Best amplification for Wilson Audio Sascha DAW

[skinnyfla]

… noone has mentioned Pass Labs - just curious - what are peoples experiences/thoughts… also, as I live in Germany, might put more focus on european brands…. so I‘ll have a look at Aries Cerat, Ypsilon and CH Precision (Gryphon obviously is european) as alternatives to the big US boys… especially as import, distribution and higher tax make a 30% rise in price…

 

[Jpspock]

I had in the past Sasha with Pass xa100.5 that I changed with help of a retail in Germany for Xa 160.5. They play since 3 years with Daw, and I am in heaven. High are refined , mid are liquid as good tube amps like arc, but without problem of rolling tubes. Bass are deep, strong and articulate. Read some reviews, and you will understand. Now it is version .8 , certainly as good as .5.
another alternative are pass x600.5 or .8. Less heat as not full Class A.
mas preamp I used a ref5se with nos tubes, really excellent, but nos are rare and price are very high. I found my definitive preamp, no transistor nor tubes, a passive preamp the Bespoke audio which is the most transparent preamp you can find and matching very well with Pass.

 

[skinnyfla]

... I will say that this is turning out to be less obvious than I expected. First of all - with regard to the "negative" comments here and there about McIntosh - I thought this would be a very easy and clear comparison with a clear "looser". Brand XY will blow the Mc "out of the water" the difference will be "night and day"... etc... well - a least I can say that for my taste nothing has blown anything "out of the water" yet.

There are differences, but NOT night and day.

Also, besides objective differences with respect to whats "good" and whats "not so good" theres also that not quite so unimportant subjective aspect of personal taste.

Now - there are components that reproduce a punchier and more accurate bass, components that have more resolution, components that have a more "airy" sound... most of that comes at a price, sound gets thinner, brighter, less organic... etc. Not saying dark or bright is a good or bad thing in a judgmental way (maybe the latter is even more accurate as a reproduction) just saying that there are changes (but NOT night and day) and brands/products bring a certain character.

So does McIntosh - the separates I already own sound a little darker than most components I have compared and I would also describe them as very colorful, sometimes bold, can be very masculine/powerful and yes, maybe here and there not as fast and not the highest resolution, therefore never fatiguing though and I would say all in all very musical. There`s always a component that will do "this or that" better/different - but looking at the whole picture, I actually quite like what I have.

Also it retails for 1/2 to 1/5th the price of the products discussed here - that said, I am unsure where that leaves me... and I do wonder if its really worth spending 40 - 60k extra... I would and I`m curious to find out... but again, things are nowhere near as obvious as I expected them to be.

Cheers all and thanks for the great recommendations and information - the search goes on... ;-)

Best,

Chris

 

[skinnyfla]

… putting Einstein The Amp Ultimate mk108 and Aries Cerat Ianus Aperio on my list… should be interesting…

 

[Rexp]

… putting Einstein The Amp Ultimate mk108 and Aries Cerat Ianus Aperio on my list… should be interesting…

You could get a used Krell KST100 and a valve pre amp like a CAT SL1 for less money that will blow your Mac away...

 

[skinnyfla]

… CH Precision also bot really better to my likings… still searching… maybe bigger darTZeel or Aries Cerat (not sure whether they have enough power)…

 

[skinnyfla]

… so what’s it gonna be… I really like the sound signature of my McIntosh… that’s one thing I have learned… I like that grunty full rich and colorful sound… stuff that works in a similar direction but is better is what i’m looking for… what about Dan DAgostino… seems like the obvious choice… never listened to them… any experience anyone? Worth checking on… ?

 

[andromedaaudio]

IMV ARC pre / power 160 M is a good combo for the WP DAW

 

[skinnyfla]

IMV ARC pre / power 160 M is a good combo for the WP DAW

… yes, i hear that quite often… monos or stereo as poweramps?

 

[AudioAbe]

I don’t think you lose much with the 160S compared to the 160M.

 

[skinnyfla]

I don’t think you lose much with the 160S compared to the 160M.

… sounds interesting

 

[KeithR]

I think most McIntosh people, perhaps more than any other brand, get off the gear merry go round.

 

[cjf]

Maybe consider the Pass Labs XA160.8 mono blocks if heat is not a concern. They should throw the DAW around like a rag doll, in a good way.

 

[skinnyfla]

I think most McIntosh people, perhaps more than any other brand, get off the gear merry go round.

… well, I‘m certainly having a hard time finding something I like significantly better… which is also an important lesson to learn… you actually can be happy with what you have… I used to come from a state of constant unrest, because i didn’t like what i was hearing, i couldn’t listen to my music the way i wanted to… i am now actually very happy with my setup and play all sorts of music every night… so i am now coming from a different place and just enjoy trying new stuff once in a while - it is a hobby after all… but there is no urge to change things anymore…

 

[skinnyfla]

Maybe consider the Pass Labs XA160.8 mono blocks if heat is not a concern. They should throw the DAW around like a rag doll, in a good way.

… will give them a listen…

 

[AudioAbe]

… well, I‘m certainly having a hard time finding something I like significantly better… which is also an important lesson to learn… you actually can be happy with what you have… I used to come from a state of constant unrest, because i didn’t like what i was hearing, i couldn’t listen to my music the way i wanted to… i am now actually very happy with my setup and play all sorts of music every night… so i am now coming from a different place and just enjoy trying new stuff once in a while - it is a hobby after all… but there is no urge to change things anymore…

That is a great place to be. Ultimately, this hobby is all about enjoying the music

 

[chuck]

… well, I‘m certainly having a hard time finding something I like significantly better… which is also an important lesson to learn… you actually can be happy with what you have… I used to come from a state of constant unrest, because i didn’t like what i was hearing, i couldn’t listen to my music the way i wanted to… i am now actually very happy with my setup and play all sorts of music every night… so i am now coming from a different place and just enjoy trying new stuff once in a while - it is a hobby after all… but there is no urge to change things anymore…

If you want an amp to make the Wilsons sound a lot better, like they are a different speaker, you need to jump up to the big boys. A Boulder 2160 will do it but it costs $70,000.00 US MSRP. But if you had a 2160 you would start thinking about Wilson Alexx Vs . . .or XVX.

 

[skinnyfla]

If you want an amp to make the Wilsons sound a lot better, like they are a different speaker, you need to jump up to the big boys. A Boulder 2160 will do it but it costs $70,000.00 US MSRP. But if you had a 2160 you would start thinking about Wilson Alexx Vs . . .or XVX.

… basically saying, that if you want something that plays significantly better than the McIntosh, you need to spend a lot of money but then you might aswell add the bigger Wilsons… am I understanding that right?… and then there is still the question of „personal taste“…

 

[Bobvin]

… basically saying, that if you want something that plays significantly better than the McIntosh, you need to spend a lot of money but then you might aswell add the bigger Wilsons… am I understanding that right?… and then there is still the question of „personal taste“…

I don‘t think going up in source components necessitates doing the same with speakers, until such time you’re ready for that move. And the “big boys“ need not always mean big $$ as that says the two are (always) correlated.

I visited the dealer event in Seattle last month and heard most of the Wilson line-up (the V Series). Most were played with typical Wilson partnering Dagostino, dCS, Transparent, and a lot of audiophiles like that sound profile, which I will say (imho) is quite a bit different from Mcintosh (been a while since I’ve heard that pairing). As I mentioned earlier, I used Audio Research with Wilson Sasha and Alexia and loved the sound, accepting the lowest octaves are handled differently with ARC tubes vs Dag SS. (Wilsons like power and the low registers are served well by SS amps — not implying tubes aren’t good, just different.)

But now after living with Pilium and several different speakers, I suggest again the Pilium kit is worth auditioning. An integrated gets you serious taste of Pilium sound without getting into higher prices. Knowing the liquid sound of Pilium is more to my own taste than the Dag stuff, I think it would be magic on Wilson speakers. My opinion too you’d find it a big step up from Mcintosh.

Hopefully you wouldn’t need to travel far in EU several dealers exist.

 

[skinnyfla]

I don‘t think going up in source components necessitates doing the same with speakers, until such time you’re ready for that move. And the “big boys“ need not always mean big $$ as that says the two are (always) correlated.

I visited the dealer event in Seattle last month and heard most of the Wilson line-up (the V Series). Most were played with typical Wilson partnering Dagostino, dCS, Transparent, and a lot of audiophiles like that sound profile, which I will say (imho) is quite a bit different from Mcintosh (been a while since I’ve heard that pairing). As I mentioned earlier, I used Audio Research with Wilson Sasha and Alexia and loved the sound, accepting the lowest octaves are handled differently with ARC tubes vs Dag SS. (Wilsons like power and the low registers are served well by SS amps — not implying tubes aren’t good, just different.)

But now after living with Pilium and several different speakers, I suggest again the Pilium kit is worth auditioning. An integrated gets you serious taste of Pilium sound without getting into higher prices. Knowing the liquid sound of Pilium is more to my own taste than the Dag stuff, I think it would be magic on Wilson speakers. My opinion too you’d find it a big step up from Mcintosh.

Hopefully you wouldn’t need to travel far in EU several dealers exist.

Pilium I have never heard before… care to share any experience on sound signature/characteristics? Always great to learn about new brands… cheers