This second version of the famous Sophia design apparently stems from the work that Wilson Audio Specialities put into the Alexandria X-2, MAXX Series 2 and the Duette. Chief amongst these is a new version of Focal’s ‘inverted dome’ tweeter, where the dome is made from titanium then coated with ‘tioxid’. Wilson is secretive about what it actually does to this tweeter, but says that ‘new proprietary technology significantly reduces spurious noise artefacts generated in the rear of the tweeter.’ The same technology is used in the MAXX Series 2. It’s claimed that the antidiffraction technology ‘diminishes backwave interference in the time and frequency domain so that the tweeter sounds more holographic, more detailed, and sweeter.’
The speakers are also said to incorporate anti-jitter technology developed by founder David Wilson that he says ‘reduces interaction among the drivers and reduces the noise floor [so] the music emerges from a blacker background.’
Externally, nothing much has changed. The Sophia 2 still stands 105cm high, and is still 32cm wide and 46cm deep. Each cabinet still weighs 73kg. The finish is still classic ‘Wilson Audio’: a perfect painted finish that’s the result of a super-smooth panel material (M-material), over which is laid a gel-coat followed by fourteen coats of high-gloss paint in your chosen colour. My review pair was finished in Biarritz White which looked great in my room, but given my ‘druthers, I’d be opting for ‘Ferrari Red’ or maybe the fabulous ‘Fly Yellow.’ (My significant other, who flinched when I mentioned Ferrari Red—and positively paled when she heard the word ‘Yellow’—would no doubt send Wilson a paint sample of her exact preferred shade, but that’s OK, because Wilson is set up to do colour-matching, right down to sending back approval samples of how the colour you’ve selected would actually look on a piece of cabinet, so you can be 100 per cent certain of what you’re getting.)
Remove the grilles from the Sophia 2 (there are two grilles per cabinet) and you’ll see that something has changed from the original Sophia. Specifically, the diffraction pad that previously stood proud of the baffle (and, to be frank, didn’t look all that great!) has been replaced by a flush-fit diffraction pad. Or more specifically: two pads. There’s a main foam pad that covers almost all the baffle, and a smaller, felt pad immediately around the tweeter.
The method by which the grilles are attached has also been changed for the better. The Sophia 2 now uses the same system as the Alexandria, where tiny austenitic stainless steel pins are used to attach the grilles. Each pin is partly threaded. The threaded part is screwed into pre-threaded holes in the grille frames (which shows you just how hard Wilson Audio’s proprietary ‘X’ material—which is used to make the Sophia 2’s grille frame— really is!). The ‘post’ section is captured by rubber grommets recessed into the baffle of the Sophia itself. (According to Simon Kern, of Wilson Audio Australia, some ‘X’ material is used in the Sophia 2’s cabinet, but it’s otherwise mostly made from ‘M’ material.) When the grilles are in place, I’d be hardpressed to distinguish the original Sophia from a Sophia 2 by just looking at them, but sans grilles, the difference is chalk and cheese: the Sophia 2 is very clearly the more attractive of the two.