Nautilus 800 Vs Wilson Audio VI Vs LM Labs Utopia

The Wilson WP6s are relatively efficient and can play pretty loud without any apparent strain. They have a characteristic sound with a slightly hot high end and a slightly heavy low- to mid-bass. For rock, this all works out well (at least to my taste) for obvious reasons. For jazz, the speakers scale up to drum hits effortlessly, cymbals really shimmer, trumpets bight, and plucked bass notes are thick and chocolatey. For light classical, I don't really know, but I would guess that it wouldn't work out as well. See if you can get a good demo session; you really ought to hear these speakers for yourself. Good luck.

I have listened to all three & my experience with Wilsons tallies exactly with Jameswei post above. For your stated tastes, the Utopias properly driven & set-up could do the trick; I find them more "precise" than the others, even though the sound projected by the 800 sig. seemed to me to be "bigger" than the other two (maybe more "dramatic"?). And, you already have B&Ws.

So, IF I had B&W's (as you do) I would audition a properly set-up pair of 800sigs. for reference first, AND the others. I would also consider an Innersound, a maggie and a Soundlab.

At $10k you're entitled to absolutely excellent sound; just make sure you have the place to accomodate these speakers & the upstream chain to match!

Wvick
How did your quest for the speakers go? Which ones did you finally buy ..B&W 800 or WP6? Just curious to know!
All,
Thanks for all the input. As of now, though I have not auditioned WP6 yet, I am tilting towards them for their exceptional value and positive reviews about their sonic character. Also, of all three, B&W 800 seems to be power thristy but i guess from investment point of view it would retain its value. Any experience with Meridian DSP series speakers and how they compare with others? Also, more input on JM Labs Utopia would be appreicated.
For now I am not considering planars because of the room constraints. As I understand planars have to be deep inside the room to realize their full potential (..and avoid room reflections). Also I think they would bring wonderful (..almost spiritual) experience for the classical music but may not go very deep for Jazz and Rock.
I would make an effort to audition some planars in my room though. I will keep all you guys informed.
Thanks,

Sstalwar, I have a pair of WP 7's on order. Should be here anytime now! I really liked the 800's but the Wilson's won the toss. I have had B&W's before and decided it was time for a change. The 7's just have that extra bit of magic and I like the looks and size better too.

From a lot of people who have listened to them, the VMPS 40 sounds as good as any of the three speakers you mentioned, but will throw you back only 5000 $ new. See their website www.vmpsaudio.com and search the archives here and elsewhere. They do not get reviewed in the mainstream audio press, but seem to be a real bargain. Contact Audiogon-member ljgj, who got these speakers a few months ago, and has listened to a lot of the big-name, big-money speakers, as far as I remember.