My dealer setup SabrinaX with D'Agostino Progression Integrated and I only listened it at his showroom.

When my dealer came over to my house to setup SabrinaX with MA12000, I asked him if he likes Dag better, even then, he could not say for certain. Note that he is not a McIntosh dealer.

I think the lesson that I learnt here, unless you compare it side by side - at your room - it is pretty tough to make any conclusion, especially if it is based of memory, different room, just from spec, price and reputation.

I took a leap of faith with MA12000, largely based on people recommendation on this very thread and forum and I am glad I did. I am very content with MA12000 and SabrinaX.
To do amp comparisons at my house would require significant $$$ and time, two things that I am not willing to spend on, :).
Perhaps someday when I get the itch again to revisit amp.

theres a big price difference, esp with a DAC built in, and other hobbies beckon!

its worth pointing out that w good mc stuff i am sure relative to d’agostino you are picking between great and great. no doubt.

if i werent afraid of tubes i’d look, but the sabrina specs and plenty of knowledgeable people here note they need big power. so SS for me and i want mellow at a certain price point more than perfect up higher so leaning mc

I had been curious about the sonic differences between the Sabrina and the SabrinaX. today I went to the dealer this afternoon take a listen. The dealer setup the speakers side by side so I could listen to both. I listened to the same playlist on both speakers using McIntosh C2700 and MC462 with a Naim steamer. The differences were clear. The things that stood out were the SabrinaX had more extended highs with a better sense of spaciousness. The bass was better defined. Vocals sounded more 3 dimensional. The Sabrina sounded good, but the SabrinaX is better. I am Ready to order a pair I’m just trying to figure out which color to get. I decide to spend a little bit of extra money and get the upgraded color beyond the standard upgrade.

Congratulations on the decision. I recently placed my SbX order and choose galaxy gray (a standard color). ETA is 3 months.

I am leaning towards Cobalt blue Satin, With silver hardware and Black grills. My girlfriend really likes the color.

Cjmv50, absolute congrats. :yes:

Best

Charles

Thank you Charles. I called Wilson today to confirm the color and I was today that since this is a custom upgrade for the SabrinaX I can get the cobalt blue is a gloss finish instead of satin. So that is my plan. The dealer was told by Wilson there is a now a 5 month lead time on all speakers.

Just in time for :merryxmas:

Congrats!
The lead time for me was 3 months when I placed the order last Dec.

Thank you Blackfield. I wasn't the only one surprised by the lead time. The dealer told me he just ordered a pair of Chronosonic XVXs in red for his home. I guess business is booming at Wilson.

Cobalt Blue will look nice on SbX. Mono and Stereo had recent pics of a more "electric" blue on the SbX ---looked great too. As I mentioned, I went with a more conservative galaxy grey. have to mention that I saw (in person) a pair of larger Wilson speakers in pearl cranberry and it was "to die for". I even thought it would look great on SbX...

That Cranberry Pearl is beautiful. I have listened to the Chronosonic XVX and AlexV with that finish. I was told the pearl finishes would add another $2000.00 on top of the upgraded finish charge.

My dealer told me this week that my SbXs will be shipped later this month. I chose a standard color, and when I asked about also ordering the special diodes my dealer said they would not be a cost effective purchase. As I've "forgotten" about my purchase (it's been 4 months since I placed my order) I'm not getting my hopes up or "counting the days". I'm in NY; I think the delivery time could be a week or so. Then I have to wait for the good graces of my dealer to schedule a time for them to bring them over. As those who follow the company know, Wilson has been backlogged with orders for the current line up (and also introduced the Loke during the past few months along with the XVX Season variants) plus has new model updates underway (trickle down benefits). I will update my experience later.

A high percentage of SabrinaX are delivered with Acoustic Diodes. Might I suggest that you get your dealer to loan you a set to hear for yourself if they are cost effective. If he doesn't have a set, have him contact me (Bill) at the factory.

WilsonGloss finishes are ready to polish in about a week. Premium Pearl's are ready to polish in 6 to 8 weeks!

Hi Bill, Appreciate your comments. Can you give an indication of the improvement the Acoustic Diodes add to the SabrinaXs? 10%, 70% etc? If it is meaningful, I'm there as I don't want to do a trial (which would have the dealer come back to my home) and would just rather get it "done right" to begin with. Thanks again.

I posted my observations on the effects of adding the AD’s to my DAWs on the Acoustic Diode thread. In my opinion they are a worthwhile addition. I did not find them to be transformative, but rather brought the already superb sound of the DAWs into sharper focus yielding a more satisfying overall experience.

thanks djcxxx - just read your observations. Much appreciated!

My pleasure. Congrats on speakers!

I certainly understand your desire to avoid a trial. However, I really do believe that you should hear the difference for yourself. Most Wilson dealers have some demo speakers with Acoustic Diodes, a few have them on every Wilson they have on display. Clearly they feel that they are more than cost effective. But as always it is your personal choice.

I would never, ever, under any conditions assign a percentage number to a system change - for any product. Your % and my % are likely quite different because of what we value/how we listen/ different experiences. I just find percentages more misleading than clarifying.

For fun, here's what a couple of the first reviewers had to say about the diodes as an add on.


"The new Wilson Acoustic Diode isn’t an optional device; it’s an essential one. It dramatically lowers the noise floor, both boosting dynamics and revealing previously obscured musical details."

Jacob Heilbrunn, TAS

"The Acoustic Diode is a product of Daryl Wilson's restless audio soul (along with the Pedestal, which continues to impress), but it's also one that builds on his dad's forward-thinking design work and does so in ways that are easy to hear. If you have a pair of speakers you love, from Wilson Audio or especially another maker, a set of Acoustic Diodes is an all-gain refinement to their sound."

Mark Mickelson, The Audio Beat

You'll enjoy your SabrinaX whichever way you go. You can always add them later - or not.

Excited for you Hanson! Note from my signature that I have Isoacoustic Gaia's on my TuneTots (on Wilson stands), and let's call my set up one step down from yours in the same family. I would guess that the TuneTots would be less impacted by isolation than SabrinaX and that the Gaias are a bit less good that the Wilson Diodes.

I bought the Gaia's only because I thought my wife would freak if she took a close look at the spikes' proximity to "her" wood floor. But I was stunned by the improvement in sound. I'd buy the Diodes or Gaias :music:

My dealer uses a Mimas with the Sabrina X in their store. He told me he sells many packages with combination along with a HiFi Rose streamer. I trust his ears and recommendations.

Hi miner,

I saw your thread looking for SabrinaX.

SabrinaX is an amazing speakers for what it is designed for. I have relative small room (12' x 16' x 11'h) and SabrinaX works great.

The problem with Wilson Audio, once you are hooked, you may want to climb up the ladder - which is my case, :D.

I recently traded my SabrinaX (just a little over 1 year old in Quarts) for Sasha DAW via Sound Sanctuary Austin.

Letting you know in case you are interested in lightly used pair. If you are, ping Glenn (the owner) for more info, he is a terrific person to work with and I am sure he can provide some type of warranty for it.