Wilson Maxx and Maxx II Differences ?

I owned the MAXX l. It was just OK. I sold it for X-1 Series lll and now X-2 Alexandria. I feel that I know the Wilson sound which I wouldn't trade for anything. having said that I was not enamoured of the MAXX l. My son owns the MAXX ll and for the money there just IMO not a better speaker in the market. It has much X-2 technology and for the money it is definitely worth the upgrade. I have also owned WP 5.1's, WP 6's and now also have an XS with all WATCH center surround and rear. Trust me when I tell you the MAXX ll will dazzle you.If it were available before the X-2 I would have had second thoughts about the X-2. The MAXX ll is so good that Wilson no longer makes the X-1 because at twice the price of the MAXX ll it just doesn't come close.

OBG - With all due respect, why would you buy a $40k speaker that is just ok?

Good question. At that time I was running WP 6's and had a chance to buy a pair of almost new MAXX l's from a very close audiophile friend of mine for $20K when MSRP at that time was $40K. I was enamored by the Wilson sound having gone from WP 5.1's to WP 6's and I had a reasonably large room and was looking for a grander soundstage. It was a deal that I couldn't refuse. I owned them for 8 months when I then heard the X-1 series lll which was a revelation, so much so that I traded the MAXX l to the dealer for more than what they cost me for the X-1. I reached audio nirvana however the day I was invited to Provo to tour the Wilson factory with a special invite to Dave Wilson's house to hear the a/b test between the X-1 Series lll and the new Alexandria. A friend of mine who is an editor for Soundstage warned me not to go unles I was prepared to buy the X-2 because as good as the X-1 is the X-2 made it sound broken. The experience for me was the most amazing demos of any of my 35 years in this hobby. That was Oct 2003. I ordered my X-2's in Nov 2003 and took delivery April 2004. For me I will never buy another speaker. Having said this my son who is also an audophile had MAXX l's. I heard the MAXX ll at the home of one of our audiophile members here in the SF Bay area. I can tell you that had the MAXX ll been available before the X-2 i wou;d have given serios pause and bought the new MAXX ll. They are truly remarkable. I made my son do the upgrade and heard his system last month and it was simply amazing. Many will disagree about me and my thoughts about the Wilson sound but for me I just wouldn't own any other speaker. They rock my sonic boat and with the X-2 I personally have reached audio nirvana.

One mans "OK" is another mans heaven...it's all relative I guess.

You got any "really crappy" stuff you wanna let go cheap doc? ;o)

The Maxx II offers a more natural top end; sweater and smoother with amazing dynamics. I have heard the Maxx II's and the originals and I wouldn't upgrade from my WP7's to Maxx I's. I would do Maxx II's in a heartbeat as they provide everything I love about my WP7's plus a huge dynamic soundstage!

Get the Upgrade! They replace the whole top cabinet hence the cost...