Watt/Puppy 6.0 vs Amati Homage vs Andra

I guess I'll weigh in, since I auditioned two of the three while looking for new speakers about a year ago. The Watt/Puppy 6.0, while a huge improvement over the 5.1's, have a long way to go before they belong in that price range. Speakers like the Avalon Eidolon, the Kharma Ceramique 1.0 and the Andra completely outclass the Wilsons in terms of purity and transparency in the midrange and the high end. In terms of bass dynamics, the Wilsons are a contender in this price range, but even there you're talking about a compromised sound, kick drums that are noticably recorded, not live sounding, that sort of thing. Better dynamics than the Eidolon, harder to compare directly to the Ceramique or the Andra, although I do prefer the bass reproduction from both of those over the Wilsons. As far as the Andra goes, this is a very nice sounding speaker and a bargain at the price. In terms of midrange and high end clarity, I would place it slighty above the Eidolon. It's also a more involving sound. The Kharma Ceramique 1.0 would have to go at the top though. The one thing to watch out for with the Andra is the bottom end. The bass driver is mounted near the floor, and can get sloppy and bloated if you are not careful. In general, this can be dealt with through careful room placement/treatment, but it is definetly an issue. If bass performance is not a huge issue for you, consider the Eggleston Rosa. Midrange and treble performance nearly identical to the Andra, but better controlled (although thinner) bass. For what it's worth, I wasn't completely satisfied with any of the speakers available in this price range. Finally found myself choosing between Avante Garde, JM Labs Utopia and Kharma Exquisite (in that order). Have Fun.

Anybody else's opinion about the sound of these speakers is completely and absolutely worthless. Only you can tell what can work for you. My suggestion is that you contact each manufacturer and find single city where they all have dealers and physically travel there. At the price level you're considering the added cost of 2-3 day trip is not significant. Contact the dealers ahead of your visit and explain your situation. Good dealers love customers like yourself and will go out of their way to meet your needs. Audiogon is an excellent forum for obtaining certain types of information, but judging the sonic differences between high resolution equipment is best done by listening with your own ears. BTW, I'm not in the market for speaker and haven't heard any of your choices, however, I have seen the Amati in the flesh and it was the most gorgeous looking speaker I have ever seen. Good luck!

I totally agree with Onhwy61. Think of not having a local dealer for two of these products as an inconvenience and just a problem to solve. Step back for a moment and just figure out what it's going to take to make an in home demo happen for you. You control how you spend the important variables here, "your time and your money". Those are only luxury items can truly produce results. There are dealers you can work with on this if they know you are serious. Other people speaker audition opinions are worse than worthless. E-mail correspondence with actual owners might be worth something, not much, but not anything as compared to real in your home demo with your own music sources.

maybe I can help. I live in NYC and went to a local dealer to "BUY" the Amati's. When I saw them in person I was overwhelmed, but when they were powered up, I was so dissappointed I almost cried. No amount of craftsmanship made them sound good, they were just awful. No bass, no midrange, shrill highs and very unnatural sounding. The dealer brought me into room 2 with the watt puppies and they were the ugliest things I have ever seen, especially after seeing the Amatis. He put on the same CD with the same equipment, all levinson and cabling were identical in both rooms, just the room itself was different, and WHAM, I knew that this was the shit. These speakers are the best sounding that I have ever heard at any price. I didn't like the watt 5's so much but, the 6's were a different animal. I find it impossible to believe that anyone doing an A/B test between the amati and the 6 would pick the amati's, it was that dramatic. Take it for what it's worth.

Believe it, Ericbee, since this chap A/B the Amati against WATT/PUPPY and Thiel 7.2 and decided on the Amati. WATT/PUPPY obviously have more slam but when it comes to musicality, nothing comes close. Driven by high quality tube amps, the Amati can melt you if you like string instrument.