Wilson Audio: daddy daughter day
Joey_V
Posts: 8,552
So my wife had an conference for her job so I had some free time earlier this afternoon. I was with the baby so what did Emma and I do?
Of course we suited up and headed to the audio shop!
Packed up a milk bottle, a jar of baby food, and her pink earmuffs. Packed her in the back of the car and headed out 30 minutes to Dallas.
We met with the Wilson Sabrina and the Wilson XLF... And dads also got to play with the DAGOSTINOS.
It was a fun day...
I swore to myself that I would never listen to the Wilson XLF... I didn't want to taint my thoughts of a reference sound. But I was there anyway and so I did.
My friend was looking to buy the Wilson Sabrina so we met at the store...
Interesting aside tidbit... while at the shop, we met some cocky guy in a Maserati who was upset that we took the room up for the 10 minutes that he was there and he stormed off. I even tried to make nice small talk to the guy but he seemed to be over me and talked down to me... Plus he probably didn't appreciate that the little baby Emma was running around the stereo room and was making noises while the Sabrina's were being auditioned by my friend. And the only reason I bring up the car he drives was because he made it very clear to me that he drove the Maserati. I bet he was used to getting his way every store he went to until this one. Sorry bud.
Without further adieu... Pics
Of course we suited up and headed to the audio shop!
Packed up a milk bottle, a jar of baby food, and her pink earmuffs. Packed her in the back of the car and headed out 30 minutes to Dallas.
We met with the Wilson Sabrina and the Wilson XLF... And dads also got to play with the DAGOSTINOS.
It was a fun day...
I swore to myself that I would never listen to the Wilson XLF... I didn't want to taint my thoughts of a reference sound. But I was there anyway and so I did.
My friend was looking to buy the Wilson Sabrina so we met at the store...
Interesting aside tidbit... while at the shop, we met some cocky guy in a Maserati who was upset that we took the room up for the 10 minutes that he was there and he stormed off. I even tried to make nice small talk to the guy but he seemed to be over me and talked down to me... Plus he probably didn't appreciate that the little baby Emma was running around the stereo room and was making noises while the Sabrina's were being auditioned by my friend. And the only reason I bring up the car he drives was because he made it very clear to me that he drove the Maserati. I bet he was used to getting his way every store he went to until this one. Sorry bud.
Without further adieu... Pics
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
Comments
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Emma is adorable Joey!
Looks like it was a fun Daddy / Daughter day! -
You left out the most important part. Did they sound as impressive as they look?afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
joey, you must have flashed some money to get a demo at audio concepts
Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
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Puritan PSM156 -
You left out the most important part. Did they sound as impressive as they look?
Which one? Haha
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Upstatemax wrote: »Emma is adorable Joey!
Looks like it was a fun Daddy / Daughter day!
Thank you.. Emma and I have had many audio shop days together. She actually dances infront of my Diamonds. I'll post more pics of other audio shop dates me and my baby have had.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
joey, you must have flashed some money to get a demo at audio concepts
They knew me from before, they knew I wanted to buy the Alexias at some point so they have been nice to me.
My friend is serious about buying the newly released Wilson Sabrinas so they were very accommodating to us.
Plus it helps when you're upfront with them and not trick them about your budget. I told them the XLF are not in the budget but would like to hear them for once. So, the guys didn't have any false notion that I was there to purchase the XLF....
... because that purchase would end very badly for me once I got home. VERY VERY BADLY.
This would be the conversation:
Me: So I bought these speakers that cost as much as a house.
Wife: *shock* *Thwack*
Me: *blood* *dead*
In comparison to the conversation I had earlier this week for the Strads:
Wife: What are you doing looking up freight?
Me: I am buying the Strads.
Wife: How much?
Me: Cheaper than new.
Wife: Shrugs... goes and does dishes.
Post edited by Joey_V onMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Beautiful girl you have there. Maybe should invest in guns for a few years down the road??
Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
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Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
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Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
Beautiful girl you have there. Maybe should invest in guns for a few years down the road??
Yeah, she is a cutie. I think I'm going to be in trouble later in life. Mom already has the notion that she has me wrapped around her little finger... which is true.
I just have to be very careful that I don't spoil her and make her a brat.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Beautiful girl you have there. Maybe should invest in guns for a few years down the road??
Yeah, she is a cutie. I think I'm going to be in trouble later in life. Mom already has the notion that she has me wrapped around her little finger... which is true.
I just have to be very careful that I don't spoil her and make her a brat.
As the father of three lovely daughters -- now all grown up -- I can say only:- If you think you can wait till "later in life," rethink your strategy and focus on the here and now.
- If you think you can resist the temptation to spoil her, rethink that strategy, too. Just "spoil" her in a way that does no harm. She won't be a brat if you love her and keep taking her to audio shops with you!
- Start giving her music lessons as soon as possible so that she will not only learn to appreciate music, but also learn what a disciplined approach to an important art can do for her.
Just my humble opinion!Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.
Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One. -
Those Wilsons look crazy!
I'd love a chance to audition speakers like this at some point in my life!Jeff Rowland CAPRI | Yamaha RX-V3800 | Jeff Rowland Model 6 Mono Blocs | Technics SL1200 MKII | Shure V15VxMR w/ JICO Stylus | Sony SCD-XA5400ES | Monster HTS 2600 | Polk Audio LSi 15 w/VR3 Fortress Mod | REL T/9 x2 -
Those Alexias are very picky on set up, I've been fortunate to hear them on 3-different rigs, only one that I was impressed. It is always fun to here the high end stuff.
And also quite the opposite of Skips comment is that where do you draw the line of expectations of cost vs enjoyment. If you got 100-200k to drop knock yourself out. There are plenty of 10k-20k systems that will blow your mind.2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
jimithng23 wrote: »Those Wilsons look crazy!
I'd love a chance to audition speakers like this at some point in my life!
Hah. Auditioning speakers like these, if set up properly, will ruin your rig for you for a while. I know when I went back to mine, it took a few weeks to really start to enjoy it again. Expectations grew so much of what was possible, and my rig was nowhere near that level.
Alexias are solid. Top notch.
Sabrinas atleast in that set up... my friend liked them a lot a week ago when he first auditioned it, he had me come by with him this time so I could see if I had any nitpicks.
Pros:
Images like a beast.
Great density to vocals and nice weight to instruments
Bass ample
Cons:
Bass overhang in many passages - though I was not sure if this was electronics dependent.
Poor off axis response
I told him about the cons, mainly the bass overhang and he didnt catch it at first but it kept bugging me the entire time... so once he heard what I heard, he also couldn't get that overhang out of his head.
To be sure, we auditioned the XLF - and that's how we knew it was coloration. The XLF bass was clean - much like the bass on the 802 Diamonds (though obviously more depth and detail)... but very different from the over "produced" version on the Sabrina.
Are the Sabrinas good? Yes, it fits certain applications... people who want a small speaker with big sound.
Safe to say, I found the 802 Diamonds better than the Sabrinas.
The treble on the 802 Diamonds might be just a touch hot, but in the proper room and system, the Diamond's treble are just about right.
I thought the treble on the XLF was closer (in character and openness) to the treble of the Diamonds moreso than the Sabrinas (more closed in)...Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
synergy matches and getting the most out of it.txcoastal1 wrote: »Those Alexias are very picky on set up, I've been fortunate to hear them on 3-different rigs, only one that I was impressed. It is always fun to here the high end stuff.
And also quite the opposite of Skips comment is that where do you draw the line of expectations of cost vs enjoyment. If you got 100-200k to drop knock yourself out. There are plenty of 10k-20k systems that will blow your mind.
Ding Ding Ding #1 answer
Sharing with your friends also brings great benefits
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
High end speakers aside, your daughter is a "cutie"! God there so incredible at that age!
Enjoy!Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
Very cute - I love to see people instilling a love of music in kids:-)
I was lucky enough to tour the Wilson facility when I lived in Utah. Their build quality and attention to EVERY detail is both stunning and inspirational at the same time. They spend more time on the exterior finish than most companies spend on the entire speaker construction...
At the time I was there, it was the WATT Puppy and the X-1 that I got to hear - truly amazing stuff.
Thanks for sharing!"Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
Do you recall which W/P you heard? I've read many people say that the early versions are nothing to write home about, but the last generation was very nice.
It was the 6, as it had just been released. I'm sad to say that I really didn't have the appreciation for great sound, or the experience of the many systems I've heard/owned when I had that opportunity. It's one of the things I wish I could do again, knowing what I know now....:-("Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
Do you recall which W/P you heard? I've read many people say that the early versions are nothing to write home about, but the last generation was very nice.
I have a special place in my heart for anything Wilson.
I heard the WP7 and the Sasha 1 and I thought the Sasha 1 were just so good.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
I just got a text from my friend who was about to buy the Wilson Sabrinas.
I guess when I wasn't looking, Emma approached the Sabrinas (she knows not to touch it and she has been trained well at home with the 802 Diamonds).
Apparently the salesman looked very annoyed and tried to shoo her away and herded her away from the system.
I didn't see that, so that was unfortunate. I was probably trying to grab my CDs or something.
I guess sometimes baby and hi end audio don't mix?
Poor emma.
I can see the salesperson's point of view also, but at least don't "look" annoyed when clients are around. Especially when you're trying to sell a pair of speakers that few people buy.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Audio Concepts is all about the sale, so I'm not really surprised they didn't know how to approach that situation properly. They are what I strive not to become. I get it though - they serve very high end clientele that puts a lot of money in their pockets. They have a lot of very nice gear to demo too.
I hear you.
One of the guys I saw before approached me on that day and he knew I went in probably 6 times to hear the Alexias. He knew I was comparing it to the Diamonds and others including the Strads.
John: "So did you ever build a system?"
Me: "Yeah, I did. I bought the Diamonds. I also bought a pair of Sonus Faber Stradivaris that are about to be freighted to me."
The look on his face was priceless.
Any other good salesman should've picked up on that.... and seen that it was a missed opportunity on their part. They should've asked me what was it about the Diamonds or Strads that I liked better, more small talk, more talking about the potential next deal.
Think about it - if the guy who has been in your store 6x in the past and was listening to the Alexias which are about $50K... and he bought 2 pairs of speakers of similar caliber, then perhaps this guy wasn't a tire kicker and he was legit. Unfortunate that he didn't buy your Wilson Alexias - yes.... but there's always the future sale. The Alexia 2 will come out.
And if there's a constant in audio - it's that things don't remain constant and that while the Diamonds and Strads work for me now, I still look forward to an evolution within the next few years (or an addition).
I am their perfect clientele, their target group of population.
However, the way they treat me is subpar and I would rather vomit and regurgitate that than spend retail price at a store that treats me like I'm a newbie to the game.
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Audio concepts has different sales approaches.
The owner doesn't like guys like me. He was rude a number of times.
There were a couple of sales guys that I could work with.
Although I never dropped $10k in one order, I spent a lot of money
over there over the years. I ran through a lot of their "trade in" gear,
Which was always top notch.
Unfortunately, audio is a tough business right now, and dealers who don't
make the sale are no longer in business."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
Yeah I don't want them to close down as I believe they do bring something to the table in this area of ours. I just think that although they might not mean to come across as slightly stand-offish, they do.
But they're still around after 30 years so they must be doing something right.
It's a nice store with great gear.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Nevermind about the Wilson. But that's a very cute and adorable daughter you have! Daddy got to be proud!Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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Nevermind about the Wilson. But that's a very cute and adorable daughter you have! Daddy got to be proud!
Very proud. My baby Emma is one of the top two best things to happen to me.
The other is my wife.
Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
