this is an update for comparison

and so on

simply to add that i heard the joseph audio RM33i, a $7500 list speaker, and it WAY GOOD. Overall i think a perfectly set up watt/puppy with all the best ancillaries will edge it out, but you get mighty close with the joseph. joseph is also about to set their Pearl into production. looks highly inspired by the watt/puppy geometry, but so's a lot of two boxer designs. it isnt a xerox of the w/p though, has its own distinct styling nuances. somewhat more blocky, less dainty looking. haven't heard the Pearl but it looks to be a neck and neck photo finish with the w./p. priced about the same with a $19G list. One thing that leans me to the Pearl if i had to choose between the two is that Joseph has an excellent patented crossover design that works like jehu in three way designs, but may be too extreme for 2 way designs. i'd go out of my way to check it out before surrendering the long green on any purchase decision!

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anything in the showroom and friends homes and all the products i've run through

Hip factor, prestige and reputation is this products strength. It will automatically give you a ticket to the cool guys club. Still quite nice to knock on. Very dead cabinet.
If you want to be really hip in connosoir-society, you must claim that the original Watt Puppy it the better speaker. Though th latest version is the more correct speaker.

The timbre is quite off balance. The mid range is still persived as unnaturally rich, close to fat. Compared with original version the sound is not as relaxed as it was. Also the high frequency range is changed. It still suffers a lack of attack, but it does not make it comfortable to listen to as the original version. Today it is much more harsch wothout beeing analytic. With some exceptional recordings, the 6.0 version can give an impression of beeing high resolutive compared with the older versions, but that is an illusion created by the removal of the laidback original high frequency character. In my opinion the old version was more pleasant, but the new version is probably a little bit more correct, still far from acurate though... A bit of the artificial acoustical room that the old W/P had in it self, like a piano, is taken away. Most listeners does find this as a degradation, and the watt puppy is still unusable as a monitor. It just doesn't tell anything the way it is, rather "the new Wilson way".
The big problem with this product however, is that the lack of deep bass is severe. On top of that the rest of the high bass range is still emphazised. The louder you play the bigger this problem gets, since the lowest range (<35 Hz)is distored and dynamically compressed. In this aspect the loudspeaker has evolved since the original version though. Still it is far from acceptable.

This is really not a very good loudspeaker if good is acurate. It can still be described as a nice loudspeaker, but the original sas nicer, and thera are a lot of nice loudspeakers for 1/40 of the prize of the Watt Puppy. Some of them are nicer.

The plus side of the Wilson is the finnish, the prestige that still comes with it.

This is for sure a loudspeaker that still have some satisfied users. I think it is somewhat difficult to see why. It is not really a good loudspeaker in any aspect. For someone with so much money that the prize doesn't matter it it still not the coolest thing to buy. An original W/P is for example cooler. And that one was actually a pretty nice background speaker.

It is a juvel for the rich and tasteless. For someone rich with taste thera are many better speakers to buy.

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The original version Watt/puppy, speakers from Infinity, B&W, Ino Audio, Snell, Quad...

it is the tightest speaker i have ever heard of in my life.Best clarity ever

expensive as $hit!!!!!

i like it a lot. i like to do a lot of tweak and listen to records backwards on them for hours.

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pioneer, good sound

Bass weight and extension, overall balance

None

I got a change to audition these speakers at SF Stereo with ML 336, and ML reference front-end. These speakers are so much better than the 5.1's it not funny. No more harsh top-end and forward midrange. Did you say bass? SF Stereo has the speakers set-up in a more conventional home style, not 5-6 feet from reflecting walls. The overall sound is a smooth as a baby's bottom. The bass power, extension, and speed was awsome! No more need for a sub, even for bass freaks. Work well with ANY type of music too, rock, r&b, comtempo jazz etc. Some will say these speakers are overpriced! Trust me, ALL hi-end equipment is overpriced! Just buy what you like.

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Thiel CS-7.2, EW Andra, B&W 802N etc.

Simply musical!!! You are in the concert hall.

None.

Nothing can compare you for the thrill of hearing these magical speakers in your own home!! They demand the best ancillary equipment, but when they play.....oh! How tasty it is...Please try them if you are in the market for music makers of the most exhalted variety. My system is as follows:

Mark Levinson No.336 amp
Mark Levinson No.32 Reference Pre-amp
Sony SCD-1
Transparent Reference cables and interconnects
Monster HTS-200(what a steal)

Any questions, feel free to E-mail me!!

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Dunlavy SC-V's, Magnaplanar 3.6, Dalquist DQ-10, B&W 801N

Full, sharp sound; good imaging.

A little harsh at high end.

I auditioned these two weeks ago for an hour or so with an Audio Research front end, classical music. Overall, a great sounding speaker. Good, clean bass extension, clear mids & sharp highs. Pleasant to listen to. The one thing that bothered me was a harshness somewhere in the highs -- if I had to speculate wildly, I'd say it was somewhere in the 15-17kHz range. Doesn't detract from the fact that this is overall a wonderful speaker. But for $20 grand you'd think Mr. Wilson could find a tweeter that would smooth out that SPL bump. (I understand this was also a problem on prior models; I don't know if the problem is still as bad as it was or if there has been no improvement.) I can put aside that one weakness enough to give it four stars on overall performance. At $20 grand, though, I would demand perfection, so it gets only three stars for value.

Involvement, resolution, fun to listen to

Still, but just a bit now, emphatic midrange

First of all I have to mention that this is a discussion about the W/P 6.1 . What is the difference to the 6 ? It´s a brand new tweeter (Focal again, guess the same from the new X1 S3) and maybe a little change to the crossover. Both not mentioned yet in the websites of them and maybe not public to everyone here.

Whow, what a difference ! The improvement is enormous to me. So delicate and fine high´s. Not even a bit of harshness or sharpness. Not at all. - Anymore I must admit. Certainly I agree to some of the critics below to the older ones. I had a 5.1 before and started to hax what I felt in love with before. Tends to sharper high´s, ostensible midrange and so on. The "in your face" critics counts not for me as I like the involvement into music it gives. But now.....ooohhhh, such a sweat presentation, much more balanced than ever. Less disturbing midrange , wider soundstage and the incedible better tweeter.

Gosh, give it a chance. If you started to hate them, now is the time to try it again. or update like me ! Worth every penny.

Want a hint ? Saving money and increase quality ?

Ever tried to run the Watt alone ? You certainly get better resolution out of them rescueing them from the Puppy´s crossover. (With the cost of lower load capacity).

For the Puppy - any active, regulated (as a must be) subwoofer at a certain quality will outperform the Puppy ! I tried it !

Take my word, the Puppy can give you output like crazy, OK, but the bass-resolution and speed can be topped easily at a lower price. Examples in the ($2000-$6000 range)? If you know them: The german IQ System Subwoofer, Audiodata or Backes&Mueller and Genesis offer those standalone Woofers. But the keyword is regulated (positional feedback), I must admit.

The Watt rescued and partnered with such a woofer will give you such a better soundquality (than the regular W/P) for a reasonable price. Exept of the Evidence, there was not much if nothing so far matching this overall performance.

A keyfactor is surely the right matching with cables and amplifiers. As for any other speaker this can decide between a good and a worse rating. As the Wilson is fast and speedy, I found that I woudnt partner them with likewise amp´s (f.e. Spectral) or cables. Thats too much. I use ML and thats fine to me. Surely, I would partner Spectral with Avalon as I like this either.

The Value-rating is 5, for the price the best I found (The Watt 6.1 separate and especially in the way I mentioned) . In absolute terms the Evidence, with distance, is the key to hypnotism.

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Dynaudio Evidence, Thiel 7.2, Backes&Mueller BM30, B&W Nautilus 801, Avalon Eidolon, Revel Salon