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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
gerryah930
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@audiotroy 1,500 words of rambling self justification including references to North Korea! Do you not have anything better to do with your time?
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,910 posts
 
Folkreak I dont like being attacked and no one here should have to.

What is apparent to me is the snobbery present by many members.

I wounder if Sandy Gross built a $50k speaker and it sounded dramatically better than an $200k set of speakers would his creation get the same flak?

I have owned many speakers, amps & preamps and I would easily swap out when I found something better.

Look at 4425 comments instead of saying wow those are cool do you know where I could hear them?

We get I just can’t consider Paradigm in the same vein. Just a bias I understand. It’s a Chevy vs BMW optic that’s hard to overcome.

To which i would reply who cares who made them if they sound better than x y or z brand that should suffice.

This is not a cult it is about a passion for music and that should be all it is about.

Tools is tools if you find a better one you buy it.

Dave owner
Audio Doctor

ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Dave, I know you are a good guy, because Matt vouches for you.  That's all I need.  Will I come in to meet you in person? Someday. I have to as we haven't seen eye to eye on some things and Id' rather do that in person than on a faceless forum.  

I have never liked Paradigm's high end.  Every.  My daughter has a pair I used to own.  She sings (even made the cut at Idol and The Voice when she was 16) and even she says they are too bright.  It's the top end and no matter what amps I've heard them with, they were just too bright for me.  Again, that's just me and it's one of the biggest things I don't like about gear.  I'm sensitive to it.  I didn't like the metal wilsons, but enjoy listening to the soft dome ones.  I just don't feel they have the detail I get from other speakers.  Still a nice speaker and highly dynamic.  B&W diamonds are too bright for me also.  Way too upfront.  Sonus F are too soft for me now days.  I liked their older ones better.  The newest Magico's S3 newest mark ?? were a bit dry. Highly dynamic and not coherent in the mid bass region down.  It didn't mate well for MY ears with the mids on up.  It was a strange listening session for me and Peter McKay was the one who set them up in a great sounding room.  

There are my reasons as to why I love my Vandersteen's.  I'm in no way associated with them.  Do I know the folks there?  Yes, I do know them.  I also know folks at a lot of places as over the years you meet people.  Heck, my ex was Mark Levinson's attorney when we were married back in the 90's, lol. ...The man, not Madrigal.  

Sounds like the OP love the Wilson sound and if so, that's awesome, but he should (if he can) go listen to all the speaker lines and include Rockport if possible.  Then he can figure out what he wants and loves.  JMHO.  


gpgr4blu
1,096 posts
 
Troy:
gee. The fact that you cannot stop talking or producing words in print--often way off point--- was your problem as a salesperson (which made you intolerable to me and others). My only point to you has ever and will always be to stop hard selling. I am not a defender of Wilson, Magnepan, B&W, Focal, Reference 3a, Marten, Quad or any other speaker brand that I’ve heard, owned or liked. I completely understand why anyone would prefer one speaker brand over another. This hobby is extremely subjective. 
  I just cannot tolerate your constant hard salesmanship usually with outrageous, over the top unbelievable comparisons. You've done it for countless components you sell--it now just happens to be Personas. Your style is offensive to more than a few Goners who have extensive experience in audio and don't need any salesman to tell them that they have the most and best experience and have reached the indisputable conclusion that they sell the best speaker ever made at a great price if only someone would come to have a listen. I will continue to remind you that I welcome Atmasphere, Kevin Deal, Jonathan Carr, fellas from DCS, BelCanto and countless other manufacturers and dealers who add great knowledge to our site without EVER selling their gear here.You continue to be the only one. But this site does not prevent salesmanship. You are allowed to speak endlessly.  Keep it up. If the moderator doesn’t stop you, I will call you out whenever you produce thousands of words to waste everyone’s time including mine with rank salesmanship. 
PS-You sell some fine gear. The manufacturers you represent are not the problem--you are.
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,910 posts
 
Grbgr4u, 

Please just go away, you are not doing anyone a service, your constant negativity and selfrighoutness cause me  or my staff to retort over and over again to back up my positions, which leads to these long posts.

Again, I shouldn't have to mention over and over again, Tone Audio's Reviews, or the Absolute Sounds reviews to PROVE BEYOND A SHADOW of a doubt that the Personas are a serious new addition to the world of high performance speakers, you can not deny that fact just because we champion the product.

Whether or not someone hears  a well setup pair of Personas in a shop such as mine or another well set up pair somewhere, and they come to the same conclusion is a matter of personal taste. Just as if they choose Wilson, Rockport, YG or anything else over a set of Personas.

What is unfortunate is that many people here base their buying decisions on limited data, or limited exposure, so for example if customer x hears speaker Y at one shop and that shop hsd  a well set up demo room and speaker b is setup poorly in another shop,  the client may be making a purchase decision based on wrong data. 

Your calls of impropriety for writing on a Wilson post to call attention to a set of speakers that might make the poster happier and save them money is proof of your bad and selfish behavior. Most people really don't care. 

Many people who post here are seeking opinions and are trying to make a decision on what to purchase. There were other people mentioning a whole bunch of speakers on this post, yet I am the only person you berate over and over again.

I like a lot of products and some of these that I don't sell I would own, while others I would not.

The fact that you and your freinds don't want to work with me is no problem, on the same token please keep on wasting your money, I am quite sure I could have saved you a ton of it and perhaps have made your system sound much, much better. 

Am I loquacious yes I am, am I knowelegable yes, an I known for consistantly geeting good sound and finding emmerging brands yes all of that is true. 

Lets see if you will shut up or have to retort to this post,  I am ready to move on can you? 

I have recommended to the poster that he comes to NY to hear the world of audio from many dealers other than myself. Do you have any other coaching for this gentleman?

Dave owner,
Audio Doctor NJ


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