Hi Elberoth,

I am very interested in your evaluation of the Sabrina. As you know from the Audioshark forums, I am looking to replace my Sasha 1's. My room is going to be fairly large (moving to a new house). How does the Sabrina compare with Sasha 2? How about Magico S-5? Are you considering buying them as your main speakers, or just playing with something until your S5 mk2 arrive?

I'd appreciate any information you can share. I've followed your system upgrades since you built your beautiful listening room many years ago.

Warm regards,

Dave

Sponge works, but do your Sabrina's judgement and cut them for accurate fit please! :)

Congrats! Enjoy. :banana:

Hi Elberoth .
Could you describe the differences between Sabrina and S5.
Regards

I'm basicly playing with with speakers I can put my hands on, until my S5 mk2 arrive.

Sabrinas and the S5 are playing in a completely different leagues - as should be, considering the price difference ($16k vs $33k). The S5s are across the board better. If anything, the Sabrinas should be compared to the Magico S1 mk 2, which I haven't heard yet.

It is a very good speaker. It is not Magico S5 good by any measure, but it is easy to like as it has no apparent weeknesses.

The only problem I had in my room was aparent bass boom. I'm not sure if that was a room interaction (port tuning freq beeing the same/very close to a bass peak that my room has) or maybe that is a natural reaction to bass-reflex bass after you live for 2 years and get used to superior sealed box bass of the Magicos ... not sure. When I got the S5s 2 years ago, after having owned Wilsons for 5 years (Sophia 2, then Sasha 1), the bass reproduction was the aspect that impressed me the most. Not the ultra smoothness of their Berylium tweeter, not the overall balance and ultra low coloration - so things that people expect from Magicos - but the bass quality.

The bass from the Wilsons - which I thought was excellent at the time - turned out to be boomy in comparision. The bass from the S5 did not only reach much deeper and had more slam - it was also much faster and MUCH more articulate. I've heard textures in the bass I didn't even know existed.

That was a big surprise for me, as I got the S5 primarely because I got tired of that ringing Wilson tweeter. I have swapped so much gear and cables during those 5 years, never beeing 100% satisfied, only to discover it was a tweeter problem from the very beginning that was giving me grief.

The tweeter in the Sabrinas is much better in that regard (no aparent ringing) but at the same time, I feel it lost some of the speed and sparkle of the old titanium tweeter used in the Sashas 1. So to my ears it is a bit of lateral move, although I'm sure that for the majority of the people it will probably be perceived as a major step up.

The berilium tweeter used in the Magicos (also used in Rockports and other designs) has all the speed, detail and articulation of the old titanium tweeter, at the same time beeing even smoother than the soft dome designs.

But as I said - no one shopping for a $16k speaker would consider the $33k Magicos as a viable alternative, so the point is moot.

For the money, you can't go wrong with the Sabrinas.

Sabrina Review
 

There is new review of the Sabrina from Marc Mickelson on The Audio Beat.

Makes me want Sabrina's even more!

Hello Elberoth,


I have the Sasha2 (with Passlabs class A): wilson is sure a great speaker but the sound vs the Magico (as wrote) is very different. 2 "tecnologie"......Wilson can be problematic wih the bass....Magico without "reflex" dont have "bommy bass".....

I consider a pair of Magic instead of wilson not because Wilson does not sound good but because of the low speech....

acoustic pannel, isoltation,ecc... but....yes but....
Magico S5 is a very good speaker, the new S5mk2 i think wil be amazing be a "demo" S5 or maybe a S3 is too in my "wishlist".

Sure S3 come in the mk2 version but the price will be 30% more expensive

S5 is around 41 k. euro !!! a "new S1mk2 19,9k.....same for the Sabrina but Sabrina dont is at the level from a S1 ( and sure not S1mk2..)


Ps: in the Sabrinas reflex what fo a sponge you used? a bath?

I have a room (NOT DEDICATED) from around 55m2 -> invest $$ in a demo/new S3 (25k. with lucky) PLUS the S3mk2 outbound in 6 months ca. is
understandable for you? (S3mk2 39k ca.!!)


thank ypu for feedbak

I went from the aluminum inverted dome in the Focal 836W to the inverted dome beryllium of the Focal 1028BE.

To me the tweeter in the Sabrinas is a god send, I can once again listen to music for extended periods. It certainly doesn't have the detail of the Beryllium but I can live without it as all my music has become enjoyable again.

He certainly doesn't beat around the bush about how much he like them, does he?

Yeah, bought two bath sponges.

Scan-Speak berillium tweeter used by Magico and inverted berillium dome used by Focal, are two completely different designs.

I'm not a big fan of the berillium focal tweeter either.

I told him I wish the Sabrina had been out 15 years ago.

Hifi+ review:

http://www.absolutesounds.com/pdf/ma...brina_4web.pdf

May Stereophile has their review. Another good review with Atkinson's measurements and feedback.

In a similar price range (after discount) I'm considering Revel Salon 2, but I owe it to myself to give the Sabrinas a listen. Spent a little over an hour with the Revels on Wednesday. Pretty impressive.

Although very lacking in detail if you're wanting a thorough subjective analysis.

Interesting to see were several technical flaws, the most notable being a cabinet resonance that showed itself in the impedance and frequency response measurements.

John Atkinson:
"I suspect that the Sabrina has relatively strong internal acoustic resonance at 242Hz. This resonance is of the high Q (Quality factor), which mean that it needs to be excited by continuous energy at that exact frequency to become fully developed. The frequency 242Hz also falls between the B-flat and B in Western music (when A4=440Hz) - so other than with drums, the resonance might well not be excited with music."

That is very interesting, Wilson is known for NOT having cabinet resonance! But I suspect it's virtually impossible to elicit this problem with normal use. Wilson tunes their speakers through extensive listening, and if it was an audible problem, it would never have made it to market.

All true but if you read the information on their site... some economies of scale were taken in the design to meet the price point. One being the cabinet. All other Wilson's have separate internal areas for the three driver sections. Sabrina shares midrange and bass I think. Some mfgrs actually tune the cabinets to the drivers... a bit of that may be going on here. If it sounds good it is good.

:tresbon:

Here is the full Stereophile review:

Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

Finally got around to taking a picture of my setup. The Sabrinas are pretty much broken in now, and I absolutely love them. I seem to have difficulty posting pictures though. Looks like the link I inserted to the Instagram post doesn't resolve, and my profile says I'm not allowed to insert attachments. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to be able to post pictures?

I recently took advantage of a Transparent Audio offer and upgraded my MM2 Super speaker cables and balanced interconnects to Gen5 Ultra's. That upgrade made a HUGE difference in everything. Also, after upgrading my HDMI cable from my Oppo to the Sigma SSP, I'll be selling off the B&W HTM4 Diamond center channel speaker, as phantom center works well enough for movie watching (and in fact, dialog is even clearer coming through the Sabrinas).

Next up will be a Turntable upgrade (considering the Rega RP10 with the new Aphelion cartridge or the AMG Giro with Teatro cartridge) and possibly a tube phono stage to replace the SSP's internal phono card. Want to take a look at the Zesto Andros 1.2 as it gets fantastic reviews and will look stunning sitting where my HTM4 currently sits. So far I can't find a local dealer to audition it though.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF68kyMQ...=brett.hartman

Now you have to trade them in for Yvette. Oh the humanity! Just kidding lol

You have to be a subscriber to post pictures, I believe.

Thanks!

BTW - The back corner of each speaker is just 5" from the back wall. My dealer was as pleasantly surprised as I was that the bass is well controlled with that placement.

Here's the picture (I hope):

Congrats, it looks great. I am surprised that bass is not boomy with a setup like that! Especially with that right speaker kind of boxed in.

Yeah, we were surprised as well. That corner it's a real problem, but we have to live in the real world.

What amp are you using? Also, are they Carmon Red? that's what I have, sure looks like it...

They're the Titan Red, which I think is absolutely stunning!

My set up is Classe Sigma SSP driving the Sigma AMP5. My serious listening is with a Rega RP6 and Exact 2 cartridge and the Classe onboard phono card. Transparent Gen5 ultra cables. Turntable, cartridge and phono preamp will be my next upgrade.

Maybe it's a similar red, and the Sasha and Sabrina have different options. Yes, stunning :thumbsup:

It is similar. The Sabrinas have their own five colors, with white and red being a $1000 up charge, and Wilson doesn't offer custom colors for them like they do for their other speakers.

Another nice review:

Wilson Audio Sabrina floorstanding loudspeaker | Hi-Fi+

I've come to the conclusion I prefer grills on. They roll back the top end a smidge and help keep my eyes from zoning in on the speakers, exposed drivers do that to me.

Hi fellow Sabrina owners,

I am a proud owner of the galaxy gray Sabrina since Dec 16. Currently using the modwright kwi200 (200w) int amp to push the Sabrina, and is considering to replace the amp with Accuphase E600 class A int amp, conservative power rating is 30w at 8 ohm and 60w at 4 ohm.

Do you think the class A E600 would be a good match with Sabrina， considering I listen to vocal and jazz most of the time, and small percentage of pop, and very very few classical music， at moderate lvl of 70 to 80 dB.

Thanks in advance

Cheers

Hi,
my Sabrina should arrive in days, galaxy gray too (I have never been so impatient).
I have the Vitus Audio integrated amp: SIA-025 that works in class A or A/B (user selectable).
In class A the power rating is 25W while it can deliver 100W in class A/B.
I can tell you more in the coming days although I do not think that watts say everything.

I'll give you a firm "it depends". The Sabrina is nominally a 4 ohm speaker, with dips down to about 2.7 ohms if I recall the specs correctly. So theoretically, the 60w at 4 ohms should give you a decent amount of volume. But in the real world, there are other considerations:

What's the room like where you're doing your listening? What are the dimensions, distance of speakers from listening position, type of flooring and reflective surfaces? When I auditioned the Sabrina at my dealer, using the same Classe Sigma SSP and AMP5 that I own, I had to turn the volume up several steps beyond what I have the volume set in my home after I got the Sabrinas. But I have hard wood floors, an open floor plan, and the room is not overdone with sound absorbing materials.

Also to consider are dynamic peaks. While you say you don't listen to a lot of classical, are there other musical styles you listen to where this might be an issue?

Bottom line advice? Can you try the new amp in your setup to decide for yourself whether it's got enough power to make your Sabrina's sing?

The Accuphase E600 is 60W into 4Ohm and 120W into 2Ohm! My guess is the Accuphase should work well and not have issues into the very low load of the Sabrina.

I joined the club too, replacing Bowers 804 Diamond, I'm waiting for shipment details from my home country. Bought everything unheard at a online bankruptcy auction....can't wait to hear them.

I have my Sabrina's 15" out from the wall. To me they sound better even further
out but not enough to worry about. They also sound good closer but I found
15" was a good balance for a room that has other uses. After you have had them for a couple of hundred hours try the stillpoints. I found that they took it up
another notch. I still can't believe an old sceptic like me could really hear a difference. They also look better then the arrow points. Just my two cents.