RMAF 2019

It must be so hard to cover a show.

The price of these speakers has to be viewed in the fact that there are a lot of people that have a LOT of monetary wealth and want a market that provides them with products that meet their needs or more often - desires.

Yes, the pricing in much of the high end sound reproduction industry has become hyper expensive, but even at the lowest price levels, the sound has improved since I started toying in this hobby 45 years ago.

Wilson will probably be running this speaker at capacity with Asian market orders alone!

Cheers!

My 40 year old ADS L810s also seem to be laughing.

DAW brought out the first WAMM as an experiment and if a customer was interested, he would spend the time at the customers place to set them up 100% in relationship to the room and system.
Personally, I think it was a hobby for him to do this and create something that was a one off on every installation.
Now the market seems to have numerous manufacturers that create outrageous looking speakers and it has become an expensive fad.
To me, DAW is in the same company as Marantz, Fischer,Walker,Harman etc.

I'll take two, but no anchovies.

It's funny - about 5 years ago, if you had asked me what I thought of Wilson speakers, I'd have told you that they were the ugliest-god-damn things in audio and that it was entirely fitting that their signature finish was basically high-end beige paint.

Now, I absolutely love the aesthetic. If I could have a pair of Sashas in that same high-end beige I'd be friggin' thrilled. I'm not as blown away with the look of the XVX as I was by the images of the Master Chronosonic, but without the side grilles they're quite handsome.

I don't care how good they may sound. They are IMO BFU. They and the Chronosics make me think of Japanese box monsters. I would never buy them regardless of how wealthy I may become. But then, what do I know. The Technics SL1200 has also always been on my BFU list.

My apologies for getting involved in the drift...

In our club, one member has WATT/Puppies and another has a lovely pair of ALEXX speakers.

Plus, I've heard them at enough shows and shops to have a good idea about the line and their design philosophy to feel able to make a general comment or two:

The three things I find Wilson gets consistently 'perfect:'

1) They image beautifully at all volume levels. They do not require hitting a certain dB level in order to blossom or come into their own. If you get a chance to hear a pair, start with Muddy waters' "Folk Singer" at low volume and he will mystically appear in full three dimensionality at any volume. At low volume, it's almost eerie. Really well done.

2) They sound effortless. No matter how we flog them, they just seem to say, "Yeah, I can do that." It is an almost universal thing to sense speaker/system strain with certain dB/dynamic levels and the Wilsons just don't do that. They are certainly "over engineered" for those who want to explore high volume settings. They can really deliver "Oh, my God" dynamics and volumes.

3) They give detail up the wazoo. I don't feel like there is anything further to reveal in the small details I am listening to. Other speakers may match them, but there is a line between detailed and etched that Wilson doesn't seem to cross.

Bonus...4) They thrive being single wired.

The person with ALEXX speakers is the single greatest Grateful Dead recordist/collector I have ever encountered, and to hear his tapes on those speakers is a transformative thing. I was at some of the shows he recorded and his tapes are better than the live event. In those moments, there is truly no way to improve on the sound. The quality of bass certainly adds to the "air" of the presentation!

My one issue is that I think the the general Wilson fingerprint adds a bit of lower treble glare...for my ear...that can be a touch fatiguing after 4 albums, or so.

Again, apologies for contributing to any mayhem.

there is nothing graceful here from my view.

I've just gotta say, why do people feel the need to come onto this website just to get angry about expensive stuff! Half the reason this website is one i visit every day is because i want to hear about the high end stuff. I mean, why the fuck are you taking time out of your day just to diss stuff? Will i ever be able to buy a pair of £330000 speakers? haha, no, but I love reading about them, seeing photos etc. ITS FUN. It's just the same as reading about £500k cars we'll never drive, I WANT TO KNOW! And this website gives us an insight. When the bouderies are no longer being pushed then that would be a sad thing. Some people say it's a joke that a pair of speakers cost the same as a ferrari. I know is if I dropped £300k on a pair pf speakers I'd enjoy them more than a car. And avoid jail ;) Also, this website more often than not reviews perfectly affordable stuff. If Micheal has the best kit to listen to, and can compare that to stuff we can actual buy, then is that not a good thing? Also, unlike a lot of websites Michael and Malachi tell it as it is, there's a distinct lack of bullshit on this website. Personally, I love their reviews of audiophile pressings etc, where else do you find that? Michael and Malachi are into my kind of music as well, it's fucking informative! I've never been let down by their opinions (ok, except for the 2000 (?) pressing of dark side which I thinK is better than the ones that came after, and yes I own them all ;) Keep it going guys. Analogue Planet rules! (and just as a side note, I want a review of a decent AAA pressing at least once a week ;) Keep the good work up lads!

next time i'm in NYC i'd be happy to take you guys to Keans Steakhouse. I'll get us the chateaubriand steak, a couple of good Bordeauxs and we can talk Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beatles etc and the superiority of a good AAA pressings vs a cheap digital rip ;)