A brutal review of the Wilson Maxx

its funny that none of the Wilson bashers have anything to say about the fact that reputable companies such as audio research, lamm, and vtl use and endorse wilson speakers.

I fully expect some audiogoner will also suspect that these companies are also in on the conspiracy or are poor judges of music and speakers.

Face it, the company you keep says a lot about your products. If Dave Wilson and his company was not up to snuff than I doubt that these reputable companies would showcase their products with his speakers.

these products are overpriced but so is almost all audiophile equipment.

the wilson speakers SOUND might not be your cup of tea but thinking that all of the people that own it are simply fools with tin ears is DUMB.

oh yeah by the way, some people people on audiogon seem more interested in the don quixote pursuit of perfect accuracy instead of the pursuit of the most enjoyable system possible. For those people, would you prefer a
a stereo system that excites you and make you want to listen for hours daily or would you prefer one that an engineer writes in a review or report is the most accurate system in the world but you do not like as much. I am willing to bet some of you would keep the most accurate system in the world even if over time it still did not give you the enjoyment of some other "less" accurate system. Do you really automatically think that the most accurate system is necessarily the most enjoyable? In the finaly analysis, trust your ears not your slide rule

I am writing here as Michael Fremer not as a Stereophile employee. In fact, I am not a Stereophile employee. I write for the magazine but not as a salaried employed. I am happy to say that when I speak for myself I can use any language I wish and as between using words like "suck" and "crap" and having my honesty impugned and the rest of the insults some hurl here, I think "suck" and "crap" and the rest pale by comparison. AND GOSH DARN IT, balance twenty years of columns and reviews with a few 'craps' and 'sucks' and I get accused of not knowing how to write. Yo! Take the cork out of your butt two channel Ben and lighten up!

>>>>"What Hardesty says is irrefutable (and you don't have to be very "smart" or knowledgable to understand it) - The Wilsons are made with inexpensive off-the-shelf parts and are technically modest designs that make it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for them to be true a "reference" (as in REPRODUCE THE SOURCE ACCURATELY) transducer. There is simply no argument to be made against him."<<<<<<

Irrefutable? You've got to be joking! I must have missed the part where he had disassembled the speakers, named and photographed all the specific parts and their exact costs, and proven his "claims" stating "technically modest design"

All Richard did was read a review and measurements that _someone else_ performed, and offered often melodramatic, unqualified opinion, period. Oh, and he's heard the speakers at shows and a dealer, whom he _claims_ has the best room in the country... And again, he knows this how?

The Vandy 5a's are by comparison, a super speaker? Anyone that cares to put ANY product under a microscope can poke holes in a design till the cows come home (sorry, I'm from Wisconsin). They might not be accurate or evenhanded gripes but when there's a will and an agenda, there's a way!

My, but you've got a conspiracy theory for everything, haven't you! Knowing the people behind these exemplary companies would shed a whole new light... oh but I forgot, you _don't know_ any of these people-- but that doesn't stop you from claiming they make marketing-driven decisions that run counter to what their ears tell them. Really, you should rethink all the baseless, unfounded comments you make, before you make them, as they undermine everything else you write.

So, Meadowlark, Vandy, GMA, Dunlavy's, those all rank as superior designs? By whose yardstick? . I have nothing against any of those current and former companies. I'm sure some of them make/made decent products. I wouldn't even think of commenting on them however, because I don't have extended experience with them, in _my home_.

I guess I need to find a forum where the level of discourse it not so far over my head. Enjoy your "it's all a conspiracy, party".

What a hoot of a thread !
This audio talk sure gets serious at times.
I do hope all the fun doesn't fly out the transparent window and we can keep some humor here.
TRICK OR TREAT & HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!

Now these last few comments are what confuse me. What is "High end" audio. Is it a bunch of expensive products that lay some claim to fame? No wonder Best Buy and Circuit City thrive. Why not? Their stuff sounds as good to their customers as this stuff sounds to us "Golden ears." What makes us so special? If we are in pursuit of what sounds good then I'm getting off this bandwagon. Where does all the other attributes fit in. Why test if you are going for something that sounds good to the individual. Just go out and find something pleasing. It seems to me that it renders this whole thread a mute point other than the digs at reviewers. What do we need them for anyway? If we want something that sounds good to use no matter how technically incorrect, how inaccurate or whatever, then we can bypass all this nonsense. What difference does it make if its got a 1st order, 2cd or 95th crossover. If it sounds good, it's justified even if it costs $40k. Is doesn't matter how it's built, right?
So, in closing, manufacturers should give up all this fancy crap and just make products that sound good. Quit spending so much on R&D and listen more. Come up with that silky smooth, bold sound that overwhelms the listener. Who cares if it's plus or minus 10db over the midrange. You really don't even need to test it. That doesn't matter, it sounds good!