I've said it before; most of us buy with our eyes and not with our hearts. You would think we were Hollywood celebs at the Academy Awards complete with tuxes/gowns and repeat plastic surgery. The Jamie Curtises of the world are few and far between. This is particularly true of loudspeakers. We are all guilty of it, myself included. Who wants to live with something-within our control- that is esthetically unpleasing? The Wilsons look like ugly refrigerators to some, but to many they appear to be technical marvels. This has been the calling card for the most prominent speaker brands since the 70's when Playboy's adoption of high-end audio as a worldly man's pursuit emerged.
These days it's the likes of Magico, Estelon, YG, and Acora. Not so long ago it was B&W, Avalon, Sonus Faber, and Wilson. The false premise is that technology is the critical factor when it comes to transducers-that cutting edge drivers, crossovers, and enclosures are the answer to all we are presently missing and searching for.
After 45 years in this hobby I have grown increasingly disgusted with Stereophile and its "house favorite brands". There was a time when if Krell came out with a new product it had to be reviewed, same with Atkinson's dear buddy Anthony Michaelson's Musical Fidelity products and.....anything Wilson. To my knowledge Wilson has graced the cover of Stereophile no less than ten times. And as someone else remarked already, 98% of Stereophile's reviews proclaim the product to be the best thing ever, much like their rival publications.
Atkinson is a broken record when it comes to any tube amp and his proclamations that "it remains unknown if the reviewer loved this amp despite it's high distortion or because of it" and his sycophantic predisposition in favor of accelerometer-approved inert cabinets. He is at once an incredibly intelligent engineer and a dumbass as to the aspects of sound that can not be measured. Is there a point here? Probably not, other than "same old song and dance".
