Wilson X-1 series 1 vs Watt/Puppy 7

The upgrade will be EXPENSIVE.

I checked this with Wilson and they said

"The X-1 Series 1 is a design that dates back to the early 90's (1993-1994). With huge improvements having been made since the introduction of the X-1, my first inclination is to recommend the WATT/Puppy 7 for the best current sound of the 2 choices given.

However, the X-1 was our flagship for more than 10 years, which says allot about the ability of the X-1. To add to the value of the X-1, Wilson Audio is developing an upgrade which will push the X-1 up there just under the performance of the X-2 (not to say that the X-1 will be so close in performance that you couldn't hear the difference between the X-1 and X-2; the X-2 is far superior with it's aspherical group delay adjustment and it images better in every area). I can honestly state the X-1, with the Level 5 upgrade (available next year and has not been mentioned to the press, yet), will be the second best speaker system on the planet."

good enough for me.

cheers SR

In reality there's no competition between the two, if you have the room and the expertise to set them up properly, the X-1s are unbeatable! Watt/Puppy 7s are very fine speakers too and even if they're not a match for the X-1 you will get better results from them in a smaller room. Please note that both speakers are very revealing and would show up any weakness in your system. I know that the Grand Slamms have been accused of being sterile and lean but that's simply not true, most of the systems I heard them in were setup poorly and with harsh sounding ss electronics. You'll grow to love the X-1s if you know what you're doing.

whatever will couple with your room better.

also, fwiw, if you're a tweaker, the X-1s are probably out of warranty, which makes them an open target for user upgrades (a part here, a part there---and yes, i've not seen one speaker > 5yrs old that couldn't use a few parts).

rhyno

I remember reading a rewview ofa wilson speaker a while ago..the reviewer mentioned that the current watt/puppy 7 was vastly better in every way (except obviously bass extension) than the original grand slamm

Sorry, no suggestions to give you, I post only to create curiosity in other audiogoners and... cause I'm too interested in this argument...