Wilson MAXX 2 vs Watt Puppy 8

The WP sounds like a fast, detailed speaker. The Maxx sounds like music. You've got to hear it to believe it (make sure the room is big enough)

Room is 25 x 20 with 10 ft high a ceiling.

Your room should be plenty big enough, and I think Goatwuss's and Jfrech's posts are spot on. I personally don't like the current WP, feeling it's too bright and hyper-detailed(very fussy to set up right too), but I do like the Maxx, as I feel that it's a good compromise between being revealing and conveying the music. Not as nice looking as the WP, though.

I agree with the previous comments. I auditioned both and found the MAXX-2 to represent more of what I hear at a live concert. The WP8 play very nicely at lower volume and in a smaller room, but if you turn the sound up too much, or try to fill a bigger room, they get a little etchy for my taste. Also, the height of the soundstage, obviously, is much reduced.
My room is 23'x 20' with an 8' ceiling. The MAXX's do very well, filling the room. I don't think the WP8's would do as well. Go for the MAXX!
As for room treatment, I don't think ANY speaker achieves its potential without room treatment. I think room treatment is half or more of your sound quality.

I owned the Watt7's/WATCH Dog and moved to the Maxx 2 with amazing improvements in scale, life-like imaging and big as life dynamic contrasts. The scale of sound took on dimension. Orchestral music thundered and had presence I never heard before etc...

The Watt7's painted images with great detail and monitor like specificity. The Maxx 2's filled in those images with tremendous weight, dimensionality and pitch articulation that was beyond the 7/WATCH combo. The 8's seem a warmer, more liquid and linear version of the 7, but still..... Maxx 2= True to life Watt 7/8 life-like..

As always IME