Hi Allman, I wanted to see if your shipment came in and how the Sabrina's compared to your 804s.

Beautiful. Really like them in red. Wonder if you might benefit by moving the speakers forward so the sound is not being diffracted by the the furniture/rack?

Am speaker shopping and the Sabrina is on my list. Would have to save for another year, but want my next speaker to be my "last" speaker.

For an upgrade, you might start with the cartridge and then phono preamp. Bigger bang for the buck then the TT/TA.
https://www.audioaficionado.org/atta...1&d=1508035980

Actually, I worked with my dealer for about 3 hours to position them. We were all pleasantly surprised how good they work so close to the wall.

Since my original post the entire front end has changed. I now have an AMG Giro TT with Benz Gullwing cartridge, running through an ARC Ref Phono 2SE phono preamp, ARC Ref 6 preamp, and D'Agostino Classic Stereo amp. All cabling is Transparent Gen5 Ultra.

Had my Yvettes on Stillpoint Ultras, read something here and went back to the standard spikes. Prefer the sound on the spikes. The front spikes are on a thick area pad/carpet the and back spikes on the bare tile floor. The speakers are therefore tilted up slightly in the front. Really like the effect on the sound. In another discussion here, a different but similar setup process was used by the folks who sell Focals. Their last setup step was to adjust the fore and aft rake a bit for good angle. It really works. This is the first time my speakers don't sound better when I lean forward. The tweeters are now aimed just above my ears. Clever to experiment with.

I think he was talking about the unit between them more than the proximity to the walls.

Hi Robd2,

Sry I missed your question.

I had the pleasure of listening to the Wilson and the Bowers side by side for a few weeks before the Bowers went to their new home. It is probably the biggest change i’ve witnessed, sounstage and just the joy of listening to music on the Wilson’s compared to the Bowers. Not fair given the price difference but of all the changes throughout the years this is the one.

I have a small room about 14' x 12'. I am considering these speakers. Do you think they will work in the small space or will overload it? I can position them 4' from the back wall and 2' from the side along the 12' side. My room is treated with 4 x GIK 244 panels in the corners as bass traps and 2 at the first reflection points. Additionally I have 4 vicoustic panels on the wall behind the speakers.
Cheers,
Sid

Without seeing your room, I would suggest the following:

1. Sabrinas are often used in rooms your size and smaller with great success.
2. Speakers will likely be closer to the rear wall than 4'
3. You will likely want to revisit the amount/placement of treatment

Lastly, depending on your time frame, there is a Sabrina Limited Edition Series of speakers available between now and year end. Colors are Porsche GT Silver, Black Kirsch, and Ferrari Blu Corsa. These Sabrinas include the Spike Diode from Yvette which improves performance and the look.

(Disclaimer: I work at Wilson Audio)

I just ordered the Spike Diode for my Sabrina's. Price is only $200 for both speakers.

Thank you kindly metaphacts. I am based in India, so I am working with the Indian dealer. Not sure if these limited editions will be offered here. Regarding point no.3 would I have to reduce the amount of treatment in my room, were I to get these speakers?
Cheers,
Sid

I am trying to get in touch with Wilson Audio for some questions I have on warranty and other support. I have sent an e-mail shown on the website.
Please advise if that is the right email or I need to send my questions to any other email. A mail I sent to that id 3 days ago has gone unanswered.
Cheers,
Sid

No you would not have to reduce the treatment.

That you may want to adjust placement and amount of treatment is a possibility.

Hi Sid,



I have been traveling - Sasha DAW launch - but I'll be back in the office Monday morning.

Bill

Sorry, posting of emails is not permitted. Please use the PM feature.

As a lowly Sabrina owner, haven't heard of Spike Diode, what does it do to improve sound?

The person who responds to the was email address will be back in the office on Tuesday. He will likely forward your inquiry to either Jerron or me.

We love Sabrina owners! Thank you for buying one of our speakers.

The spike diode assembly improves the efficiency of spikes coupling to the floor. A spike diode (different sizes based on model) is used on every Wilson floor standing speaker save Sabrina.

In addition, the diode raises the Sabrina from the floor about 3/4". In many installations, the raised height eliminates the need to rake the fixed baffle Sabrina, resulting in improved time domain performance.

The entire assembly is composed of 4 parts:

Set Screw (Not included with Sabrina)
Spike Diode (Not included with Sabrina)
Spike (Included with Sabrina)
Jam Nut (Included with Sabrina)

We really love what the diode does for performance. Any Sabrina owner can add them for a relatively inexpensive cost (Not allowed to post retail on AA).

Set Screws and Spike Diodes are available on the Wilson Audio Parts Store.

I got an e-mail from Jerron.
Thanks a lot.
Cheers,
Sid

:tresbon:

agreed, it's never a good thing to have anything between the speakers in front of them.

read pages 15-17 of the Sabrina owners manual for some good set-up guidance

http://www.wilsonaudio.com/pdf/manua...al-sabrina.pdf

Thanks a lot. Will definitely check it out.
Cheers,
Sid

The Sabrina's were delivered over the weekend. They are sounding simply superb, even in my small room. The mid bass is not overpowering at all, and I am hearing proper low frequencies in my room for the first time. Also the detail retrieval is excellent to the extent where I am hearing things in familiar tracks that weren't so clear before.
Thanks a lot for your help and guidance and convey my thanks to Jerron as well.
Cheers,
Sid

I also own a brandnew pair of Sabrinas now! The Sabrinas replaced my Tannoy Kensington GR speakers.
I liked the Tannoys very much but with the Sabrinas i reached another level!

I hope i will get the Diodes for my Sabrina soon.....i hope it is worth the price!

Glad I read this. I've been jonesing for a pair of Tannoy GRs but haven't been able to find any to listen to. What are you driving your Sabrinas with?

I am planning to get a set for mine as well. In my smallish room I noticed that if I raise the speakers higher I am getting more even bass response.
Cheers,
Sid

I drive my Sabrinas with a McIntosh MC312 amp!

I drive my Sabrinas with a McIntosh MC312 amp!

I'm currently using an Esoteric A-02 to power my Sabrinas. I also have a Benchmark AHB2 that I might try swapping in for some comparison purposes.

Now i am thinking of an upgrade to a pair of Yvettes.
What do you think? My listening–room has 25m2 and i use a Mcintosh MC312 amp. My listeningroom also is L–shaped. So the right speaker is only about 1m from the side wall apart.

I was in your situation a couple years ago, having a pair of Sabrinas right when the Yvette came out. As I could trade in the Sabrinas for the Yvettes at my dealer, I spent a couple of hours auditioning them on a system with the same source and cabling I had at home. There's no denying that hearing the Sabrina side by side with the Yvette, the Yvette is a significant step up.

However ... after the comparison I drove home (about a 30 minute drive) and listened to my Sabrinas. Audio memory being what it is, I didn't feel that I was missing the Yvettes in my system. I remembered that the Yvettes sounded better, but with the time lapse the Sabrinas still had the same impact on me.

What I did instead was to get a used pair of Sasha 2's from my dealer for about the same price as the Sabrinas new (they also had a demo pair that was still under $20,000, but I liked the color of the used pair more than the demo pair). I done the same thing, hearing them at my dealer and then driving home to listen to my Sabrinas again. But this time I had no doubt that the Sasha's had been a huge step up from the Sabrinas. I purchased them, sold my Sabrinas, and haven't regretted it at all.

Thanks for your story! I have no chance to audition the Yvette before the purchase.....so it is still a very hard decision for me, but i think your decision to choose the Sashas instead the Yvettes was totally right!:thumbsup:

Thanks for your story! I have no chance to audition the Yvette before the future purchase.....so it is still a very hard decision for me, but i think your decision to choose the Sashas instead the Yvettes was totally right!:thumbsup:

It occurred to me after posting that, that I should have said that if I were deciding on an initial purchase between the Sabrina and the Yvette I would have gone for the Yvette. It was just that I didn't feel the price difference between what I'd get for the Sabrinas on trade in and the Yvette's cost was justified. My dealer offers full retail price on trade-ins towards speakers that cost twice the amount within a year. But the Yvette's aren't that much more and it had been over a year, so the trade in price was generous, but not full retail. The step up would have cost me something like $13,000.

Hello, as I have the same step in mind (Sabrina changing to Sasha 2) I would be interested in the tonal voicing differences. Everytime I made the comparison the Sabrina sounded to me with a warmer and fuller voice presentation, especially more forgiving in the mids and hights concerning lower quality streaming. I appreciate this warm sounding very much on the Sabrinas. The Sashas seemed more clear, crisp and revealing to me. So in very low listening levels I am permanent afraid of getting a "too thin" sound ? That's why I didn't change since. What's your impression of this ?

I don't notice that myself. However, when I got the Sasha 2 speakers I changed my amplification to the Cary CAD300SEI Single Ended Triode integrated amp. In my setup, the 92 db sensitive Sasha's work well with the 15 watt SET amp. If anything I feel the Sasha's are more fulll bodied than the Sabrinas. What are you using to power the Sabrinas?

Actually a Prima Luna Integrated, which sounds wonderful. First I thought that i would need tons of heavy weight SS amplification, but no way. Yes, bass presentation is not as controlled as with SS pre/end amplification- but you can't have both...

Your choice will depend on what you want to hear when you listen to music. If you want the thrill of realistic sound, the Sasha is a clear choice. It's not only more detailed and accurate but sounds much bigger. If you've experienced Wilson's bigger speakers, you know that magnificent almost larger than life, totally enveloping sound of the big boys. Rather like walking into a live music venue. Thrilling.
Maybe that's not what you want. When I listen to my beloved Motown music on the six figure system below it sounds just awful. I loved it in on my 60's car radio. It was originally recorded so poorly my Yvettes sound like a cheap table radio. I need to stream this music to a much smaller, less revealing system for any enjoyment.
Last point, if you listen mostly at low volumes, your speaker choices and the differences are significantly reduced. I listen for hours at a level that requires me to turn it down when someone enters the room. Playback is not loud but dominates the environment and my attention.
Another last point, the Sasha's (I owned Sasha 1s) are physically much bigger and can dominate in the room. They will require to be further into the room for best sound. Make sure you are willing to give them the space required for proper imaging.
So, if you want a big totally involving, realistic music experience, and have the room, get Sasha. For background music and occasional high quality listening, your Sabrinas, perhaps with the addition of a small, good quality subwoofer may be right for you. Enjoy the music.

Thanks for your answers. Volumes on the one hand and yes, room limitations , were the second reason - can't give them wall spaces from 1 meter. So, the bigger the better isn't for sure. So actually I am enjoying the Sabrinas.

I also stayed with my Sabrinas and i am absolutley satisfied so far..........