If you LOVE your speakers, why are you thinking of changing them? Be happy!
From Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 to ?
I have and love my Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 speakers. I have been considering replacing them and have listened to several other speakers, even bought some, but have not found anything that I like better - yet!
FWIW: room is about 12-13 X 18 with a single slant cathedral ceiling - 12 going down to about 8.5 feet.
Amp = Krell FPB 300-C
Preamp = Jeff Rowland Capri
Sources = Esoteric X-03SE or Slim Devices Duet into a DCS Delius
Seeking:
Decent bottom end extension 30-38 preferred at a minimum (though I do have an available Rel Storm III sub).
Accurate but not bright (I my Wilson's are not bright)
Smooth but not soft
Timbral accuracy is very important
Excellent soundstaging is a must (width, depth, focus & height)
Placement flexibility is important (the face of the speakers cannot be more than approximate 54" into the room from the back wall).
I sit in a quassi nearfield setting, only about 6-7 feet from the speakers.
The pros/cons to me for the W/P are:
Excellent, clean extension in the upper frequency range
Very resolving with lots of energy and excitement in the music
Suitable base extension for my room. A little more extension would be fine, but not if it begins to over power, loose tightness (vs. the W/P) or becomes too single note sounding.
Sound staging is pretty good with the W/P, but I would mind seeing some improvement in this area, especially in terms of depth and a bit more air
While I find the W/P pretty consistent across the spectrum, I do notice some areas that are pronounced and also some inconsistencies or areas where the different drivers could blend a little bit better. I guess what I am saying is that I would like to improve a little bit on integration between the various drivers. While this integration is no where near as pronounced as say a Martin Logan cone woofer to panel integration, I still notice it with certain instruments that can play with wide frequency ranges.
I don't listen to music all that loudly, so a speaker that will perform very well at moderate listening levels is a must. A speaker that must be played quite loud for it to "come to life" is completely unacceptable to me.
Like I said, I have listened already to a couple of speakers and have so far not found anything I like better. I would prefer to buy used for financial reasons. I don't necessarily believe that only $20K plus speakers are necessary for comparison and I don't want a speaker that excels in only one area at the expense of other important performance requirements.
Any well thought out suggestions are welcome. Don't bother wasting my time telling me that Wilson's suck, as I have owned many brands of speakers and listened to many others and so far, have not found something that I like more. For reference, I cannot afford the higher priced Wilson speakers and I definately prefer the W/P's over the Sophia's for my tastes. I have listened to the 7s and while there may be some improvements over the 5.1s, I don't find that glaring, immediately apparent, or to the value of selling the 5.1s to get the 7s.
FWIW: room is about 12-13 X 18 with a single slant cathedral ceiling - 12 going down to about 8.5 feet.
Amp = Krell FPB 300-C
Preamp = Jeff Rowland Capri
Sources = Esoteric X-03SE or Slim Devices Duet into a DCS Delius
Seeking:
Decent bottom end extension 30-38 preferred at a minimum (though I do have an available Rel Storm III sub).
Accurate but not bright (I my Wilson's are not bright)
Smooth but not soft
Timbral accuracy is very important
Excellent soundstaging is a must (width, depth, focus & height)
Placement flexibility is important (the face of the speakers cannot be more than approximate 54" into the room from the back wall).
I sit in a quassi nearfield setting, only about 6-7 feet from the speakers.
The pros/cons to me for the W/P are:
Excellent, clean extension in the upper frequency range
Very resolving with lots of energy and excitement in the music
Suitable base extension for my room. A little more extension would be fine, but not if it begins to over power, loose tightness (vs. the W/P) or becomes too single note sounding.
Sound staging is pretty good with the W/P, but I would mind seeing some improvement in this area, especially in terms of depth and a bit more air
While I find the W/P pretty consistent across the spectrum, I do notice some areas that are pronounced and also some inconsistencies or areas where the different drivers could blend a little bit better. I guess what I am saying is that I would like to improve a little bit on integration between the various drivers. While this integration is no where near as pronounced as say a Martin Logan cone woofer to panel integration, I still notice it with certain instruments that can play with wide frequency ranges.
I don't listen to music all that loudly, so a speaker that will perform very well at moderate listening levels is a must. A speaker that must be played quite loud for it to "come to life" is completely unacceptable to me.
Like I said, I have listened already to a couple of speakers and have so far not found anything I like better. I would prefer to buy used for financial reasons. I don't necessarily believe that only $20K plus speakers are necessary for comparison and I don't want a speaker that excels in only one area at the expense of other important performance requirements.
Any well thought out suggestions are welcome. Don't bother wasting my time telling me that Wilson's suck, as I have owned many brands of speakers and listened to many others and so far, have not found something that I like more. For reference, I cannot afford the higher priced Wilson speakers and I definately prefer the W/P's over the Sophia's for my tastes. I have listened to the 7s and while there may be some improvements over the 5.1s, I don't find that glaring, immediately apparent, or to the value of selling the 5.1s to get the 7s.