CES update 2009

This is an update on CES 2009. First I will talk about the MBL room, always one of my favorites. This room was as bit disappointing for a few reasons. Last year, they were cited a record number of times for playing music too loud....unfortunately, their speakers sound best loud. The CES limit was stated at 85db...people actually listen to music that low???? At modest levels, they are a bit flat, shallow, and far less engaging, this included the new 101 models, and another one down the line a bit. For a brief, fine-free time period, they did crank them up to MBL real world levels, and the magic returned with space, detail, dimensional magic, and all they are famous for. Which brings me to the caveat with these speakers. If you want them for low level listening, look elsewhere, they just don't do soft well. If you like 90db plus levels, they are simply magic, and you must give them a listen.
The new Wilson Sophia produced great sound, surprising bass for the size, and a big stage.
The Boulder and Wilson flagship were one of my top 3 favorite at the show as they did low level well, and could provide the drama of large scale music with startling realism, huge sense of space, great extension from top to bottom, and definitely a speaker I could live with indefinitely. These sound so coherent from top to bottom, at all listening levels, I prferred these to the MBL for the flexibility in listening level enjoyment. At loud levels, they were a true joy to hear and were different with the MBL enjoying a wider and deeper stage, but the Wilson a bit more dynamic. Both world class, possibly the best I have heard. I want a pair of both.....The Boulder and MBL electronics had no hint of solid state offenses and were better texturally than many of the tube based rooms I listened to. I am sure tubes will work with the Wilsons, as their sensistivity is higher, but the Boulders sounded so right, I am not sure I would bother to try to make it better. Sometimes the enemy of good is better....more later...

Nice review.
I have a general question though, should the sound out of a pair of loudspeakers improve as the volume raises or should only the sound get louder but the quality remain the same as the loudness increases or even if it decreases?

I would think that a threshold must be reached to energize the voice-coil.This will be different for the technology employed.Dynamic,electrostatic/planar or expending spherical et al.

If it were a perfect speaker nothing would change but the volume. In the world we actually inhabit some sound wonderful at low to moderate volume [LS35A for example] and others only sound good when they are cranked up. It's another of the many choices we make. The trick is to chose the speaker that matches your listening habits. When I was a Quad dealer a customer insisted on the Quad 63 even tho he was an acid rock fan who listened at volumes that would deafen a rock. I also carried the Nelson Reed, which would play at 120 Db. but he wanted the Quad. You know what happened [several times]. Know how you want to listen and chose the speaker that will do it.