A brutal review of the Wilson Maxx

"unless you can afford them, you're really not in any position to judge whether the MAXX is a good value or not"

I can afford them. I have heard them. They're not good value. If I couldn't afford them, it still wouldn't make my relative value judgement less valid when there are several competitive products that provide higher quality on several attributes for less money.

Components over $10,000 that aren't aimed squarely at the Carriage Trade:

- Audio Research Reference series
- VPI HRX
- Totem Shaman
- Lamm
- Higher-end Avalon speakers
- The list goes on...

He is not the only reviewer that gave a luke warm review of the Maxx 2's. Martin Collom's from hi fi news gave them a luke warm review back in late 2003. This coming from a guy that had Wilson watt puppy speakers as his reference for over 10 years.
He owns Avalon now.

Perhaps he was turned down when he approached Wilson about advertising in his mag? Vitrolic? absolutely. Axe to grind? Perhaps.

In either case I have also not been overly impressed with wilson speakers on the few occasions I've heard them. Certainly not for the coin. They did have fine detail and pretty impressive soundstaging with the right equipment, but I didn't find them involving at all. They didn't captivate me, and for that money I would expect a speaker to have me bound and gagged on the sofa.

Enjoy,
Bob

Sounds pretty accurate to me. The review that is. NOT the speakers.

With no mention of context, comparison, system or anything remotely related to a frame of reference? What possible value to anyone can that review be?

9/10's of the "review" was his opinion of measurements someone else performed, and counter-comments taking issue with professional opinion. Taking well-aimed pot-shots at review opinion is a hobby unto itself for some, and Mr. Hardesty is simply trying to make a business out of it. He will definitely develop a fan-base with many forum participants that revel in promoting the idea of media corruption at every turn. Claiming advertising bias (without any knowledge of this) seems to discount the fact that Fremer _bought_ the speakers, although I'm sure Richard H., with all his "inside knowledge" will claim they were a "gift"....

I purchased the MAXX 2's after personal audition--in my home. I have formerly owned Audio Physic Calderas, Virgos and Avantis, and other "phase correct" "first-order" "small-driver" speakers.

I don't begrudge anyone who doesn't care for Wilson speakers, though the Wilson line has changed dramatically for the better(IMO) in recent years, starting with the Sophia. I did not care for the 5's, 3.2's etc.

Any speaker can sound bad or good at shows/dealers, it's really a crap shoot and almost totally dependent on system/room context and personal tastes/bias.

I wonder, how many Wilson-haters in this thread have actually listened carefully to them in their homes (maybe there are some, but I'm betting not many), or have they simply formed an anecdotal opinion from listening at a show or dealer?

I've heard Wilson's sound bad at shows and dealers, and can say the same for all the speakers I've heard at shows and dealers. Any speaker can sound hideous in a given context and glorious in others. Had I not taken Audio Physic speakers home, I would NEVER have purchased them based on how they sounded at my dealer.

Why did Hardesty so casually mention his listing impressions correlating to his overly dramatic technical spouting without ANY mention of where and with what system-- as if that had no relevance? Context is everything with speakers. He went into his rant (that was no review) with an ultra clear agenda, and played a connect-the-dot game with his unqualified impressions--all two sentences of them.

I don't understand why so many people see things in this hobby as black and white, bad or good, a great value, or hideously overpriced? Why are so many ready to condemn others for making a calculated personal choice at a given price? When it comes to the selection of a loudspeaker there are almost as many opinions, variables and biases as there are customers!

Offering _judgment_ about any speaker's _value_ or someone else's personal choice, or how much they should or shouldn't spend, or whether that disqualifies them as a music-lover, or makes them a moron--all suggested in this thread, seems rather pointless and shortsighted. But hey, that's just my personal opinion, and because I bought the speakers, that makes me almost as biased as Mr. Hardesty. :)