About the new Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 8

Hic,

There are no definites. If you are buying new I would purchase the new MB450 in a heart beat. They should be incredible. Also get the new 6.5 preamp. Make sure it is a brand new one as there are some changes. You will then be in hassle free heaven. Those are my biases. I would match preamp to amp in this case as you will benefit from the super balanced topology which is truly superb. It takes the sound up a level. If you don't run fully balanced you will miss out. Also the 6.5 preamp is a sleeper. It is affordable & sounds great. Don't mistake the synergy of the combination.

I haven't heard the ARC so no comment but every time I hear VTL equipment (or Manley for that matter) I recognize their sonic signature & love it.

Bartokfan once listened to Wilson speakers at a dealership 5 years ago, which makes him an expert.

Bartokfan - You are a riot!

I like to think that I'm not completely deaf, being a musician, (piano guitar and cello), going to symphonic and chamber music concerts regularly, but out of: Kharma, JM Lab, Dynaudio, Revel, Totem, B&W, Quad, Klipsch, Von Schweikert, Verity, god knows how many others... out of all these, the BEST STUFF (asin, made me forget about gear and hear music) that I have EVER heard, have come out of Wilson speakers.

Unless I hear something that I like better (unlikely, but possible) my next pair of speakers will be a brand new pair of Wilsons, pride of ownership and all.

Talk is big, and I'm "going for it," right?

Bartokfan:

You were probably talking about 5.1 or 6s back then---i agree they were fatiguing. The 6s drove me crazy and it didn't matter what electronics i heard them with---that tweeter was hot.

The Sophia broke that mold and has followed through with the W/P7 and Maxx2. I don't find any of the new models fatiguing. Honestly, its a very different sound and one you should hear for yourself before coming to a definitive conclusion.

KeithR

i own the 6s and have never had a problem w/ a hot top end once i set them up right.

plug & play, the older versions are not. system matching is critical. but get it right, and they're quite special.

and i for one am THRILLED about dave raising prices. two reasons why: Resale Value.

good man.

rhyno