[ZooDog]

I had the privilege to lisen to these for about an hour and a half the other day at a local dealer.  The system consisted entirely of Spectral reference electronics with the exception of the DAC which was a Pacific Microsonics unit.  Cabling was all MIT and the system was in a large, specially designed room with custom room treatments covering all walls and the entire ceiling.

Not surprisingly this system was easily the best I have heard.  It had it all: pinpoint imaging, wall-to-wall soundstage, extreme resolution, coherence, dynamics...blah, blah, blah.  Most importantly it got my feet tapping in no time at all, and all of my cd's sounded incredible (mostly rock, some techno, piano, and orchestral).  The sound was utterly neutral and non-fatiguing.  It is actually kind of hard for me to evaluate because it was so much better than anything I've heard before.  There was also amazing detail in the bass which I partially credit to the excellent acoustics of the room, but obviously the gear had a lot to do with that, too.  

The one disc that really knocked my socks off through this system was PF's The Wall - Live.  On the opening track when the band is warming up and Nick Mason gives his bass drum a couple of thwacks I really got the sense that I was at an actual rock concert.  The room just seemed to grow into a huge arena with massive PA stacks in front of me and when the rest of the band kicked in they truly exploded into the room.

Listening to this disc over the Wilsons really made me realize that only a system of this scale can do any kind of justice to a live rock recording, or any type of recording where lots of air needs to be moved (i.e. orchestras, big band stuff).

I'm sure that a more experienced audiophile than myself might be able to pick out little things here and there that the Wilsons don't do perfectly, but I doubt that there is anyone out there who would dislike the sound of this system, which is saying a lot in the audio world.  After the first ten minutes I gave up on critiquing the sound and just enjoyed my favorite discs like never before.

My sales guy said that they have already sold 4 pairs and the speakers have only been on display for about 6 months.

[Hantra]

     

Now you do realize that we fully expect you to post pics with a review like this, right?  

[ZooDog]

I'm going back in a couple of days to return some cables that I am trying out so I'll see if I can snap off a few pics.

Here is a link to the dealer's website: http://www.goodwinshighend.com


If you click on the picture at the top of the page you can see what the room looks like.  The place is just out of hand.

[nathanm]

Cool, I've seen this pic before.  I just wonder if those people are a wee bit disappointed with their purchase considering it is unlikely that their own rooms are tricked out as this one?  Maybe?  I'd be willing to bet ANY system would sound killer in a room this hardcore!



Does it sound live\reflective in there with all that wood surface?  Just curious.

[jgubman]

Did you do the full shootout bwtn the ML Statements?

[ctviggen]

I've always liked Wilsons, except that they're so darned expensive and there are good speakers (many on this forum, in fact) that come pretty darn close (and some would say beat Wilsons) for a lot less money.  However, you gotta love a guy who really doesn't give a crap what his speakers look like (they're all ugly, except the littlest one).  Have you seen his center channel?  Ugh!  

http://www.wilsonaudio.com/products/watch/index.html

[Hantra]

It's funny, I never liked Wilsons until I heard the Sophia.  I think they are going in new directions with that, the WP7, and the new stuff.

[Jon L]

I really like the new look of the new Wilsons.  The Alexandria looks great, and the new Max looks so much better than before.

I'm wondering if Wilson makes their speakers in USA.  If so, they really should try to make them overseas, like China, so that mere mortals may hope to some day possibly own a pair.  

I've always liked Wilson speakers, even the WP 3.  I hate to disagree with Wilson-haters, but their speakers always were special.  They really pull together speakers that perform WAY beyond the drivers used.

At 1/3 to 1/2 of current MSRP, they might actually be a good value, too.

[Hantra]

I'm wondering if Wilson makes their speakers in USA. If so, they really should try to make them overseas, like China, so that mere mortals may hope to some day possibly own a pair.

Yes, they are made in Utah.  

And you're also correct that they can make magic out of drivers that sound like sh*t in other speakers.  They do that with their crossovers, and construction.  They won't even let you see their crossovers when you tour the shop.  

If they sent that to China, their crossover would be on the Net in two weeks.

[ooheadsoo]

If you read Brian Cheney's designer's corner, you can see an interesting article he wrote on the high end.  Here's something he wrote about Wilson:

People like Dave Wilson, whom I have known since before he started his company in the early 80’s and was happy to do favors for back then, charges more money for less hardware than anyone in the world. He cops to it too: poor people or the value conscious are not his market. He was the first to go to customer’s homes and spend days setting up and tuning their new Wilson WAMMS. He realized how setup, associated equipment, and listening environment affected sound quality and did his best to make things better. He is not evil or even an opportunist: just a High Ender who believes in the usefulness of a big price tag in establishing product credibility.

The next paragraph is also interesting:

Not that others are free of guilt. A close friend in this business told me of Dick Sequerra’s brainstorming the retail of his new top-of-the-line. “ Do you think, John,” asks Dick, “that the system should sell for $60,000 or $100,000?” Guess what: Dick decided the speaker would sell better at $100,000. I see other people, like Eggleston, charging the magic $100,000 figure for their flagships. No, the price is not justified by the bill of materials or any other criteria for determining end user pricing. It is just a high price, plain and simple, designed to command respect for that reason only.

[Hantra]

If you read Brian Cheney's designer's corner, you can see an interesting article he wrote on the high end.  Here's something he wrote about Wilson

 

Pardon me, but Brian Cheney giving a disseration on Dave Wilson is sort of like Chris Bangle critquing Pininfarina's design work.

[Andrikos]

Does it matter that what Brian says is true and factual?
He's not really passing judgement on Wilson.
I believe what he says and it actually makes sense.
Wilson is not out to make afforadable speakers.
They're making speakers for the elite and they'll continue to do so as long as the "elite" is willing to buy them...

[Hantra]

Does it matter that what Brian says is true and factual?
He's not really passing judgement on Wilson.
I believe what he says and it actually makes sense.
Wilson is not out to make afforadable speakers.
They're making speakers for the elite and they'll continue to do so as long as the "elite" is willing to buy them...

Your point is as absent as Cheney's, and neither post really pertains to the thread at hand.

[ooheadsoo]

I thought the current topic of discussion was the cost of Wilson speakers.

[Hantra]

I thought the current topic of discussion was the cost of Wilson speakers.

True.  Which has nothing to do with a guy who doesn't know what he's talking about ranting against a competitor who has sold more $10K + speakers than he will ever sell at any price.

[jgubman]

A successful business owner who's been working in the industry for 25+ years is "a guy who doesn't know what he's talking about"?

What makes you so enlightened about Wilson business practices?

[nathanm]

Uh, how are you reading that as a rant, Hantra?  It is anything but.  The text is quite clear and not at all ambiguous.  It's halfway complimentary towards Wilson's practices if anything.

[Hantra]

I am not "enlightened" about anyone's business practices.  But the results speak for themselves.

Also, it looks like a rant to me b/c in my mind, a rant doesn't have a real point.  And when it's directed at a direct competitor, it lessens the credibility of the author even more.  That's all I'm saying.

[ooheadsoo]

So you consider VMPS and Wilson to be direct competitors?  I don't see how BC's comments could hold any less weight than any of ours.

[Hantra]

So you consider VMPS and Wilson to be direct competitors?  I don't see how BC's comments could hold any less weight than any of ours.

After seeing the inside of a VMPS, I actually consider VMPS to be a direct competitor of KLH.  



Then I realized after noting that VMPS has won two CES "Best of Show" awards from a group who raves about the sound quality of 128Kbps MP3, versus Wilson having been the most successful high-end speaker builder in history, I will concede to your point and say that they are not DIRECT competitors.  

But you don't hear the KIA CEO talking smack about Mercedes-Benz overcharging for cars either.