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Upgrade path from Wilson WattPuppy 7s? - seeking advice

I have a McIntosh system with a 275 tube amp, plus some PS Audio equipment. I play many different kinds of music - from Joe Bonamassa to Johannes Brahms.

I like the analytical quality of the WP 7's. They do seem to lack some midrange and do reproduce rock as well as some other speakers. So I previewed the following at Paragon Sound in Ann Arbor, and the price is a consideration. Here are my thoughts but am seeking advice:

(1) B&W 802 D3 - Better with rock, a bit mellow and not as analytical as the WP 7's. Better midrange than my current speakers.
(2) Wilson Alexia 1 - A bit pricey even with a hefty discount. Of interest, I found some of the higher resolution music files to be reproduced with too much complexity. The ability to discriminate transients, a feature of the WP speakers, seem to be diminished in the more elaborate sound provided by these speakers.

Any other suggestions? I do not want to spend a great deal of money, but have the ability if necessary.

Thanks in advance for any advice - Gerry
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larryi
3,773 posts
 

The WP7 is a somewhat tricky speaker to match with amps.  Although, on paper, it is a quite efficient speaker, it is a very demanding load that doesn't work well with some tube amps.  You should consider auditioning amps in your system.  A lot of dealers will allow a customer to borrow amps (speakers are rarely loaned because they are easily damaged in the transportation and set up process).

I don't know which 275 you have, but, I've heard the current model and it is, to me, a quite mediocre amp even when driving an easy load.  I can't imagine it working that well with a WP7.  

glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,533 posts
 

I’m not sure how much bass your looking for but you should look at Living Voice OBX Rw3 ( also the IBX, out board cross over for the OBX and Inboard for the IBX) these speakers for me have been the most musical I have yet found in a speaker line. they are very detailed but the music just flows from them. They are defiantly a keeper speaker. Only limitation is they don’t really go much below 30ish HZ but don’t let that be the only deciding factor. They voice all there speakers with tube gear, Kondo Audio Note Japan to be exact. These run at 94db and are very easy to drive look beautiful in the traditional way ( the Santos is my fav) I highly recommend them and they get gushing reviews all over.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/livingvoice5/1.html

Also the company in my experience have some of the best customer service in the industry.


https://www.livingvoice.co.uk/#anchor8

https://www.instagram.com/living_voice/



fraterperdurabo's avatar
fraterperdurabo
52 posts
 
If you really want scientific precision you should audition at least one pair of electrostats (and not hybrids).  Quads would be a good start.
mountainzen
6 posts
 
You should give Von Schweikert a try - either the E3 MK II, E5, VR-44, or VR-55 depending on your budget. All of these are very dynamic and easy loads for your amps. They are a better value and performance than the Wilsons or Vandersteens (which I prefer over the Wilsons).
kollamala
36 posts
 
I just setup the Marten Bird 2 in my demo room. Truly outstanding on day 1. Still running the frequency sweep cd in between.

Mat
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