Sasha 2 Press Release

[Lildebs888]

Hi Debby,

What is your and your dad's favourite poweramp with Sasha2 : VTL or Spectral or Dan D'Agostino?

Thanks!

Sasha 2 is still in development, so it's only been hooked up to the Spectral.

Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpahlYk1Ccw - at around 4:55 my dad explains the use of the spectral amps

 

[PeterA]

Sasha 2 is still in development, so it's only been hooked up to the Spectral.

Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpahlYk1Ccw - at around 4:55 my dad explains the use of the spectral amps

Debby, what cables does your dad use with the Spectrals? I thought Wilson used Transparent exclusively, but they are not recommended with Spectral gear, MIT is.

 

[Lildebs888]

Debby, what cables does your dad use with the Spectrals? I thought Wilson used Transparent exclusively, but they are not recommended with Spectral gear, MIT is.

I thought I saw MIT when I was there. They were different cables than he typically uses. I will have to find out for you.

 

[Lildebs888]

Debby, what cables does your dad use with the Spectrals? I thought Wilson used Transparent exclusively, but they are not recommended with Spectral gear, MIT is.

I just asked my dad, and he said they are in fact MIT speaker cables that were designed specifically for the Spectral Amp.

 

[Pepe]

Hello Debby,

I see that on your own system you currently use the Parasound Halo A21 power amp. How does that sound on the Sashas and what is the reason you chose Parasound Halo instead of other more expensive brands such as Audio Research, VTL, Classe or Pass Labs? (I am sure you can afford any amp in the world. ). The reason why I ask is because I really want to order the Sasha 2 when they comes out, but my budget can only afford a pair of Sophias (with good amp, either Audio Research REF, Pass Labs XA or VTL). If I buy Sashas instead, then I will need to settle for a lower price amp (such as Parasound A21, which seems to be an excellent amp) and upgrade later. With all this excitement about the Sasha 2 coming out soon, I really want to get Sashas instead of Sophias, but I have not been able to find much information about pairing Parasound a21 with Sashas (most people pair it with expensive amps). What are your thoughts on this? How does the a21 stack up comparing to the more expensive ~$8k amps on the Sashas? Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing your opinion.

 

[Lildebs888]

Hello Debby,

I see that on your own system you currently use the Parasound Halo A21 power amp. How does that sound on the Sashas and what is the reason you chose Parasound Halo instead of other more expensive brands such as Audio Research, VTL, Classe or Pass Labs? (I am sure you can afford any amp in the world. ). The reason why I ask is because I really want to order the Sasha 2 when they comes out, but my budget can only afford a pair of Sophias (with good amp, either Audio Research REF, Pass Labs XA or VTL). If I buy Sashas instead, then I will need to settle for a lower price amp (such as Parasound A21, which seems to be an excellent amp) and upgrade later. With all this excitement about the Sasha 2 coming out soon, I really want to get Sashas instead of Sophias, but I have not been able to find much information about pairing Parasound a21 with Sashas (most people pair it with expensive amps). What are your thoughts on this? How does the a21 stack up comparing to the more expensive ~$8k amps on the Sashas? Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing your opinion.

Hi Pepe!

A few points for you:

First : I am a mother of 4 young children. I absolutely cannot afford any amp! We are on a tight budget, which is why I don't upgrade my gear often.

Secondly, I use my Sasha's and Parasounds almost solely for home theater use. So, what I use my amps for could be very different than what you are looking for.

Third, I use my A51 for the Sasha's, Center channel, and surrounds. The A21 I use for the WATCHDog (sub).

Forth, I have not been able to do an A/B comparison of the Parasound to any of the amps you are referring to. So, I can't tell you how they compare to the others.

I will say though, that my father has always told me (and I would agree with him) that the speakers are the most important part of the system (some might feel him saying that is because he is a speaker designer/manufacturer. Some might disagree, but some might agree with my dad). Now, this is NOT to say that other components are not important, because they are! All I am saying is if you are on a tight budget, and you want the "biggest bang for your buck" - one might consider investing in great speakers, and upgrade other components as money permits. This is my opinion, though. I respect that others might disagree.

That being said, the Parasounds are wonderful for their price, and I do really like them! Let me just add that my parents use The same amps I have in their Home Theater. However, they use other amps for their 2 channel system.

As I would recommend to anyone - listen for yourself. Something I enjoy, others might not like at all.

Let your own ears decide

 

[Pepe]

Hi Debby,

Thanks so much for your insight. It is good to know that your parents also use Parasound for their Home Theater. I will most likely use the A21 for a few years then upgrade. I agree with your father that the speakers are the most important part of the system, it is also the most costly to upgrade, so if I buy the Sophias and 3-4 years later I decide to upgrade to Sasha's (most likely the case) I would probably loose around $5k, while upgrading the Parasound amp will probably loose just $1k even if it devaluates to half its value.

My only concern is that the A21 is not a good match or plain just not good enough for the Sasha 2's and I will be missing out too much in the next few years with this setup. If that was the case then probably I should just wait another year and buy the speakers at the same time with a better amp.

If your dad has the A21 (or A51, which are the same, just 5 channels instead of 2) could you please ask him for his insight how does the A21 (or A51) perform when used for 2 channel music? And roughly speaking how does it stack up against a better amp such as Audio Research REF 75 or Pass Labs XA60.5? (roughly how much worse?) (I saw several Audio Research amps in his listening room on the panoramic photo that you posted ) That information will make my decision so much easier and I really hope you can help out. Thanks in advance.

(Note: As far as your recommendation for listening myself, there are a few obstacles: I will need to wait for the Sasha 2's to be available and even when that happens the Parasound is from different dealer, so far they are not allowing me to take it for home audition. Your help will be greatly appreciated)

 

[Bruce B]

When I was there, Dave was also using the Parasound to power his 2 Thor Hammer Subs in his main room.

 

[Lildebs888]

Hi Debby,

Thanks so much for your insight. It is good to know that your parents also use Parasound for their Home Theater. I will most likely use the A21 for a few years then upgrade. I agree with your father that the speakers are the most important part of the system, it is also the most costly to upgrade, so if I buy the Sophias and 3-4 years later I decide to upgrade to Sasha's (most likely the case) I would probably loose around $5k, while upgrading the Parasound amp will probably loose just $1k even if it devaluates to half its value.

My only concern is that the A21 is not a good match or plain just not good enough for the Sasha 2's and I will be missing out too much in the next few years with this setup. If that was the case then probably I should just wait another year and buy the speakers at the same time with a better amp.

If your dad has the A21 (or A51, which are the same, just 5 channels instead of 2) could you please ask him for his insight how does the A21 (or A51) perform when used for 2 channel music? And roughly speaking how does it stack up against a better amp such as Audio Research REF 75 or Pass Labs XA60.5? (roughly how much worse?) (I saw several Audio Research amps in his listening room on the panoramic photo that you posted ) That information will make my decision so much easier and I really hope you can help out. Thanks in advance.

(Note: As far as your recommendation for listening myself, there are a few obstacles: I will need to wait for the Sasha 2's to be available and even when that happens the Parasound is from different dealer, so far they are not allowing me to take it for home audition. Your help will be greatly appreciated)

I just got off the phone with my dad.

DISCLAIMER: Everyone has their own opinions, and that is OK. These are my fathers opinions only. People may disagree with him, and that is OK. I just don't want this to turn into a "bash on my dad's opinions" thread. This is just a quick summary, not a full break down of the strengths and weaknesses of each amp.

Pepe asked what my father thinks of the Parasound compared to a couple other amps, and my dad was kind enough to give to take his time and give him feedback. I want to be able to help people here. I don't want what is said to be slammed. Thank you!

To summarize what my dad told me:

“The Parasound is going to be more powerful than the others which will give it an advantage when driving the Sasha 2. The Sasha 2 (like the Sasha 1) is a low impedance speaker.

Ref 75 is the most limited on your the list because it is rated at 75 watts (might put out a little more). The Ref 75 does have impedance taps on the outputs (8ohm tap, 4ohm tap, etc). However, if impedance dips to 2 ohms - you will only have half the power (35 watts instead of 75). With the Parasound you will have at least 200 watts – even with the Sasha's dip.

Midrange will be fuller, and have more energy with the Ref 75 and the Pass amps. The Parasound is a little lean in the midrange.

High frequency - the Parasound is clean, and thinks it would do fine.

All in all, he feels that Parasound Halo A21 will do a good job (depending on the kind of music you listen to).

http://www.parasound.com/halo/a21.php

(This comes from me now) Keep in mind that his experience is with the Sasha 1. The Sasha 2 is still in the final development stages, and sounds different than the Series 1 (I won’t comment on what the differences are because I heard it a few weeks ago, and it has all changed since then)

I love my Parasounds (mostly because of the price for performance - you get a lot of amp for not very much!).

 

[microstrip]

(...) And roughly speaking how does it stack up against a better amp such as Audio Research REF 75 or Pass Labs XA60.5? (roughly how much worse?) (I saw several Audio Research amps in his listening room on the panoramic photo that you posted (...)

Pepe,

Just one detail that can make the difference - IMHO the REF150 is a better amplifier for the Sasha's than the REF75. A good friend of mine owns it with a beautiful pair of orange Sasha's and it is what I am using with the Alexia's. The extra power of the REF150, and mostly, its capacity to play tunes in the bass, is a bliss with David Wilson speakers.

 

[Lildebs888]

Pepe,

Just one detail that can make the difference - IMHO the REF150 is a better amplifier for the Sasha's than the REF75. A good friend of mine owns it with a beautiful pair of orange Sasha's and it is what I am using with the Alexia's. The extra power of the REF150, and mostly, its capacity to play tunes in the bass, is a bliss with David Wilson speakers.

Makes sense. I have never heard the 150 (and didn't ask my dad about it). Power was the only thing my dad was worried about with the 75. He even said that the midrange was much better with the Ref than the Parasound.

Good luck!

 

[Pepe]

Hi Debby,

Thank you so much for your help and Mr. Wilson for being so kind in answering my questions. Your family is just amazing and I am deeply touched by how nice you two are. Mr. Wilson's 'personal' opinion is definitely greatly appreciated, I think that has already saved me a lot of money on unnecessary upgrades since I was thinking that if I could somehow squeeze and step up to the REF 75 then I will not need to upgrade for the rest of my life. Had I done that I will most likely find it underpowered (only heavy music passages I assume) and wanting to upgrade in a few months or couple years later. Just as microstrip suggested, I should just save up a little longer and step up to REF150 bypassing the REF75, avoiding resale loss and use that money towards the better amp instead. As it stands, the major thing that is lacking slightly on the A21 is in the midrange but overall it will do a fine job, that should be good enough for me while I save up for a better matching.

Thanks again Debby, please keep us posted and let us know as soon as you have new information about the Sasha 2s! and please say thank you to Mr. Wilson next time you see him, tell him I am definitely a buyer of the new Sashas (my first choice WAS the B&W 802's, but Wilson Audio has won me over).

 

[Pepe]

Hi microstrip, your suggestion for the REF150 makes perfect sense, I wish I could buy it NOW and not have to wait. I do have a few questions to ask you about tubes, such as roughly how many months they last (how much they cost?) and if you have had any resistors or PCB issues with your REF150, there is a thread in Agon about frequent blowing resistors and PCB and I wonder if you (or your friend) have experienced any of those issues. But to prevent keep deviating from the original topic on this thread, ("Sasha 2 Press Release") I am taking this to a new thread and hopefully you can provide some feedback there. Thanks in advance.

Hi Bruce B, thanks for chiming in. I have been reading many of your posts, most notably "The Alexia's are HERE!" (all 37 pages!). That was very entertaining (and educational to me) and man, I wish I could afford a pair of Alexias. Congratulations on those speakers. I saw a pair of Pass Lab mono blocks on your pictures, but I don't think you ever mentioned which models they are. hmmm... Pass Labs XA are a good alternative if the AR REFs indeed have issues with often blowing resistors or damage PCB. XA100.5 is too expensive for me though, and XA60.5 is 'probably' not enough power.

 

[microstrip]

Hi microstrip, your suggestion for the REF150 makes perfect sense, I wish I could buy it NOW and not have to wait. I do have a few questions to ask you about tubes, such as roughly how many months they last (how much they cost?) and if you have had any resistors or PCB issues with your REF150, there is a thread in Agon about frequent blowing resistors and PCB and I wonder if you (or your friend) have experienced any of those issues. But to prevent keep deviating from the original topic on this thread, ("Sasha 2 Press Release") I am taking this to a new thread and hopefully you can provide some feedback there. Thanks in advance.

Hi Bruce B, thanks for chiming in. I have been reading many of your posts, most notably "The Alexia's are HERE!" (all 37 pages!). That was very entertaining (and educational to me) and man, I wish I could afford a pair of Alexias. Congratulations on those speakers. I saw a pair of Pass Lab mono blocks on your pictures, but I don't think you ever mentioned which models they are. hmmm... Pass Labs XA are a good alternative if the AR REFs indeed have issues with often blowing resistors or damage PCB. XA100.5 is too expensive for me though, and XA60.5 is 'probably' not enough power.

The KT120 power tubes of the REF150 last 2000 hours, the 6h30 for 4000 hours. I have never experienced a blown resistor or any problem with tubes, except a few 6h30 that become noisy and a 6550 that could not bias properly. The only recent case I know about blown resistors were due to people who bough cheap tubes from net suppliers (a nice name for eBay ... ), but they did not take any PCB track away. I never put a tube in my amplifiers that has not been burned-in for at less 100 hours - typically 4 days. Why risk infant mortality? And at proper time replace them - it is why new ARCs have an hour counter.

The cases you read about are mainly about the old REF610. A pity, because it is IMHO one of the best existing amplifiers, as well as the new REF750 that seems much more robust.

 

[Bruce B]

Hi Bruce B, thanks for chiming in. I have been reading many of your posts, most notably "The Alexia's are HERE!" (all 37 pages!). That was very entertaining (and educational to me) and man, I wish I could afford a pair of Alexias. Congratulations on those speakers. I saw a pair of Pass Lab mono blocks on your pictures, but I don't think you ever mentioned which models they are. hmmm... Pass Labs XA are a good alternative if the AR REFs indeed have issues with often blowing resistors or damage PCB. XA100.5 is too expensive for me though, and XA60.5 is 'probably' not enough power.

Thank-you!
The amps in the photos are XA-100.5
In the latest S'phile, JA reviews the XA-60.5 amps. Under "Associated Equipment", he lists the Alexia's. According to the specs, the amps have more than enough power.

 

[PeterA]

Thank-you!
The amps in the photos are XA-100.5
In the latest S'phile, JA reviews the XA-60.5 amps. Under "Associated Equipment", he lists the Alexia's. According to the specs, the amps have more than enough power.

I just heard the Alexia with a pair of XA160.5 in a large, open room. Before you consider the 60.5, ask a dealer about the size of your room and consider the volume at which you listen. The 60.5 may indeed be enough, but room size and volume matter for best sound. I also don't know about the load of the Alexia versus the new Sasha2. That may be a question for Debby at Wilson.

 

[Lildebs888]

I just heard the Alexia with a pair of XA160.5 in a large, open room. Before you consider the 60.5, ask a dealer about the size of your room and consider the volume at which you listen. The 60.5 may indeed be enough, but room size and volume matter for best sound. I also don't know about the load of the Alexia versus the new Sasha2. That may be a question for Debby at Wilson.

They are still in the final stages of R&D on the Sasha 2. I have not received any specs on it yet. I will make sure to post them as soon as I get them for you guys

 

[thedudeabides]

Hi Debby,

When was the original Sasha introduced?

GG

 

[Lildebs888]

Hi Debby,

When was the original Sasha introduced?

GG

Well, the Sasha Series 1 was introduced in 2009.

The Sasha is the next generation of the WATT/Puppy. The WATT was introduced in the early 80's

 

[Lildebs888]

Sasha 2 Specs are in!

Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms/minimum 2.17 ohms @ 90 Hz Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 27 kHz +/- 3dB RAR
Sensitivity: 92dB @ 1W @ 1 meter @ 1 K
Minimum Amplification Power Recommended: 20 watts/channel

Weight Per Channel (Uncrated): 207 lbs.
Total Approximate Shipping Weight: 650 lbs.