Wilson Sasha 2,DAW, Alexia 1 or 2??

[81017]

Due to lack and availability of Wilson Speakers i am therefore unable to test or demo or the following Wilson speakers, Sasha DAW, Alexia 1 and 2.
I've only heard the Sasha 2 and smaller Sabrina X at a hifi store. The Sasha 2 sounded perfect and i was too slow as they are now sold!
My room is 100% treated. It's a double wall construction with a gap of 12cm between the walls and also a 12cm gap above my acoustic ceiling which is filled with acoustic insulation.
My room is 4.9m x 4m (16x12ft) Ceiling height is 224cm (7.4ft)


Questions
1. Would the Alexia 1 or 2 work in my room?
2. Could i power a pair of Alexia with my Mcintosh MC302
3. Which is the best sounding speaker of the Sasha 2 ,DAW,Alexia 1 and 2??

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

BUMP

 

[tima]

Questions
1. Would the Alexia 1 or 2 work in my room?
2. Could i power a pair of Alexia with my Mcintosh MC302
3. Which is the best sounding speaker of the Sasha 2 ,DAW,Alexia 1 and 2??

Hi

Without more information it is kinda hard to judge from the picture alone if the Alexia 1 or 2 will work in your room. From my own experience I can say that a decent Wilson setup person -- that comes with a new purchase -- can be very adept at making their speakers work in all kinds of rooms and the speakers you mention are flexible in that respect.

As far as which is the best sounding of the three... I've owned the original Sasha, the Alexia 1 and the Alexia 2 - you can read my review of the Alexia 2 here. Each of those was clearly an advance over its predecessors and I judge the Alexia 2 as the best sounding of the three I owned. The DAW is an advance over the original Sasha. I used Lamm M1.2 monoblock amps with each of them so my opinion includes that pairing. My room dimensions for the Alexia 1 and 2 is 17'Wx20'Wx8'H and a much larger room for the Sasha. Spec-wise it looks like the MC302 will work with their 300W and autoformers, but I have no direct experience.

 

[jbazz]

Hello:
I own the Sasha DAW's. Mine are driven by CAT electronics. I was originally interested in a used pair of Saha II's that were at my dealers. I did not like them. I thought they were flat and uninvolving. The dealer told me to wait a few weeks till the then new DAW would arrive. I said fine and in the mean time I was going to Axpona anyway. A few rooms had the DAW's and that was more like it. More involving, resolution and bass. The Alexia 2's were better though. More open, improved detail along with better bass. Mind you there were other speakers at the show that sounded good, Vivid, Magico S5, Rockport and a few others. Ultimately I settled on the DAW's as I wanted to allocate funds to my other hobbies. I'm enjoying my DAW's.
Lastly, room dimensions approximately 19'x 21'x 10'.

 

[Mobiusman]

Congratulations on your system evolution. I am almost 74 and have been into audio since I was 10. I retired a couple of years ago and had what I thought was my final system, which was modified Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 9's with CMS LS 1.5 speaker footers, a pair of VAC 452's AB Tube amps and VAC preamp and VAC phono. My digital arm is a Taiko Audio Extreme feeding an MSB DAC, which is being replaced by a Lampizator Horizon DAC on Saturday. After years of trouble with my analog leg, which was a Bergmann Glader Odin with a My Sonic Lab Reference Platinum cartridge going into the VAC phono via MasterBuilt Audio Ultra cable, but did not work in my system because I live on salt water in front and behind my house and the tolerance on the Bergmann was so tight that my Spindle would not rotate and my air bearing arm would not track all the way across the record.due to salt build up.

Steve Williams, a close long-time friend and founder of the What's Best Forum asked me if I would evaluate a pair of Westminster Lab umbilicals between the MSB Digital and analog power supplies to the audio chassis. I tell you this because my jaw was dropped by the massive sonic improvement, despite having MasterBuilt Ultra cables throughout my system.

Gary Leeds of Hear this asked me if I wanted to try the Westminster REI monoblocs and then after several days added the Westminster Lab Quest Preamp. I will cut to the chase and tell you that despite my considerable core electronics, in about 30 seconds I was hearing a totally different sounding system. Don't get me wrong, the VAC 452's are probably the best sound AB tube amps on the market, but I love super fast rise and decay times and a bottomless noise floor. Oh and also rock solid bass down to around 10--12 Hz

The sound of the Westminster core electronics in my system had me sitting in my listening chair for 8-10 hours at a time because the believability of the sound was and is the best I have ever heard at any price point. I have always loved class A amps, but their heat production was a challenge, but with the Westminsters, you can barely feel even the slightest warmth. Also the overall sound of my system is so pure because both the pre and monoblocs sound identical, which is once again the best sound I have ever heard at any price point.

This is a big weekend for me because Gary is delivering, along with the designer, my new turntable, the ARS Machinae and installing the Westminster phono stage in my preamp which Angus assures me sounds identical to the preamp and power amps.

My system has very impressive bass with 15" subs with 1,000 watt plate amps from 50 hz down. I also have a pair of JL F 113-a subs out of phase in the rear corner adding another 4000 watts to the bass. Once again I have not heard a system with better bass articulation, detail and shear power. My VSA's are four ohms so the REI Monoblocs are outputing 200 watts into each, which I feared might not be enough for my your are there listening levels., but I have never run out of power and my whole house is rocking.

I live half way between Philly and NYC and you are welcome to visit and listen if interested. But be warned, you will very likely end up with the Westminsters. Also I expect that the Horizon will add some extra qualities.

 

[Another Johnson]

I’ve not auditioned the Sasha 2 or Alexia.
But I have spent some good auditioning time with the Alexia 2 and the Sasha DAW is my current main speaker. In my opinion, and in my installation, the Sasha DAW is more engaging than the Alexia 2. At current pricing, you can pick up factory certified and warranted Alexia 2s today for about $4k less than a Sasha DAW order that won’t get delivered for 6 months.

Paragon Sight and Sound has two pair of Alexia 2s on their used and NOS inventory as I write this.

In my own case, I chose the DAWs and sucked up the August to February wait. I am not disappointed. My room is 16x34x10. Bill Peugh said that he could make any of their speakers work in my room, but I wanted the DAWs, Darryl’s tribute to his Dad.

The Alexia Vs and Alexx Vs are even more impressive. But there is a pretty significant price bump, and your room doesn’t need the bigger speakers.

 

[Midtown71]

I’ve not auditioned the Sasha 2 or Alexia.
But I have spent some good auditioning time with the Alexia 2 and the Sasha DAW is my current main speaker. In my opinion, and in my installation, the Sasha DAW is more engaging than the Alexia 2. At current pricing, you can pick up factory certified and warranted Alexia 2s today for about $4k less than a Sasha DAW order that won’t get delivered for 6 months.

Paragon Sight and Sound has two pair of Alexia 2s on their used and NOS inventory as I write this.

In my own case, I chose the DAWs and sucked up the August to February wait. I am not disappointed. My room is 16x34x10. Bill Peugh said that he could make any of their speakers work in my room, but I wanted the DAWs, Darryl’s tribute to his Dad.

The Alexia Vs and Alexx Vs are even more impressive. But there is a pretty significant price bump, and your room doesn’t need the bigger speakers.

Hi there....I am struggling with the decision you already made. My room is overall rather large as I essentially have no back wall. My music room is wide open into my living and then dining rooms. The overall space is about 16x45 with 10' ceilings. I have my Sophia 1 about 7.5 feet apart and I am 9 feet away. They fill my room and entire home beautifully(2nd floor too as they fire at the stairs). My dealer has a stunning pair of Ruby Red Pearl DAWs that I have already put a deposit. I am wondering if I should go Alexia 2 now. The DAWs aren't available for delivery until Sep so I have some time to consider a new plan. I have listened to all the Wilson speakers at LMC in Phoenix and the overall experience was disappointing so I realize I will never know what will work until it is sitting in my house. I really want this move to be significant and the dealer assures my 100% the DAWs will provide that over the Sophia 1. My amp is the ARC REF75SE. Any thoughts on whether I should stay the course or try and switch to Alexia 2?

 

[Another Johnson]

There is a demo pair of DAWs, never titled, at Paragon Sight and Sound, for less than $30k. Richard Marcus is the guy to talk with. Paragonsns.com.
I am presently running mine with the Ref 75 SE and it is more detailed than with my Ref 250 SEs. I’m thinking of trading the 250s on a D’Agostino or Burmester integrated for another system.
My personal preference is the DAW over the Alexia 2, but you may have a different opinion. I am going to hear the Sasha V later this week, just as a point of reference. Give Paragon a call. Either Richard or Matt can give you a good description of the differences, and they can also talk about delivery and installation options.

 

[Midtown71]

There is a demo pair of DAWs, never titled, at Paragon Sight and Sound, for less than $30k. Richard Marcus is the guy to talk with. Paragonsns.com.
I am presently running mine with the Ref 75 SE and it is more detailed than with my Ref 250 SEs. I’m thinking of trading the 250s on a D’Agostino or Burmester integrated for another system.
My personal preference is the DAW over the Alexia 2, but you may have a different opinion. I am going to hear the Sasha V later this week, just as a point of reference. Give Paragon a call. Either Richard or Matt can give you a good description of the differences, and they can also talk about delivery and installation options.

I am connected to a great dealer so don't feel the need to shop elsewhere, but thanks for the heads-up. I am just struggling with choice. My dealer keeps encouraging me to come listen but I don't think I will be able to compare to Alexia 2, it will be the Alexia Vs that he has set up. ARC has the DAWs and said when they really want to analyze a component's sound, they play it through them....so that definitely speaks to the DAW's abilities.

 

[rangda]

My personal preference is the DAW over the Alexia 2, but you may have a different opinion.

For background color I've owned a pair of W/P 6's since 1999 and after 24 years I've finally gotten the urge to upgrade. I listened to both back to back last year at JS Audio; I had heard the DAW's several times previously but had not heard the Alexia 2 before this (my local dealer does not stock anything higher than the DAW). My impression was that the Alexia 2 gave you more bass and soundstage height while the DAW had a smidge better midrange and the blend of the midrange and tweeter was slightly more coherent.

I've been waffling on this same decision myself (DAW or Alexia 2) over the past several months. I found the soundstage height to be very compelling, the Alexia 2 really started to give you the presentation of the bigger Wilson's. But realistically I could be happy with either. Unfortunately the stock market drop in early 2022 killed the play money that was going to be used for the speaker upgrade and I've been trying to make up my mind on which speaker while I save up the old fashioned way.

Of course now you can add the Sasha V to the mix as well if you can stretch another ~10k.

 

[Another Johnson]

I did an extensive Sasha Shootout on Thursday, V vs DAW. The system was Transparent Reference level loom, Burmester 218 amp and 088 preamp, Rossini Apex controlled by dCS Mosaic, Qobuz, both V and DAW had the Wilson Acoustic Diode feet.
In that system and room I preferred the V based on the midrange smoothness and clarity. It wasn’t a trivial difference to my ears. The V pleased me more.

I spent Friday listening to just the DAWs since I was trying to find a solid state amp that I would like. I listened to a wide range of equipment from about 10:30 am to about 5 pm. D’Agostino Progression integrated, Burmester 032 integrated, Burmester 088 pre with 911 mk3 amp, and ARC Ref 6SE pre with 911 mk3 amp. For my purposes, I liked them in that order too, from least to best.

I bought the 911 mk3 and brought it home.
In my system it sounds even better than it did at the dealer. The first 7 hours are the best I’ve heard here.
More interesting is that my Sasha DAWs are much closer to the demo Sasha Vs than the dealer’s demo Sasha DAWs were.

Here are the differences in my system that might explain it. Some of the differences would be considered to be less good.

For example, I’ve got a plain ol’ Rossini, no Apex upgrade yet. I don’t have the Acoustic Diode feet.

I do have AQ Thunderbird Zeros for interconnects and speaker cables, but my power cords are a combination of AQ Hurricane, Transparent MM2, Nordost Frey, and I think the Rossini power cord is stock.

I am running the system from a PS Audio P20 Regenerator.
My DAWs are now five months old and fully broken in. I think they’ve got more than 600 hrs on them. More importantly, they’re dialed in perfectly for my distance and ear height. And there are no other speakers nearby to passively interact and affect the sound field.

My Ref 6 SE is also broken in fully with about 1100 hours.
I don’t know how the Vs would sound here. But I do know that the DAWs continue to please me, even after hearing the Vs for a couple of hours in direct comparison in a demo.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Congratulations on the new amplifier!

 

[rangda]

You can now add me to the list of those struggling with this decision. My dealer will soon have CPO Alexia 2's and DAW's both available and I'm now in a position to pull the trigger (more accurately will be in a month or so when these become available). Wrestling with which to put a deposit down on. Based on listening at the dealer the larger soundstage of the 2's is very compelling, on the other hand this is a very big purchase for me and the DAW's being $9k less is also compelling.

My wife has voted for the DAW's purely based on color (I have to admit I agree with her there).

 

[Another Johnson]

Rangda’s post brought this thread back to my attention. Good wishes to him as he considers his upcoming decision.

Regarding my comments above that are related to the 088 vs REF 6SE preamps, after getting the 911 mk3 installed in my own system, and really loving it with the REF 6SE, I was presented with the opportunity to also acquire an 088.

I was curious about how it would compare in my own system. After all, I’d liked my DAWs just fine in my own system. How would the 088 fare?

Well, I’ve had the 088 for several weeks, and in direct comparison to my Ref 6SE, I have to say that I prefer the 088. I am a sucker for clarity and diction, particularly when playing works that are sung in a language other than my first. But even English lyrics are sometimes obfuscated by mumbling or less than perfect recording. The 088 is the clearest preamp I’ve heard in my system, and it is clearer here than it was in the excellent demo. Another place where the 088 excels is its bass extension and definition. It may be some synergy it has with the 911 mk3, but definition of low bass lines is a strength here.

 

[rangda]

Rangda’s post brought this thread back to my attention. Good wishes to him as he considers his upcoming decision.

I put a deposit down on the Alexia 2's. Given that my current system has been largely unchanged since 1999 whatever I buy now is likely to be here for quite a while so and I decided that the virtues of the Alexia over the DAW were worth the money.

 

[microstrip]

I put a deposit down on the Alexia 2's. Given that my current system has been largely unchanged since 1999 whatever I buy now is likely to be here for quite a while so and I decided that the virtues of the Alexia over the DAW were worth the money.

Excellent choice. IMO the Alexia (independently of version) is in the group of the top Wilson speakers. The increased bass extension of the Alexia gives it a more energetic and full sound, with a better energy focus in the soundstage.
I owned the original Alexia and would happily return to the 2 or the V - they are significantly improved over the first model.