Wilson Maxx...wow

cstpeter

I was in Minneapolis over the weekend and stopped by a placed called Audio Perfection. They had a nice selection of speakers: Martin Logan, Vandersteen, Anthony Gallo, Sonus Faber, etc.

What really caught my eye was the Wilson Audio room, and the $40,000 Wilson Maxx in particular. I gave them a demo with some Partrica Barber. Electronics were all Audio Research (not sure the models; amps were huge monoblocks).

Wow. They sounded amazing. Not much I can say that wouldn't be expected for a $40,000 speaker, but what struck me most was the detail, imaging, and transparency. They were so beautiful that I brought my fiance back the next day to listen--she was in awe as well.

When I got back to my rig it sounded like crap. Better start saving.

http://www.audioperfection.com/

hearingimpared

I stopped torturing myself like that. When I go to a high end store I stay with the equipment that I can't afford but is not completely out of the realm of possibility.

Although I must admit I am green with envy that you heard the Maxxs. I would be afraid to hear them because I would be hard pressed NOT to put them on a credit card.

Joey_V

Chris,

Like I have been trying to get you, me, and Cherian to do... go to Glenn Poor because they have the Maxx2, perhaps the best speakers I have ever heard! No one listens to me... .

LOL.

Anyway, told ya so.

Joey

DarqueKnight

hearingimpared wrote:

I stopped torturing myself like that.

Such experiences have always been satisfying for me because:

1. I have never heard anything that made me think my system sounded like crap after returning home.

2. When I added up how much it would cost to bridge the performance gap between whatever uber expensive system I just heard and my own gear, I always realized that the diminishing returns didn't reasonably justify the extra expense.

3. If you are a performance oriented audio enthusiast, it is good obtain a benchmark from top of the line gear once in a while. This assists in setting your own realistic equipment performance goals with respect to your budget.

PolkWannabie

I agree ... It's good to know what spending a fortune will buy ... and then good to see how close you can get to perfection for MUCH less ... This is where buying used is great as:

- One can latch onto better then expected equipment in the used market for 1/3 to 1/2 of what one would have expected to pay for new ...
- One can try lots of combinations in ones home with almost no risk or loss of money spent as when some component doesn't live up to your expectations it can typically be resold for more or less the same as what one paid for it.

hearingimpared

DarqueKnight wrote:

This assists in seting your own realistic equipment performance goals with respect to your budget.

And therein lies the problem Raife. . . I haven't learned that restraint after all these years.:o

Joey_V

PolkWannabie wrote:

I agree ... It's good to know what spending a fortune will buy ... and then good to see how close you can get to perfection for MUCH less ... This is where buying used is great as:

- One can latch onto better then expected equipment in the used market for 1/3 to 1/2 of what one would have expected to pay for new ...
- One can try lots of combinations in ones home with almost no risk or loss of money spent as when some component doesn't live up to your expectations it can typically be resold for more or less the same as what one paid for it.

Used for audio equipment is key... always and forever!

Joey

cstpeter

Joey_V wrote:

Used for audio equipment is key... always and forever!

Joey

Agreed. I also like store demos so you get the full waranty.

Joey, let's do Glenn Poor in the next few weeks. Do they have the Alexandrias?

hearingimpared

Joey_V wrote:

Used for audio equipment is key... always and forever!

Joey

Okay Lionel Richie!!!:D

RuSsMaN

Get out there and listen. Find your sound. Set goals. Work hard. It may take a while, and you probably won't end up exactly where you thought you would, but nirvana is attainable.

That being said, for me, at the end of the day, it's about happily listening to music, where the selection itself is more important than the way it's being reproduced. No one should ever feel bad because they don't have every last bit of resolution and detail, or be forced to sit in a sweet spot the size of a quarter to enjoy the music.

Cheers,
Russ

Lsi9

DarqueKnight wrote:

Such experiences have always been satisfying for me because:

1. I have never heard anything that made me think my system sounded like crap after returning home.

I agree with this. I went into Sound by Singer the other day to pick up the Focal center channel and asked the sales rep to listen to something while I waited, I heard the $8000 Focals and realized after 15 minutes of listening what a bargain the 826v are, I left very happy. True the more expensive Focals were more accurate but not so much to warrant the price difference.

cstpeter

Perhaps I'm exaggerating when I say my system sounded like crap, but there's a huge difference between what I got going and $75,000 worth of gear. But like what others said above, it gives you a true high-end sound to reference.

Joey_V

cstpeter wrote:

Agreed. I also like store demos so you get the full waranty.

Joey, let's do Glenn Poor in the next few weeks. Do they have the Alexandrias?

No Alexandrias, but they do have Avantgarde... never heard those though.

I think they took the Halcros down from powering the Maxx2 and replaced it with BAT 600se monoblocks... which is disgustingly sick!

Oh, and you still have to come over... although now with your rather upscale tastes since the Maxx2 audition, I'm not sure what kind of fight I can put up.

Joey

ninerbj

cstpeter...

I too have stopped into Audio Perfection and got my listen on with the Wilsons. Last time I paid them a visit, they had the Wilsons in the main room along with several other brands.
At the time, they were getting ready to audition a full line of Bel canto amps and pre's for a customer using the Wilsons as a speaker source.

Is the blind guy still working there?

cstpeter

ninerbj wrote:

cstpeter...

I too have stopped into Audio Perfection and got my listen on with the Wilsons. Last time I paid them a visit, they had the Wilsons in the main room along with several other brands.
At the time, they were getting ready to audition a full line of Bel canto amps and pre's for a customer using the Wilsons as a speaker source.

Is the blind guy still working there?

Yep. Staff was very nice.

They had four or five different Wilsons in the main room--the Maxx were the biggest and baddest. As noted, this time all electronics were Audio Research tube gear. Oh so pretty.