wilson wp8 v. maxx2

I started this thread because I had not fully heard these speakers. I still have not heard the wp8 but have now heard the maxx2 in two different listening rooms at two different dealers using very different equipment.

Let me begin by saying that I thought and still think that the wp7 is a great speaker. Natural curosity is what made me consider an upgrade.

I had heard the accolades and also the wilson bashers trash the maxx2

Well the first time I heard the maxx2 at dealer A with my own source material (radiohead ok computer), I thought it was a little better than the wp7 but certainly not worth the significant cost differential. The dealer ran the maxx2 with a wadia cd player and krell 750mcx so certainly the other equipment employed was real good. I had some doubts as to the quality of the listening room though.

So I then tried a different dealer who had a much better listening room in terms of acoustics. This dealer also had a more subtle yet powerful amp than the krell. This dealer used the VTL s-400 and used the well-regarded ayre cd player. I listened to Roxy Music Avalon which is even better recorded than Radiohead Ok Computer. It was not the super audio version but still. Again, I found the maxx2 was better than the wp7 sound I got at home. But again, the difference was more than small but not substantial. I would say the very low end of moderate.

I have to wonder then whether the maxx2 is really only a good upgrade for a wp7 owner unless the owner has a lot of disposable cash or listens to mostly audiophile recordings (not mainstream rock or pop). I found a significant improvement when I went from the Wilson Sophias to the Wilson WP7 but luckily do not feel the maxx2 justify double the price. In reality, I was offered a great deal on a maxx2 and use the wp7 as a down payment but felt even then that the sound improvement did not warrant the upgrade.

Instead, I chose to upgrade the emmlabs preamp/dac to the signature edition and upgrade my transport too (which was the old edition whose software was not updatable). I found the improvement with this upgrade was on par with the improvement the maxx2 would have made at a third of the cost.

Now that I have settled on keeping the speaker and upgrading the preamp/dac/transport, I am now migrating to the dart amplifier from the lamm 2.2 amplifier.

Mike

Nah! I have MS in Industrial Design and function/design/appearance have to work just right for me. That's why I've owned four BMW M5s in a row now and there's that same function/design/aesthetics balance in the WP8s for me. But, I can hear why you would choose Maxx2s.

On why go to the 8s over the 7s. They are more efficient. That's important to me with a 60W PSE amp (Maxx2s may be even more efficient than the 8s). The 8s deliver wider/deeper sound stage and much wider sweat spot. They sound more musical to me - a lot. Could it be the new tweeter and crossover? Don't get me wrong, the 7s are wonderful, but the 8s are just the next step better. For me its like my stock 2007 M5 vs my, much beloved, 2000 M5.

cheers,
GerryM5

Do some serious listening to Vandersteen 5A's with really good components and cable. I went through what you're going through. Vandees are upgradable too - no need to trade to keep on top. Wilsons can sound good with the right recording, but I find that even w/bad recordings there is a reality to the 5A's that the wilsons can't match.

Those 5A's are very good, but a totally different sound from the Wilson's as are Quads, Avalon's, Ceramic, B&W's, Sound Labs, Avant Garde, Magapan's etc. How can they be right but different?

i got the pleasure of listening to the 8's this weekend in a room where the a pair of x-2's sat for a few years. i have heard several world class speakers come through this room and the 8's were simply incredible. they dont do anything wrong and do so many things right, that to buy the maxx 2's or even the x-2's would be only because you wanted something more than what the 8's could provide. in my opinion, the biggest difference in making the upgrade to the maxx or the x-2 would be the much elevated price. But, that is what some people need to do in order to feel like they are listening to the best, and if that works for them, who can argue?