I've only heard the WATT/Puppies as the nearest dealer is about 450 miles away & only stocks the WATT/Puppies. My impression is that the speaker is very well made. The cabinets are NOT MDF. They are a cast resin with the WATT unit (mid-range/tweeter)is made from a different formulation than the Puppy (bass cabinet).
The cabinets are about as "dead" acoustically as any material I've experienced. Even at relatively high volumes the Puppy has barely the slightest amount of vibration that can be felt on the outside of the cabinet.
The speakers have very good imaging, extremely fast/powerful bass, and when setup correctly, are time-aligned better than most other speakers. The WATT unit can be moved front to back and tilted up/down to time-align the WATT with the Puppy. This requires a certified Wilson technician to perform in the room where they are to be setup.
All that said, I found the sound stage to be really small - like 6-feet wide by about 3-feet high. If you weren't in the "sweet spot" you'd wonder what all the fuss was about regarding these speakers. If you are sitting in the sweet spot, they are incredible to hear.
Finally, there is the mystique or "cachet" surrounding them as they are low production volume item, and are found in numerous sound studios and surround sound mixing studios as monitors. Are they worth $18K? If you have $18K and the right room to put them in - sure. Are there other speakers that sound "just as good"? That's a value judgement that only you can make after listening to a lot of speakers.
Wilson Audio afficiandos will spend $275K for WAAMs after working their way though the other Wilson models - so, a true Wilson devotee cannot be counted on to be impartial - but then, who is in regards to their favorite speaker?
The cabinets are about as "dead" acoustically as any material I've experienced. Even at relatively high volumes the Puppy has barely the slightest amount of vibration that can be felt on the outside of the cabinet.
The speakers have very good imaging, extremely fast/powerful bass, and when setup correctly, are time-aligned better than most other speakers. The WATT unit can be moved front to back and tilted up/down to time-align the WATT with the Puppy. This requires a certified Wilson technician to perform in the room where they are to be setup.
All that said, I found the sound stage to be really small - like 6-feet wide by about 3-feet high. If you weren't in the "sweet spot" you'd wonder what all the fuss was about regarding these speakers. If you are sitting in the sweet spot, they are incredible to hear.
Finally, there is the mystique or "cachet" surrounding them as they are low production volume item, and are found in numerous sound studios and surround sound mixing studios as monitors. Are they worth $18K? If you have $18K and the right room to put them in - sure. Are there other speakers that sound "just as good"? That's a value judgement that only you can make after listening to a lot of speakers.
Wilson Audio afficiandos will spend $275K for WAAMs after working their way though the other Wilson models - so, a true Wilson devotee cannot be counted on to be impartial - but then, who is in regards to their favorite speaker?