About the new Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 8

Hic,

Yes, I've heard current AR electronics with Wilson speakers and the pairing is exceptional. Wilson themselves, recommends the combination and owns many of the current ARC products.

Also, read some of Marc Mikelson's (Editor: Soundstage) recent reviews of ARC with the Wilson X2's and MAXX2's. His comments mirror my own impressions.

Regards,

Grant

The high-end is a small community. There are many good, even great speaker designs out there at all manner of price points and for all tastes. We should celebrate that we have so many choices rather than attack lines we know little to nothing about. Hearing a speaker in a showroom or at an industry show doesn't count. Reading an ad we don't like and defining a company because of it is equally short sighted.

There is no best, better for less, or for the price, or "mine's bigger than yours". The choice of a speaker, factoring room, electronics and budget is _way_ too personal and subjective for anyone to make categorical statements of value on what's best, or what sucks. The premise itself is ridiculous if you factor in all the intangibles.

In high end nowadays? Quality, value and established reputation rules. Gone are the days of over-priced, under performing products that do well and subsist on the open market--they're gone. If you make and market crap, you _will_ fail.

IMO, Wilson does not fall into the latter category, and every single market arbiter supports that assertion.

best for everyone? Noooooo.

Excellent designs, great sonics when set up well, great value based on any market, design or construction arbiter you care to review? Yes.

Simple as that, though these net forums were made for people that like to thow clandestine stones, so have at it.

JMHO.

Grant

The high-end is a small community. There are many good, even great speaker designs out there at all manner of price points and for all tastes. We should celebrate that we have so many choices rather than attack lines we know little to nothing about. Hearing a speaker in a showroom or at an industry show doesn't count. Reading an ad we don't like and defining a company because of it is equally short sighted.

There is no best, better for less, or for the price, or "mine's bigger than yours". The choice of a speaker, factoring room, electronics and budget is _way_ too personal and subjective for anyone to make categorical statements of value on what's best, or what sucks. The premise itself is ridiculous if you factor in all the intangibles.

In high end nowadays? Quality, value and established reputation rules. Gone are the days of over-priced, under performing products that do well and subsist on the open market--they're gone. If you make and market crap, you _will_ fail.

IMO, Wilson does not fall into the latter category, and every single market arbiter supports that assertion.

best for everyone? Noooooo.

Excellent designs, great sonics when set up well, great value based on any market, design or construction arbiter you care to review? Yes.

Simple as that, though these net forums were made for people that like to thow clandestine stones, so have at it.

JMHO.

Grant

Wilson speakers will show whatever you put behind them. That being said, if you like the ARC house sound you will like Wilsons w. ARC. If you like VTL or Lamm then ...same thing. There are a few different camps of sound in the tube word. Some w. more dynamics, others w. better bass & others w. better tonality. You almost always sacrifice something to get something. Wilson Sophias II were very well received w. the new VTL MB450 Signature and TL 7.5 Mk II preamp. In the end I would compare them carefully. I know that hearing Wilson w. certain electronics would have made me never buy the speakers. Only once I heard it w. my Electronics of choice - there are a lot of choices these days - only then I started to assemble a system.