A brutal review of the Wilson Maxx

A lot of people ask why there's not more women or more of their friends involved in this hobby. Reading through this thread, I see why. I think that at it's price point, it would be pretty obvious that the Wilson Maxx simply doesn't suck. While it may be one person's cup of tea, I can see that it might not be another persons. Everyone will have their different opinions about it and that's fine, but I think that it's the way these viewpoints are expressed that keeps non-audiophiles away. For example, there is way too much chest-pounding and drum beating from the opposing camps of this argument. On the one hand there's the conspiracy advocates who think that any reviewer must be on the take if they happen to like the product under review and god forbid if they buy it, it is only further proof of the ties that bind. On the other hand, there is the reviewer who is supposedly so adept at the english language, but is so high on his audiophile horse that he is only able to hurtle insults at those who disagree with his gospel words. Any constructive discussion of the speakers merits is lost in the arguments. I truly believe that when non-audiophiles see what this "hobby" is becoming and how people act towards each other, they will be turned off further. (Okay, back to Oprah now).

Mike.

everybodies rippin on wilson for supposedly taking advantage of people by using kit drivers & over charging customers but the plain truth is if these speakers didnt sound good to buyers then they would not buy them.

im sure there are some buyers who buy them for status symbols but there are also alot of other guys who have pinched pennies (like me) & saved their asses off to be able to afford them & these types of buyers dont buy for status they buy what they liked the sound of & what they think will sound best in their rigs.

hell 100% of the gear i run has been completely dismissed by the elite audophile population as being unresolving & over priced but i surely didnt spend that kinda cash to impress anybody, i bought what i liked the sound from & im sure there are plenty of wilson owners who did the same.

people who listen to ANY reviewer without ever hearing the gear in question in their own home & start making decisions as to what sounds bad or is priced to high is a fool,the same can be said for people who say all kinds of things (good & bad) based on what they have heard at dealers,if you have not heard these things in your own home then you are not qualified to give them a review!

whenever i see people rippin apart uber $$$ high end gear i always get the same mental pic in my head of a guy sitting in front of a chineese made $400 intergrated tube amp from ebay hooked up to altec 14's thinking he has found all the answers.

has anybody else ever noticed that most of the gear bashers never post a pic of anything they own or listen to?

mike .

"POP!" Wow! I do feel better. You were right Mr. Fremer!
Actually, I thought that Mr. Hardesty's article was a bit unprofessional in the way he made such an issue of criticizing the reviews and opinions of you and other reviewers rather than concentrating more on the performance and musicality of the product. Your response to Mr. Hardesty was appropriate and done in a professional manner. My sarcasm stems from the fact that you chose the Audiogon market to vent your frustrations on; in my opinion, a poor choice. Stereophile is a very niche oriented publication. One would have to assume that the Audiogon “market” is indeed a priority target group. I concede that you are a better writer than my previous thread suggested. However, my twenty years in PR tells me you may have made a costly mistake. One that I believe merits a reprimand. There is always the possibility that all this "controversy" will bolster Stereophile’s marketing efforts, albeit a pretty risky strategy.

Thank you for your advice though. I really do feel better!

a blind shootout between the wilson maxx and the latest generation of the bose 901(in glossy black) would be the right thing to do now. america would then know once and for all which sounds more like a theatre in new jersey.

Aldavis: Well spoken like a good socialist! 5/1 ratio.. so you are saying capitalism shouldn't exist.. So Ford and GM shouldn't make 20k profit on each SUV? I bet you believe in national health care too.. Why don't you hop across the border for Canadian health care (don't expect to find specialist for free)....and wait in line. If you don't like it; you won't buy it and vote with you pocketbook!! just like his online magazine that I will not be subscribing to..
Ranting and reviewing without listening (show conditions don't count since he has no control of what they play or how it is setup...) Condemning all designs (Electrostatic and Planar designs don't work either according to this Preacher...) He reminds me of college professor discussing theory but not living it reality..... Maybe he can get another grant from his congregation, but we wouldn't want him to research any new designs or listen to anyone elses ideas because those can't work!!! I didn't realize audio was so finite...

The only absolute is I will continue to buy what I like when I listen to it personally and sell everything else on agon.