[OzarkTom]

I've been following audio (including Stereophile) for 45 years and never heard that. Care to name any names?

No names, but many audio dealers knew back then and some dealers would make fun of Holt at the CES shows. Holt  also loved and rode Harleys a lot. Not so good for your hearing.

[S Clark]

Sorry but you are wrong....Watkins makes their own woofers!

I hate to burst your bubble but it only took me about 15 minutes to see that Watkins Woofers are sourced from all over the place.  So far I've identified the EIA codes on about 6 different models... Seems that you Mr. Watkins contracted with Altec, Chicago Telephone, and Atlas? (depending on if the third #  in a photo is a 2 or a 5)... plus three more codes that don't match up to companies that I can find.  So even if one of those three belongs to Watkins, and I can find no record of his holding any Electronic Industry Association codes, he still used woofers from 5 other sources.

Sorry, Watkins didn't make his own woofers.  Next time perhaps a less aggressive response would be in order.  Now perhaps he made SOME of his woofers once upon a time, but as I said, unlikely.

[bummrush]

Years and years of the web. What kills me,maybe people either have it or not.Just amazing sites that cant info on the site. Price of speakers.???? What are they???? Did i miss it?.Hype sells i guess.Maybe im tired and need to go to bed.

[Folsom]

Having someone make what you want them to make, isn't all that far off. I mean for the integrity of the speakers they probably aren't different, it's just a point of discussion. I have to think though unless he's a crossover wizard, I'm not imagining these to be otherworldly. There's an awful lot of claims surrounding two driver monitors in the world...

[S Clark]

Having someone make what you want them to make, isn't all that far off. I mean for the integrity of the speakers they probably aren't different, it's just a point of discussion.

Oh, on that I absolutely agree.  If our original poster had not been so absolute in his "I'm right!!!" I might have let it pass.  I do find it interesting that in addition to alerting us to "One of the BEST SPEAKERS on the MARKET" he has also generously enlightened us as the worlds best headphone speakers, the Best Kept Secret on the Market speakers, another set of headphones that were the "best on the market...at any price??", another set of headphones that might be "the best that money can buy", along with other rave reviews.  Any credibility was gone long ago. 
I know I shouldn't feed the trolls, but... 

[Folsom]

I lose track of the people without avatars, most of the time... ironic, I know.

[srb]

Any credibility was gone long ago. 
I know I shouldn't feed the trolls, but...

HiFiSoundGuy has alerted me to products that were off my radar ..... and most likely will stay that way! 

Steve

[fritzspeakers]

Bill Watkins is a good guy and has worked on great speaker designs since the 70's.  Looks like the 6 1/2 inch mid/bass driver is built by Peerless which is used in the PTE self powered MTM's.  This speaker looks similar in design to the highly rated ML1 with a 5 1/2 inch woofer.  Not sure of the tweeter.
http://www.lenehanaudio.com.au/ml1.html

[G Georgopoulos]

Bill Watkins is a good guy and has worked on great speaker designs since the 70's.  Looks like the 6 1/2 inch mid/bass driver is built by Peerless which is used in the PTE self powered MTM's.  This speaker looks similar in design to the highly rated ML1 with a 5 1/2 inch woofer.  Not sure of the tweeter.
http://www.lenehanaudio.com.au/ml1.html

+1 

[Crossoverless]

I sat in on a couple of listening sessions in Atlanta on a prototype WE-1 around 1980 (?).  They were very nice sounding speakers and quite large, nothing like the speakers in the current ad.
But Mr Watkins is a legitimate innovator and well known designer, so these might be nice speakers.

They have pictures here showing what it looks like inside these WE-1's...

http://bobbyshred.baberuthband.co.uk/infinity/watkins.html

[Folsom]

Bill Watkins is a good guy and has worked on great speaker designs since the 70's.  Looks like the 6 1/2 inch mid/bass driver is built by Peerless which is used in the PTE self powered MTM's.  This speaker looks similar in design to the highly rated ML1 with a 5 1/2 inch woofer.  Not sure of the tweeter.
http://www.lenehanaudio.com.au/ml1.html

They looks a bit different, but similar.

[Russell Dawkins]

HiFiSoundGuy has alerted me to products that were off my radar ..... and most likely will stay that way! 

Steve

Funny you should mention HiFiSoundGuy. Crossoverless reminds me of his breathless style and the way insults and challenges are effortlessly and completely ignored with his subsequent posts, the vacuous hyping tone undiminished. The style was so familiar I just finished looking him up to see if I was remembering correctly. I was.

I think his high point was when he tweaked a Clever Little Clock by sticking Peter Belt's Frozen Memory Foil on each battery:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=36805.msg328476#msg328476
miklorsmith's response was classic.

[macrojack]

No names, but many audio dealers knew back then and some dealers would make fun of Holt at the CES shows. Holt  also loved and rode Harleys a lot. Not so good for your hearing.

I knew Gordon pretty well when we both lived in Boulder in the mid 1990s and I visited him at home many times. Were it not for my difficulty with his cigarette smoke, we might have been much closer friends. Never heard any mention of Harleys but he may well have been involved with them when he was younger.
As for his hearing, I never detected any problem there at all. The most I could offer on that topic is the observation that tastes differ. He was very much into surround sound, Tannoy speakers and his enormous laser disc collection. He's the guy who referred to cables as passive tone controls.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0809/j_gordon_holt.htm

[srb]

Funny you should mention HiFiSoundGuy. Crossoverless reminds me of his breathless style and the way insults and challenges are effortlessly and completely ignored with his subsequent posts, the vacuous hyping tone undiminished. The style was so familiar I just finished looking him up to see if I was remembering correctly. I was.

It was a Freudian slip.  After HiFiSoundGuy's posts wore thin several years ago, posting stopped and new member Crossoverless started posting.  I'm fairly certain they are one in the same person.

Steve

[poseidonsvoice]

Bill Watkins is a good guy and has worked on great speaker designs since the 70's.  Looks like the 6 1/2 inch mid/bass driver is built by Peerless which is used in the PTE self powered MTM's.  This speaker looks similar in design to the highly rated ML1 with a 5 1/2 inch woofer.  Not sure of the tweeter.
http://www.lenehanaudio.com.au/ml1.html

I agree the woofer is probably a modified Peerless. The tweeter is likely LPG or MB Quart, popular back in the 90's (http://meniscusaudio.com/lpg-26t-p-398.html).

Lenehan's design is NOT 1st order, which has its own issues particularly at higher SPL's and miserable off axis performance. Just to be clear, I would greatly prefer the Lenehan ML1 over this Watkins design.

Best,
Anand.

[Crossoverless]

If these Watkins Generation Four's are as good as they say they are, then even at "$2995...Dealers price", these speakers will still be one of the best bargains on the market today!..

I'm waiting to see what some of the Reviewers out there have to say about these Watkins Generation Four's after they listen to them!

[OzarkTom]

If these Watkins Generation Four's are as good as they say they are, then even at "$2995...Dealers price", these speakers will still be one of the best bargains on the market today!..

I'm waiting to see what some of the Reviewers out there have to say about these Watkins Generation Four's after they listen to them!

If you are close to Dallas, these $1100 speakers with servo amps will blow the 3K Watkins away. Wish I was in Texas.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/ele/5721693583.html

[OzarkTom]

I knew Gordon pretty well when we both lived in Boulder in the mid 1990s and I visited him at home many times. Were it not for my difficulty with his cigarette smoke, we might have been much closer friends. Never heard any mention of Harleys but he may well have been involved with them when he was younger.
As for his hearing, I never detected any problem there at all. The most I could offer on that topic is the observation that tastes differ. He was very much into surround sound, Tannoy speakers and his enormous laser disc collection. He's the guy who referred to cables as passive tone controls.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0809/j_gordon_holt.htm

Poor Gordan, it was sad he smoked himself to death. Smoking is not good for your hearing either. https://www.audicus.com/smoking-your-ears-the-impact-of-cigarettes-on-hearing-loss/

[HiFiSoundGuy]

HiFiSoundGuy has alerted me to products that were off my radar ..... and most likely will stay that way! 

Steve

I look on this forum almost every day. I just don't post on it much anymore! I see some of you missed me!

[ServerAdmin]

I look on this forum almost every day. I just don't post on it much anymore! I see some of you missed me!

Wow, you walked into that one. You're only allowed to have one account, which one do you want to keep?