wilson wp8 v. maxx2

Agree with Narrod. I have the WP7's (upgraded from the 6) thru McIntosh MCD1000/MDA1000+MC501's. Indeed the next step would be the Maxx 2,s

Agreed. Maxx2 is a true upgrade.

Hello guys there is another but less well known contender for super speaker throne!

I have to start off I am a dealer so I am naturally biased, but I am an audiophile first.

Usher Audio has released a speaker which is priced far less than a WP 8 and I think the Usher will match or better the WP.

I know this sounds like heresey but most people don't know or understand who Usher is. In Asia they are a $70 million dollar company! Wilson is probably under $20 million.

Usher just realeased a $16,800 speaker which will challenge the $40,000.00 speakers out there.

The Usher uses a pure beryillium tweeter and midrange and two 10 inch Eaton woofers the same ones Kharma uses, the speakers go down to 22hz and are 90 db efficent! The speakers weight 300 lbs a piece and the cabinet uses layers of birch plus 2 inch thick mdf plus lead damping! The crossover were designed by D'appolito.

The main reason I am writing this is not to bash Wilson I was the top Wilson salesman in the country but to let people know there are speakers out there that are incredibly built like Wilson but are priced in the range more people can afford. The WP is a great speaker system but at $28,000.00 it is getting to be priced in my opinion at two high a price for what it is. If you consider the cost of drivers and materials no matter how expensive phenolic based resins are the speakers are getting ridiculously overpriced! At the low $20k price point the speakers were priced somewhat sanely but come on $28,000.00! UGH where is it going to stop WP 9 at $35,000?

No question it is cheaper to manufacture in Taiwan (or anwhere in the Far East) for many reasons; primarily those related to taking care of your employees (and lawyers!). As a business owner, I actually like taking good care of my employees, so I don't mind the extra cost of Wilson.

Not knocking Ushers, which I've heard are wonderful, just supporting American craftsmen.

Hey Porterspeer, all good points and I too like to buy American. The comments you make apply much more to the Chinese audio comanies.

Usher is Taiwanese, and most Taiwanese companies pay their employees well and have excellent benefits. Usher is an ISO 9000 company which means that their factory meets the highest levels of build and engineering quality standards, and poorly paid workers do not build products of this calibre, which is why Dell, Lenvo and many other high tech products are comming from this part of the world!

Yes please buy WP 8 if you feel they are worth the lofty price, but the whole intent of my posts, is to call attention to the BE 20 which at its price point puts most of the $30-40k speakers to shame!

But here is a good question, how much cheaper would Wilson's be if they cut out the multiple full page magazine ads, and Dave Wilson gave up his Ferrari?

Audio should be about sound quality and engineering intent, not brand name snobbisim! How many of the mega buck products are really worth their asking price. The revolution is comming and I am happy to lead the charge.