Here's The Truth About Wilson Audio 

I ve heard the TAD standmounts at an exhibition and they absolutely smoked any Wilson speakers I heard . Out the Wilsons

I heard the Wilson Sasha V with Dan DAgostino amplification recently and honestly thought the TAD Ce1TX with TAD amplification and sources was in another league to the Wilson’s.

I couldn’t agree more about Wilson Speakers. When I was hunting for my forever speakers 17 years ago, my shortlist dwindles to three specific models, Marten Coltranes, Sonus Faber Strads and Wilson MAXX 2’s. After relentless Listenning for months on end, I finally settled on the Wilson’s and they thrill me, and music lovers around me, endlessly, to date. But it amazes me that the brand is so polarizing and so many just hate on them. I am not from the US and traveled the world extensively from 1989 (about 34 years) visiting every Hifi store from the far east right across to the Americas. Finally it’s all about taste and I agree with Jay on this one.

Wilson Audio was very successful at turning their visual cues into something that makes any of their loudspeakers easy recognizable. B&W has done the same with their tweeter on top, and other brands were also very successful by creating their own visual cues. Porsche has done exactly the same thing, and almost anybody can identify any 911 (regardless of how new or old the particular unit is). Mercedes and BMW did the same in the past (they still do, but designs are less unique over the last years). Having brand recognition is very important for any manufacturer, but more so when prices are on the higher side. That’s also why many brands fail when they try to reach a higher market segment if they’re mostly known for their amazing mainstream products. The downside of maintaining visual cues for decades is that it often can’t evolve with what new research shows to be better. While B&W has some amazing loudspeakers with their tweeter on top design, they also have some really bad ones, which isn’t surprising when we consider that there are several problems with that approach regarding dispersion. If that technology was based on real research, a lot more brands would make their version of that concept, and I’m not aware of any other brand that is using that principle (there’s no patent on having a tweeter separated from the main enclosure 😉). But B&W does capitalize a lot on that design, and would probably suffer a huge hit in sales if they changed it, even the end result would be superior (performance wise). Kef has been refining their Uni-Q designs for decades, and that’s also a part of its brand awareness. Brand awareness is what makes a product sell, not only when new, but also determining their value in the used market. All of this relates to your other point, which is how insanely expensive some things are becoming in high end audio. The consumer is paying for a lot speculation, and not the real costs of the manufacturer and dealer network! A dealer sells a pair of 1.000€ speakers from a well established HiFi brand, and it might get 30% before having to negotiate with the customer. If he ends up with 15%, that’s 150€, which will then be subjected to taxes. A dealer sells a pair of 100.000€ loudspeakers, and he’ll start of with 50% or more on his side. As there are far fewer dealers for that product, even if he gives 15% on a deal to the customer, there’s still 35% on the table. But 35% is 35.000€ now before taxes, not 150€. Sure, having the inventory on stock costs a lot of money, and the customer that buys that loudspeaker expects it to be delivered and installed in their home. The dealer has very different costs when buying and selling any “mainstream” product vs a more special one. Manufacturers know this better than anyone, and they also know that no dealer would make stock of any expensive product that is a long sell without comfortable margins. Having that product in stock costs money that is invested until it sells. But IMHO, things are getting out of control on high end audio, with many products not being able to offer a decent value proposition on any front (performance, looks, build quality and materials, etc). Many high end manufacturers are only playing the game of increasing the price without increasing the value, and some are really backyard manufacturers without the technical means, tools and knowledge to create a product that keeps up with the big manufacturers that have all those things. I’m not implying that they’re getting rich by selling underperforming products to their few customers (that rarely works in the long run). Most of the times, they simply don’t have the size and means to do any better. In those cases, the customer ends up with a worse product (it doesn’t matter as long as he/she likes it and doesn’t plan to ever sell it without a huge loss), but also with more risks associated with the manufacturer going out of business and taking all the support with it. Wilson Audio was and is very clever on doing statement products. I have yet to hear any Wilson Audio demo that “Wows” me in the way that far less expensive (but still expensive) loudspeakers did, and I’ve heard some serious Wilson Audio setups. But it doesn’t change the fact that most Wilson Audio products are very impressive just by looking at them, and looks sell a lot! I’d say that anyone spending 6 figures on a pair of loudspeakers are likely and entitled to expect a statement product not only in performance, but also on how it looks. High-end is usually like that on everything.

I have never heard any Wilson speaker sound "better" than my TAD reference and that includes your model. Wilson sounds different, not better but, where Wilson speakers lose truly is looks (very poor WAF).

Wilson Audio is one of my favorite brands I was astounded when I first heard the Sabrina’s set up all by themselves in a room at T.H.E. Show in 2015. Scanspeak drivers are filled with realism. The only other brand that tops Wilson Audio in my opinion is IO Designs Naked RS.

As far as I can see Wilson Audio does not sell well in my country. But Scan Speak (who makes speaker unit for Wilson Audio and other brands) does

In my opinion Boulder with Göebel was the best sound of Warsaw Audio Show

Wilson Audio is also my favorite speaker brand. I am enjoying my Alexia 2 very much, and my next upgarde will certainly be another pair of Wilson Audio😁

I was in the same room in Warsaw where the new Sasha played and all I can understand is how we people have different tastes in sound reproduction. One must be very careful about reading/listening to other people's comments without a personal audition. And Jay, thank you for the wonderful content.

I finally had the privilege to audition Sashas juiced by a D'agostino amp about a month ago. What still sticks in my mind was how I didnt need to close my eyes to "suspend disbelief". Totally haunted by my experience now, and will without a doubt get some wilsons in my life at some point, hopefully sooner than later, Lol!

I have a beat up pair of watt puppy 6s.... still the best speaker I have ever owned. positioning is key!!!! I listened to a new Sasha Daw the other day, better, but not by THAT much. can't go wrong with an old pair of Wilsons

"Best of Show" is only that! The room & setup are crucial to performance. Only take away a must listening to again, not just believing it's the best.

Very interesting video and insight about what the US like - particularly as in England have never even heard American speakers at dealers and UK shows. Got no idea what WA and Magico sound like. Everyone carries British and Focal so most UK folks have no real idea what people like worldwide. Appreciate your thoughts, thank you JAY

Just upgraded my DAW's to the V and the difference is spectacular!

Well I preferred monitor audio hyphn though they had too small room

Yamaha sold over 300K NS 1000. They make their own drivers. Tone and resonance expertise from their world's largest musical instrument business, their pro audio business, and their engine business.

What about Rockport? The owners came from Wilson and broke off from them.

More than happy with my Spendor A7. Actually the dealer here did impress the audience more with Spendor A4 then Wilson Sabrina. So many high end brands lack soul.

please review Lipinski speakers. why? he has exceptional hearing abilities and is outstanding recording engineer known in best studios around the world. Also,his speakers share many of Wilson concepts, but have smaller woofers

Respect to Wilson Audio

Well said! I'm saving up for a pair of Sasha 2's.

Thoughts on Wilson x1 grand slam

I am NOT a Wilson fanboy but I've had some exposure to a number of Wilson models and one things is quite clear: Their engineering is superb and their focus on sound quality as their highest guiding principle is clearly evident. And THEN they focus on solid mechanical engineering and perfect finishes on extremely well manufactured enclosures and hardware. They're doing it right and the results of their hard work are evident in their dominance in their market segments.

Hi Jay. Hope all is well. New to your channel. You may have in the past reviewed the Audionet amplifier Heisenberg / Stern. Thoughts or opinions compared to Boulder ? Or your new purchase Apex ?

I “admire” your incessant trive towards ultra expensive equipment. At this rate one can never be satisfied by music reproduction.

Wilson enclosures are dead quiet! I love the punch and control of a Wison Audio speaker.

To me Wilson’s are great specially the newer ones But as you know the old ones did not sound as good. They were brighter and less musical But even then the brand has been like the Rolex of watches There are better watches than Rolex but the Rolex are the easiest to sell . There are better speakers out there. Their name sales that’s all.

Great Wilson is easy to sell. But if your into 6 figure systems and it’s your passion pick the one where price doesn’t matter to you even if you get nothing back when sold ie gift it. Maybe it’s a 6 figure system maybe it’s 20k or 5k it’s always nicer in a hobby if price doesn’t matter to you it ruins the whole experience somewhat. Personally I find the ultra high end Avant-garde also over a million system much better than any box speakers in getting the live performance in slightly bigger rooms. Cheers.

The best presentation on Warsaw Audio Show was the OePhi speakers with Moonriver 404 amplifier and Auralic Aries G2.1 transport. In comparison the Wilson Sasha V sounded like a much inferior product.

I agree….. I have had so many different high-end speakers….. but Wilson beats them all. Even an old set of WP`s will beat new far more expencive speakers from other brands.

Although I chose a different brand over Wilson Audio as my end-game speakers, Wilson speakers have always been one of my very favorite brands. As for the astronomical prices of high end audio in general, just like any other marketplace, including the high end audio marketplace, it's all relative. Our more well-heeled audiophiles will always spend way more than the rest of us. Why? Because they can. Anyway, no one is putting a gun to anyone's head forcing them to spend a ton of money on a hobby like audio equipment. This isn't rocket science!!! Most audiophiles are really, truly fortunate to be in a position to be able to spend our hard earned dollars on such an expensive hobby (nonessentials). Anyway, you can't spend what you don't have. High end audio has always been ridiculously high priced for the average person. This is nothing new. No sweat. That's way about 99.9% of the time, I maximize my buying power by purchasing pre-owned. By buying pre-owned, obviously, I get a lot more, for a lot less, and I've made out pretty darned well over the years doing it this way. Besides, especially if you buy your gear pre-owned, it's quite possible that you can spend a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction, of what the "Big Spenders" spend on their mega-buck gear, and still be able to achieve world-class sound in your listening room. I did!!!

wilson might be great, but over here in europe-smaller homes- the smaller modelsoften work better;much like a smaller tube amp has more finnesse-think luxman lx 380....

Some say Wilson's sound dry and clinical which means you should probably use tube amplification. Us audio mart have 40 ads for Wilson where jbl and Klipsch have around 150 ads each and Sonus Faber had 76 ads, so I don't think they are number one. What you don't say is Wilsons are so heavy, you probably have to do a local pick up only. Wilson's are also selling at 40-50% of retail of the few I was able to sample which is typical for used speakers. If you want an easy resell Devore O/96 and maybe the Super 9s.

Try maybe once a Gauder Akustik from the Darc Serie....

People need to learn first what sound is before they can even understand what True High-End audio really means. You will seldom find a real High-End system on any audio show and even audio shops. Real High-End audio means by sound and stage that a particular audio system can reveal all the different aspects that sound possesses. Because when an audio system lacks one or even more aspects of sound it is always a Hi-Fi system. Even the High-End audio show in Munich is often a 100% Hi-Fi show. The question is why do people have no idea what High-End audio means? As long as people have no clue what sound is, they have no idea what is even possible in audio these days. Often, the best systems on audio shows lack diversity in the height of voices and instruments. So what you can easily hear is that all instruments and voices are being displayed at the same height at the used tweeter of the loudspeaker. This is a 100% Hi-Fi parameter. So the next question is why diversity in the height of voices and instruments is so important? I think you can only understand and be aware of this when you have experience with live acoustic music. When an audio system is able to reveal the difference in height of all the voices and instruments the whole song becomes a different experience. It makes the music a lot more intense and emotional. Often people feel that the music is even closer to them than ever before. It changes the harmonics of sound, which is the reason why the music becomes so much more involving and addictive. I learned that voices and instruments own what I call a 3D shape or form in space when you hear music live. Even this is possible to be reproduced by audio these days.

On Audio Show Warsaw Sasha didnt the best .Good but not the best .

Can I own Wilson speakers if I am a Gentile?

Good video Jay... Title might better be "...My Opinion....", not "The Truth....".

*I wonder how the Wilson speakers compare to MAGICO, the materials MAGICO use are so bullet proof and high tech, double skin carbon fiber cones with ROHACEL core, yummy* 😂

Wilson pedigree is focal They used focal drivers

🔥🔥🔥

Avalon and old spectral, are going to the dark side of the Moon 😅 another way from the Wilson

Rubanoide speakers are better in every respect. it is just superior technology. So as zeta zeros with their most advanced omni ribbon , nowhere to be seen in any other speaker. prove me wrong Jay

I drive a lot so i havr ultra hi end car audio audiwave micro precision a studio

PMC VS WILSON , PMC BLOWS WILSON LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE The Wilsons have a little more acoustic space/depth, and the PMCs have the same sounded a little more accurate flat response just like front off live orchestra, top to bottom, with leaner bass. Great midrange ...

Vandersteen

For power conditioners, look no further than PS Audio.

I agree with you 100%

Magnaplaner has a larger following than Wilson.

Hope you get some comments where people agree with you - I am sure that will make you feel good. You arguments are many and for the most part without any evidence. As all audiophiles know "the best" only exists for the individual - not in general.

What are they going for? $60,000? Spare change please, I could use a good meal.

I agree with you Jay, Wilson is the #1 brand of high end speakers.

Wow, how American centric are some of your comments Jay (especially at 3.30). There is a global brand called ATC (from the UK) that occupies the living rooms and studios of so many heavyweight musicians around the world. Most of the best recording studios on the planet also have ATC's. Just because you don't really have ATC's in the USA doesn't mean your local hero brand is the best in the world. Open your wings Jay and look over the fence. I found the Wilson Sasha V's (with Dan D'Agostino's) to be a harsh listen when going hard at the Melbourne Hifi show a few weeks ago. Great speaker yes, but hard to endure the upper frequencies at volume and I expected better than that.

bello.🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑🤑

Jay, did you have eye surgery?

LOL The Market Place sets the limit on MSRP, not one of us. If the price gets to high, it won't sell, till then the prices will rise. Duh.

Wilson speakers are way over rated... way over price etc etc

Vandersteens are superior

People believe anything.

So you are basically saying don’t listen to anyone else, and that if a speaker sells really well it’s the best, and that you don’t care what others say. Also your comments about not being paid by wilson seem like pure BS. Or just stupidity.

It’s all marketing and a good paint job. When it actually comes down to the sound, all they have are the shelf, drivers, a midbass hump and not a particularly transparent mid range. They are extremely overpriced and I definitely don’t think they sound like real music.