OK WILSON OWNERS. HERE IS YOUR CHALLENGE

i think some of this might stem from wilsons interview of his philosphy on system design in a rencent absolute sound (ie wilson speakers with a ipod.. more $$$$ on speakers and less on source)... and ivor from linn in the other corner saying the source is the most important...( i look for balance)

in regard to "challenge" that is mentioned in this post, i dont think it is relevant...
b
wether a speaker is "better" than another is really system dependant, room dependant, personal preference, and synergy. I have heard some really $$$ systems(highly regarded gear) sound like crap because of poor matching and/or setup. in fact, some of the best systems (musicality)have been of extermely modest gear but the utmost care taken in the setup (stereo salesman systems... which means they get to try out a WIDE range of gear and find out what sounds best in that system/enviorment)

in regards to the purchase of wilson speakers, i think you are blessed to afford them. which means you have a wide range to chose from - to say they are the end all/be all is a bit newbie (neophyte) position. when it comes to cost no barred, i love the joesph pearl, the big dali's, big maggies, circes(all beyond my reach and room). the reason i like the above mentioned is the way they present music, not because some of them cost more than my $8k retail audio physic libra's ( very good speaker btw)

keep in mind wilson's are out of reach of most audiophile (the most speakers sold are vandersteens or maggies).

i think most philes that buy wilson(or at that $$$ level):
-like the wilson house sound
-very experienced(keep in mind, high end audio is a sickness ( a dog that chases it tale).. there is a lot of buying, selling, swapping of gear and cables that is endless)

Jim, I believe you are sincere but I do not really understand your challenge. First off, the Chimeras do not sell for any less than the W/P7s. Second you say you will perform your comparison even in a system optimized for Wilsons EXCEPTING of course, the amplification. Third it is unlikely that any owner of the highly efficient MAXX 2s or X-2s will accept the challenge because of the amplification issue and the daunting challenge of moving the speakers which are hard to position in the first place and not just because of their weight.

That said I would love to hear a direct comparison between the Chimera and the W/P7s, the two being similarly priced speakers of similar design (the Chimera is Benesch's version of Watt on Puppy). I heard the Chimeras in San Francisco and was impressed. I also thought they were a little bass shy but I'm probably used to the Wilson house sound.

BTW, isn't Benesch Dave's evil doppelganger?;~)

Khrys : Yes amplification may be an issue but there are plenty of Wilsons running on 100+ watt amps. I was really ony trying to exclude SET s. IMHO Wp 7 is not similar to Chimera. Chimera is carbon fiber and possibly the most inert cabinet in audio. The tact drivers are also propriatary and made in house utilizing 500,000 + in EU money. The only part not made by WB itself is a version of the super revelator tweeter. Without EU deveopment money Chimeras would be at least 35k. Chimeras are 2.5 way designs with 4 isobaricly 7 " woofers. This presents exteremly fast, accurate bass but little energy below 25hz. Wilsons are very good trditional kit speakers. None of this says anything about sound. For accuracy we could measure response but for enjoyment we have only our opinions. I respect yours but to my ears WP's and WBb'do not sound at all similar though you and others may indeed prefer the Wilson sound. I'm a fan of accuacy so that may explain my preference. If you are ever in Atlanta let me know and will spend some time listening. In fact, if there are any Atlanta audiophiles interested in any of this look me up. Jim

Hey Jim. Just wondering if you had any takers of your "challenge". I'd like to know the results, especially against the Maxx II since that's the only speaker that has me thinking about giving up my W/P7s.

I certainly agree that the Chimera and W/P7s sound very different but the former is clearly Benesch's version of the latter: placing a dedicated tweeter-midrange unit (modified Discovery) on top of a dedicated woofer unit(like a puppy); the essence of the W/P design.

The tweeter/midrange of the Chimera uses a 1" tweeter with a 7" midrange loaded @ 4ohms in a dedicated highly inert ported enclosure with no parallel surfaces, of the same internal volume, just like the Wilson Watt.

The bass unit of the Chimera champions Wilson's concept of multiple smaller woofers in a ported reflex design: twin 8" active units vs. four isobarically loaded 7" drivers.

Wilson's rock.
The Chimera is a Euro wannabe.
Aptly named.

Well, well, well. No takers khrys. Hmmmm.....