I spent some time this morn with the Wilson Alexandria & the WATT/Puppy over at Innovative Audio in NYC.
First up was the WATT/Puppy powered by Linn. My overall impression was nothing special, they where competent, but in NO WAY worth the 25K (I think?), I've heard speakers in the 2-3K range that pulled off what they could, and then some. the WATT/Puppy threw out a very narrow, very vertically low, sweet spot, not unlike some electrostatics, not a strong quality IMHO. Very underwhelming.
The Alexandria X2 juiced by T+A on the other hand disappeared (a hard thing to do for a speaker the size of a refrigerator) and mesmerized. Whew! These things were outstanding, $200K, but outstanding nevertheless. Hard to describe these things, there was a visceral, palpable, quality to the sound that I've rarely experienced. Tons of air & depth. If you hit lotto or are in the NFL draft, these should be on your short list.
I spent the afternoon with A pair of Maxx 2's once. They were on the business end of a pair of Halcro monoblocks....good God they were good. Just like you said they disappeared.
Also heard the Watt/Puppy and Sophia...again like you said I was not impressed by the WP, the Sophia on the hand was very nice.
Personally, I can't imagine pairing the Watt with Linn electronics. I sold the original Watt and Watt/Puppy and they were very special in their own idiosyncratic way. Driven by Rowland Design Group electronics and a top notch source they filled the front half of the room with walk around them and in between them performers in a very believable acoustic if the recording contained the information. Meant originally as a true monitor speaker, you could tell the brand of cigarette the bass player was smoking when listening through the Watt. It could also tell you how many edits were in any single recording.
I never counted edits.
The W/Ps' problem for most people was you didn't care about cigarettes or edits, the speakers were hyper-critical while providing all the things about the recording and little about the performance.
Linn is all about the performance and so I see this pairing as trying to place BandAids over the flaws of each brand. If the shop swaps for more suitable electronics, I would go back for another listen.
I recently heard the W/P combination in whatever revision it now ocuppies. The current speaker driven by Audio Research has come a long way toward being a consumer speaker. I was still impressed by the shear realism of the soundstage (truncated though it was in this particular dealer's showroom due to a crappy room and lousy set up and a listening seat about five feet from the speakers - but that's another story). The system had the ability to make me care about the performance at a level the originals could never reach. I was more concerned with the music than the recording artifacts with this system in place.
The W/P system is still an acquired taste IMO. If I had the money, I wouldn't even consider the Wilson speakers as they are just not my cup o'tea. But they reach a particular audience that wants a specific sense of being in the presence of the performers, those people who find counting ice cubes in the Manhattan glass sitting on the second row table a telling device when judging a system. To me, they are the anti-Lowther.
Still my favorite speaker over 10K that I've heard is the Vandersteen Model 5A. Below the 10K mark there are some fine speakers from DeVore Fidelity and Living Voice.
My favorite speaker has always been the one I don't hear.
For a lot of people the Wilsons qualify since the listener is at first so gobsmacked by the clarity and precision of the sound the speakers produce they aren't even aware of the effect on the music. And some people do honestly like what the Wilsons achieve. What you heard, CM, has not been my experience with Wilsons. They never fail to impress if only for their immediacy and stunning clarity. It would take a chimpanzee doing the set up to not have a detailed and realistic soundstage with the Watt/Puppy combination. Take a banana with you when you return to this shop. They have apparently succeeded where no other has failed.
I've never had the opportunity to listen through a pair of Alexandria's and really can't imagine the room and partnering system they must require to perform at their best. Hedonistic and self congratulatory are words that come to mind.
I've heard the other variations on the Wilson line and Dave Wilson obviously has a winning format going. Watt/Puppy's seldom show up on the used market though the line sells well for its price range. I've always considered this a bit of trophy hunting though, the current Dallas dealer tells me they sell Wilson more as works of art than as "speakers" per se. By the time you've acquired the room and all the associated equipment to truly deserve a pair of Wilsons you've reached the point where you sit back and show off what you have as much as use the system to produce listenable music. Maybe that's just my class envy showing but that always seemed to enter into the sale when I was pushing Wilsons. IMO Wilson makes Linn appear to be catering to the petite bourgeoisie. I don't believe Linn moves any of their representatives into your pool yard cabanna for a week while they assiduously set up your system to look best as a piece of your art collection.
The dealer in Montreal when I last heard Watt Pups were using Linn Uni player, Linn switching, but I ain't sure of the amps. also a Wilson sub the size of a VW microbus in the back of the theatre...
Stunning sound, with the focus the size of a nickel, right on your forehead. The rest of the room was fine, if large, but that middle seat was just so there.
As I said, I thought the WATT/Puppys were competent, but no more so than other speakers that cost a fraction of the price. The room seemed to be extremely well treated, so the pairing with the Linn gear might be the culprit.
Like I said, the sweet spot seemed just seemed so fixed in space, and as I said, low. Not my cup of tea.
I heard a pair of Wilsons a while back, not sure of the model. Connected to Conrad Johnson gear and later on some Halcro gear. They re-produced probably the most clean, detailed, and unveiled sound I've ever heard. But what came out didn't sound like music to me. If I was mixing and/or mastering music or movie soundtracks for a living they'd probably be my top choice.
The $25k Verity Parsifals that were swapped into the same system after about 20 minutes lost a lot in what the Wilsons did (relatively speaking), but mopped the floor with them in pure musicality. The gentleman auditioning the gear took home the Verities and C/J gear. It must be nice to be able to spend about $90K like that. He could have spent more than twice that with the other stuff, but that system sounded so much better to his ears. Mine too.
Verity is very near the top of my wish list! They show very well at the Montreal show every year, and I hear that the more 'pedestrian' models go for amazing deals at the show.
When I saw CM's title here, I immediatly thought of a mug of Baileys coffee and fuzzy slippers, listening to someone named Wilson on a Tivoli radio at the corner nook looking out at the rain.
Heard some Wilsons. Never been impressed, whether the Watt/Puppy (5 - 8) or the Maxx. I think Jan's description pretty much sums it up - all information but no communication.