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Stereophile review of the new Wilson Watt/Puppy

I received my copy of the latest Stereophile yesterday and was curious to see what Martin Collums had to say about them, even though I would take it with a grain of salt, knowing that he had owned them in the past. He's still one of the reviewers that I consider to be most technically informed and balanced in his reviews.

I'm starting this thread because I want to know if others found his conclusions as confusing as I did. He says that the speakers have deep powerful bass, great detail, wonderful dynamic range, and are able to play very loud without breakup. 

However, after all of that, he concludes that they are better for jazz and orchestral and perhaps a bit reticent for pop and rock. This made no sense to me, especially for a $40.000 speaker. I am curious about the opinions of anyone else who has read the review. 

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jeffreyw's avatar
jeffreyw
275 posts
 

@fsonicsmith 

+1

If you pay for a full-page ad monthly, your products instantly get a 'product of the year' recommendation. I recently bought into this hype regarding the stellar review of Wilson's Sabrina X. I had money in hand and did a demo. Possibly one of the most uninvolving speakers I have ever heard. My dealer recommended I compare it to a pair of B&W 803D4s. The B&Ws were substantially better in every aspect. 

I did not have time to audition the Watt/Puppy, but I wish I did. However, a speaker in that price range should have no weaknesses! 

 

noromance's avatar
noromance
9,888 posts
 

I learned long ago that when a reviewer mentions any aspect of the sound, the reality is much more exaggerated.

"A little warm" = dull

"A little neutral" = sterile

"A little bright" = searing treble

"A little reticent" = dead

coppy777
149 posts
 

We all hear differently and have our own preferences.  As it should be.  Some seem put off by a speaker you have never heard; maybe resenting its unafordability.  There are many successfully speaker brands giving everyone choices.  The magazines may be influenced by their readers who have made Wilson the leader in high end speaker sales.  I'm a Wilson guy having worked my way up through the B&Ws to the 800 Nautilus.  Current B&Ws are now better.  Then the Wilson WP7s charmed me.  Since then, three more pair from Wilson.

That said, my long time and highly successful Wilson dealer has had some custom Sasha Vs on order for some time.  He is a trained expert in speaker setup so great ears. They sell many high end brands, dCS, D'AG, etc. He has just cancelled that Sasha order for himself in favor of a pair of the new Watt/Puppy. Very similar sound for way less money and a smaller footprint as well. 

Your ears, your money comes to mind.

Enjoy the music.

Bob

ritter06
39 posts
 

This was/is pretty much my experience and take on the WWPs vs the other speakers I heard and the Sasha V. The new Puppies may cannibalize the Wilson lineup .

toddalin's avatar
toddalin
289 posts
 

The Sasha's would be better for rock music (more bass where you need/feel it) and the speakers measure about the same otherwise, which one would expect as they use pretty much the same other components.

A WWP with a sub would probably be the best/most economical way to get the best of all worlds.

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