transparent sound, dynamics

horrible customer support, attempt to "rape" owner for any upgrades or repairs, ugly design-Dave Wilson needs class in aesthetics and woodworking

Yes, they do sound good and have a small footprint. But is it worth spending the $18,000+ price of admission? Especially to have essentially no customer service department. Wilson will not deal at all with the consumer and offers no support after the sale. All the support must come from a dealer. Great if you live in a large city with a dealership. And the "upgrades" are ludicrous. $350 for a pair of grill covers to replace the cheap foam covers that Dave Wilson used initially. Hah, what a joke. I bet Dave Wilson is laughing all the way to the bank. He should take a class in art appreciation or aesthetics along the way. Yes, the audiophile community may be gullible at times, but we are not stupid. Learn from others mistakes...avoid Wilson Audio at all costs.

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watt 5.1, b&w, martin logan

They are the second best speakers I have ever heard. Incredible dynamics,incredible detail and transparency, the best soundstage and very,very open
sounding. They look, at least to my eyes, very nice, too.A bit too
expensive, though.Overall, they were second only to Wilson Grand SLAMM in
my listening experience.I've heard better bass, a slightly more natural
midrange through the ProAcs driven by tube amps but no better detail, no
better transparency and , in other words, nothing came close with its
overall performance, considering also that the price is high but,unlike
the big Wilsons,it's within the reach of many mortals.

big sound, dramatic, theatrical

obviously designed as a "wow" product more than a long term love affair

I hand it to DW, he knows his market ! If you have any business sense, you give the people what the people want. Obviously the people want home theater or music that sounds good in a home theater environment. Everything is an evolution of a past design. Watt/Puppy 6 sounds like the evolution of the 1970s JBL sound, crispy but stimulating highs and heavy but nimble bass. The old JBL sound was a dorm room favorite in college, so it makes sense that the same tastes would be refined and updated for the adult boomer market. The other mentality, that used to be called the East Coast sound, but to a discerning ear better in taste and sonic judgement, was the turf of AR. Well, the Watt/Puppy 6 isn't the AR sound by a California mile. The upside is that these are GREAT party or entertaining speakers, because they'll cut through background noise and deliver the goodies up to you on a platter. The bad news is that the same fun people who are the life of the party are also the obnoxious guests you can't get rid of when the lights come up. Same applies to the Wilsons. You'll love them at a distance, in small doses, or when you need to have a TGIF boogie down with your bad self moment. Goes well with air guitar and facial experssions. On the other hand, when you need to settle in to hours of meditative soul repair, you'll probably be thinking up the words for your ad in the audio magazies to unload them, or wondering how much the dealer will give you on trade in.

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sonus faber, b+w, monitor audio, martin logan

resolution and details, accuracy, transparency, bass tightness and slam, impressive design and outlook;

Relatively small ( but heavy ) full range loudspeaker.
No need for the ( famous ) subwoofer anymore. Very nice visual and finish.
The above strengths are very impressive.
A comprehensive solution to the classical and jazz demanding end-user.

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B&W 801-3

this tweeter upgrade to version 6.1 might be a breakthrough for Dave

how much has changed ?

Brother David finally gets that the old tweeter was a problem child and finds enlightenment through high frequency consciousness ? This I gotta hear. While he's rootin' around he could take a look at that crossover too.
You get the impression that its too complex and eats current
like a dog gulps weenies. Absolut Sound hints that you need the hydroelectric dam current delivery of the big krell 650 monoblokk to put the righteous grip on this heap of weird impedence. Those who love the wilsons have to be the big juice crowd, cause even more hefty than average won't make em behave. Craves industrial strength wattness.

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typical search for the grail

every wilson speaker - or any speaker at all - that uses plastic cones like this one is inferior to kevlar glass or paper in similar designs. In other words - buy the old yellow cone version if you want these - they sound better :)

blurry compared to kevlar version (earlier)

blah blah blah

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wilson is all hype - you are paying for the corean cabinets.

None that justify the price

Poor value

Without a doubt a well built and fine sounding speaker. However, this level of performance can easily be obtained at half the price with Revel or Martin Logan. Personally, I feel Wilson has been able to continually raise prices and still sell speakers through marketing manipulation and name recognition. Even in the price-no-object category (which most people in this forum are probably in) value still has a meaning and takes precedence.

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Revel, Martin Logan

These are outstanding speakers .They are, however, very revealing, accurate, and faithful to the recording being reproduced. After some critical listening evaluation and comparisons - my conclusion is that I am gaining it all.

I paid close to $20000.00 - speakers of a great value, and I highly recommend them , if you are looking at speakers in the no budget limit range, provided that you have taken care in selecting the other components in your system.

Speed, rhythm

Midbass bloat at first, price

I went to a dealer to hear the Revel Salons, and was taken to a listening room that contained both the Salons and the Watt/Puppy 6 which I knew nothing about.

Several listening sessions over several weeks, each one several hours in length, and I purchased the Watts!

The system was mostly Mark Levinson 39 CD, 380S DAC, No. 32 (amazing pre-amp bought it too), and 335 amp.

While the Salons had a very flat response curve, terrific neutrality of timbre, and deep solid bass the Watt's blew them away on something I had never paid enough attention to before ... speed.

The Watt's speed vastly increase one's ability to follow the rhythm of music, and makes the rise of a crescendo or the transition to silence when a music puts his finger on a string to silence it thrilling in way I'd never thought possible.

Let me address two of the issues people have raised:
(1)Mid bass bloat. I heard this too at first, but changing the speaker & listener placement in the room seemed to eliminate it.
(2)A colored sound signature. Yes ... whenever we would switch back from the Wilsons to the Revel's it was clear that the Wilson's were not neutral and flat. However, I found that the Wilsons were more enjoyable, and more musical. The Salon's earned my respect. The Wilson's got my toes tapping and put a smile on my face.

My wife put it best when she said the Salons were like a Lexus -- perfect but boring -- while the Wilson's were like a BMW -- they have character, and it's good character.

Expecting them to arrive in a few weeks and will post an update after getting them set up & run-in.

Giving them 3 stars on value because they're d**n expensive. Giving them 5 stars on quality because I liked them enough to buy them!

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Revel Salon, Revel Studio, B&W Nautilus 802

Resolution, Speed, Subtlety, Dynamics, Bandwidth, Control,
Transients, Timing, Tonality

Does not appear to be as forward in the mid-range as the version V.1. I suspect that the V6's greater transparency gives this illusion. I beleive Watt/Puupies require a long run-in period and preferably with high-end ancilleries. No easy to drive properly.

Quite simply, the version 6 takes this legendary and market leading product into the Millennium era. I am not aware of a more imitated high-end product in the world today. Well-done David Wilson! www.wilsonaudio.com is worthy of a visit should you be unaware and curious of the production process . A sonic revelation from that company in Utah. Forget superlatives and adjectives.... They just sound so convincing. Liquid extension right down to 20hz without losing speed or finesse. The puppy uses composite cabinet materials from the MAXX, which are 15-20 times more expensive to manufacture that wooden counterparts. Should you value harmonics and musical timing, the version 6 is spot on. The uncanny imaging, which was regarded as 1st rate on the superseded system V.1 is taken to yet another level. As for the aesthetics, the paintwork on my ocean blue 1997 Porsche 911 does not match this standard. Yes, the expense is an issue but I have not heard ‘better for less’. My system consists of a Mark Levinson Reference No.32, No.33h mono's, Transparent XL reference speaker cables and interconnects all the way through, a Naim CDS II and a Well Tempered Reference turntable equipped with a Lyra Parnassus Dct. Cardas Golden Cross is used on some sources such as my Nakamichi CR7e and Naim 01 Tuner. The Wilson Watt Puppy's do perform adequately in many systems but I am afraid to say that you need reference Mark Levinson, Spectral or Possibly Jeff Rowland components to make them sing. The internal wiring on the W/P’s are predominantly of Transparent origin, therefore there is a strong argument for using similar cables externally. Wilson predominantly design and benchmark many of their products around Levinson reference products therefore there is a strong synergy argument here. Potential buyers must acknowledge that there are infinite ways to get it wrong with the setup and configuration of W/P’s. Follow your musical instincts for it will lead you to a nebula experience if you have the patience to get it right. The Watt/Puppy 6 is a lifestyle product, which not only provides heaps of musical enjoyment; but one cannot escape the pride of ownership aspect. The only other loudspeaker in to £10-20k range, which really cuts the mustard, is the Revel Salon and perhaps the Sonus Faber Amati Homage (not auditioned them yet). Auditioning to me translates to living with the product for at least 3 months and not a quick blast from any old dealer who does not really understand the product. A hi-fi show is not realistic either.
One must allow for impulse, mood swings and adjustment to the acoustic environment of your home. Thanks for taking the time to read my initial thoughts in this review. Ultimately, it is your opinion that really counts in the end.

Similar Products Used:

Watt/Puppy V.1, Revel Salon, EgglestonWorks Andra, Naim DBL, Linn Isobarik.