Nautilus 800 Vs Wilson Audio VI Vs LM Labs Utopia

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.

For the past three years, I too have been waiting for the used market on these speakers to hit the $10K mark. A the beginnign of my search i auditioned all three and concluded the following:

1. the 800s only sound good when they are played loudly, and as the frequencies move from drive to driver, you hear a change in elevation of the sound source. To demonstrate this clearly, listen to a drum solo with a decending tom tom pattern.

2. The Wilsons are SMALL in comparison and fit well into the living space without taking it over. They are punchy, and good for rock, although they do not disappear in the room, and their sound stage is limited to a region between the speakers.

3. The Utopias, which are large and need space to breath, needs the least amount of amplification, and sounds better than the others at low volume levels. Also, hey cast a huge soundstage, and when properly set up when listening to jazz with my eyes closed I swore I was at a live performance.

My choice is #3 if you have a large room (mine is 18X25). I am still waiting for these to break $10K, which I assume will happen when the Nova utopias come out this year.