predecessor - we only got over 100 watts on a single track (Ron's DR19 Bill Henderson at 90dbs+) and 9/10 tracks weren't moving the needle much at all. I would say on the KeithR relaxation scale, I was at a 7. I think a Luxman m900u could be the perfect amp on Hailey, with ability to monoblock them later in a bigger room.
We then had lunch while the Sonja 2.2s were setup (thank you, Alex and Fabio). After 3 minutes of putting the Sonja’s in I just chuckled to myself. Alex had previously told me the Sonja just gave you “more” of everything vs the other YG speakers. I think Alex is understating the effect – as what happened is the scale of the canvas increased to lifelike proportions, and the painting was so much more relaxed and convincing than on the Hailey. Flow, decay, and tonality all were better, and I believe that’s why KeithR’s relaxation factor went to 10. In many ways, I felt I was in front of panel speakers with dynamic drive. Bass also was more solidified in the larger room. Please note, I don’t focus on transparency and resolution very much (nor do I at a concert hall) but Alex assured me the effects I was hearing was due to the cabinet within a cabinet design of the Sonja and the vanishing distortion that accompanies it (a single Sonja weighs the same as a pair of Haileys). This is different from other manufacturers that just scale size up with higher priced speakers (and on a Wilson, I'd actually prefer Sashas to Alexxs which may surprise folks). With YG, the top of the line gets you a more visceral, natural landscape not just height and bass. This was unexpected. As far as power, we hit 100+ watts often, so the Sonja requires a bigger amplifier commitment. I think what’s fascinating is after hearing the Sonja, Ron started understanding what coherency in my view. Simply put, this is the best dynamic driver speaker I’ve heard.
So where does that leave me in my search? Well, unfortunately a $76k speaker is well above budget and not likely to (ever) happen. I’m also concerned the sonic delta between Hailey and Sonja to these ears is too great. I would say the difference is much greater than the cost increase as well for a “value” argument and the Sonja can add an additional bass module for big rooms which is a great upgrade path. My preliminary opinion is to just wait it out for a trade-in, demo, etc. that is bound to happen in a year or two. I think delayed gratification on a “dream speaker” isn’t such a bad thing.
One final thought, the whole coherency/canvas thing revealed in the Sonja demo is going to be interesting to compare with in my upcoming Cessaro horn demo (mid-April). That said, I continue to learn through this journey and doing my best to keep an open mind. Is that cones or horns? We shall see.