Best Amp/Preamp/CD or DAC for Wilson Watt Puppy 7

Keithr- The Rowland 201's were really amazing with my WP7's but they couldn't drive the bass with enough authority compared to my Lamm's. They have liquid smooth top end... Tubes without the pain! and they run really cool.. The Sophia's are an easier load to drive on the bottom and should be a perfect match! They are truelly a bargain, I am going to try a pair of the 501's when my dealer gets them to see if the extra current can grab ahold of my woofers..

If I had not been living with the Lamm's I would have bought the 201's they are that good (and the pricepoint)! But I had heard the magic of the Lamm's.

I'd sure try some experimentation before you dump your amp. I recall listening to several top CD players a few years ago and all were 'nice' but all had their own character. Top or close to the top Wadia, Theta, ARC. My point is system synergy is the key! (And I read the 302s need lots of break-in.)

Then there's wire. And power conditioning. My WP7s sound good on my ARC VT100MKII conditioned by PS AUDIO PP600 (and are less impressive without the PP.) The PP seems to deepen and make the bass more prominent - a good thing.

I plan to try the 201s because I'm tired of schlepping the VT100 in for tubes.

I recently sold my Room Lenses and I miss them. Sometimes the subtle details add up for a nice surprise.

My source is a modded (3x) SCD-1. I think that was a good move and each mod has taken me a step closer to the goal.

My pre is a modded ARC LS5MKIII - a keeper, I think.

Let us know what you discover?

Bob Wood

Re: the Halcro. I found the DCD/Halcro system at my dealer phenomenal on the Wilson W/Ps and Sophias. True synergy. Never had power issues as well. In fact, had to turn down the music more often.

I recently heard the 7's with an all Levinson system and while I was very impressed with the gigantic imaging and control, I thought the Levinson sound was too hard. I later heard the Sophia's with a Musical Fidelity system and while I missed the control and the huge soundstage I thought it more like music. While even the thought of the cost of the Sophia's is out my reach, its not out of my thoughts and we'll see. After the demo I feel that my Sonic Frontiers Power 2 SE would mate well with those speakers.....

I had the good fortune of auditioning a pair of dm 58s for about a month with my W/P7s while my dealer considered taking on the line and no other regulars cut in on the dance. Using a Hovland HP 100 and Koetsu/Triplanar/Oracle analog source at the time I was spellbound. The Halcros are a most synergistic combination with the Wilsons, certainly their finest solid state companions. However, having amplifiers nearly as large as your speakers poses more problems than you might imagine, soundstage and aesthetics notwithstanding. With my W/P 7s they tended toward the genteel and sounded ever so slightly thin. And so I ended up with Jadis JA 100s now with an HP 200; a combination rocks, rolls, coos, purrs, spits, sighs and whispers sufficiently to keep me interested. For the time being at least.