Had a chance to sit and listen carefully to the new Watt Puppy 8's.. I own the WP 7's and a pair of Sophia's (V1)..I also owned the WP 6 and traded them in for the 7's.

This was the first time I left the dealer not feeling that it sounded better than my listening room.

IMO the 7's sound better and not just a little bit.

I even compared the 8's to much less expensive speakers which comfirmed to me there is just something not quite 'right' about the 8's.

We know they were made lighter for environmental reasons in Europe...So the lead was a mistake in the first place? THe 8's are just now 'better'? Why?

I am amazed how disappointed I was in them and the idea that they are more money than the 7's is mindblowing..

Needless to say, I won't be 'upgrading' to the 8's and in fact am even happier with my WP7's!

Now that's progress...

Other equipment in the demo...SME turntable, Shindo preamp, CJ Premier Amp, Ayre amps, DCS stack....

Tried all combinations of gear to see if that were the 'reason' the 8's just did not do it for me...nothing made much difference at all..

IMO makes absolute no sense to switch from WP 7 to WP 8 as it is merely a lateral move BUT now have a listen to the MAXX ll for a jaw dropping experience

time and time again, new releases from companies will not yield an absolute improvement over discontinued products. change in materials, manufacture, etc. often are the reasons companies will release a new model in their lineup, many many times being either inferior to less priced models or simply not worth "trading up" or "upgrading". many are caught up that new stuff muct be better, but that is definately not always the case. companies are here to make money and many times must change components they use simply because costs become too high, poor availablility or simply very long wait time to get the parts in. if your happy with your speakers, stick with them and try upgrading your front end. in the end, all companies want to push new products whether they are better than previous generation or not is a personal thing.

IMO makes absolute no sense to switch from WP 7 to WP 8 as it is merely a lateral move BUT now have a listen to the MAXX ll for a jaw dropping experience


Without a doubt the Maxx II's are just incredible and a total worthwhile 'upgrade'...I want them!

I am still shocked how disappointed I was with the WP8's today...Maybe there is something to that 'lead' after all... :)

don't throw the baby out yet... don't forget that the room was just as important to your listening experience as the WP8's. Maybe it was a lousy room.

Maybe--but I agree...not worth the uppgrade


Get the MAXX ll

Hi

Not from a Wilson fan.. but WIlson usually does not make lateral moves.... The WP7 had all the hallmarks the old "WIlson Sound" including its inaccuracies... The Sophia II while ultimately a less satisfying speaker is closer to the path to accuracy taken by Wilson first on the X-2 , then on the MAXX-2 and finally the Sophia... I would bet ( and I am not a gambler) that the WP8 is superior to the WP7 in every aspects. Is it a worthwhile upgrade? I will leave this question to the (numerous) Wilson fans on this board..

How old were the speakers.?. I know that for many, ,speaker break-in does not make sense but I have witnessed it countless of times so... also at these levels little things (cables in particular) make a huge difference.. simply putting together components of great quality does not guarantee excellence in sound reproduction...Proper set-up and chemistry...

I still would take a VR5 over the WP7 , I have not heard the WP 8 yet.

Our Az Audio Video Club had a demo last month of the new Wilson 8s. Frankly, I really liked the 7s, the 8s also did nothing for me. I guess lead sounds good!!!

These speakers were broken in properly...To be honest, I would not be surprised if something is not right with this pair.....There was no way they are better than the 7's...I don't think anyone would disagree...I have a feeling something is just not right with this pair...If not, then anyone considering the 8's is really nuts....haha...

Franz, we were using all top end cables all the way around...to silly to even consider...there was no way any cable or even any component would have that much of a difference in today's test...Tried three amps...It's the lead...and the crossover I suspect...whatever it is, I am really glad I have my WP7's...and look forward to someday getting the Maxx II...

Our Az Audio Video Club had a demo last month of the new Wilson 8s. Frankly, I really liked the 7s, the 8s also did nothing for me. I guess lead sounds good!!!

It's really nuts that Wilson had to change the cabinet to meet Euro lead requirements and is selling this as a supposedly better speaker! How on earth can they justify a $6K price increase...If the 8's I heard today are not defective, Wilson has a problem here...

don't throw the baby out yet... don't forget that the room was just as important to your listening experience as the WP8's. Maybe it was a lousy room.

Beautiful new room at high end audio dealer, been in business for many years...room is paneled in strategic spots...everything about the room is pretty fine...

As I keep posting,,,I (and the dealer), want to believe there is something wrong wiht this pair of Wilson 8's..

speaker placement, cables, component changes all tried...

I am really glad I have my WP7's...and look forward to someday getting the Maxx II...

Now you're talking

My son went from WP 7's to the MAXX ll and the improvement was amazing

Now you're talking

My son went from WP 7's to the MAXX ll and the improvement was amazing


I'm working on it....meanwhile I feel like I got a free upgrade as I never expected my 7's to sound so much better than the 8's...in fairness though, I do do have a Watchdog....but even still....this ain't no upgrade!

My son has Maxx ll's also with a Watchdog

My son has Maxx ll's also with a Watchdog

I wanna be adopted by OB!!!@@@

I am really curious to read reviews or demo's of the 8's...anyone know of any?

I wanna be adopted by OB!!!@@@


I can't afford you Ha@@!!!

Wanted to post update on the demo I had of the WP8...The first demo was terribly disappointing...the dealer and I thought that perhaps the speakers were defective...He got a brand new pair and I spent an hour listening to them on Sunday..

I just don't get this speaker...They sound good I guess but not nearly as good as my WP7's...

I can't imagine anyone liking them better. We tried many a couple of different amps and preamps..

On another note, the dealer came to my house and spent a couple of hours tweaking my WP7's and the watchdog...incredible difference...I had no idea the set up of that subwoofer could effect the sound so much as far as phase and eq settings..

I am thrilled with my set up and not considering the Maxxes for now as there is a lot to be enjopyed from what I have....New shindo preamp coming within a week or so to replace the CJ preamp and Lamm phono stage...more on that later..

Anyone like the WP8? and I don't mean on paper!

Maybe--but I agree...not worth the uppgrade


Get the MAXX ll

Or Xd!!!!!!!!


hahahahahah :p

My son has Maxx ll's also with a Watchdog

Watchdog is the best ever...and I really believe you 'need' it....never selling it....

Watchdog is the best ever...and I really believe you 'need' it....never selling it....


Perhaps good but certainly not the best ever. Matches well with the WP and MAXX. You need to have a listen to the Wilson XS

I guess lead sounds good!!!

And tastes even better! :cool:

Controlit, why not get the dealer to let you audition the set at home? There are too many variables between their showroom and your home to do any more than a casual evaluation.

Why would he do that if he's happy with the W/P7s? That's a lot of work to try to be unhappy and lay out $10K-$15K for an upgrade which, really isn't going to be much more than a minor step (unless the W/P 7 was really badly engineered). Really, we don't upgrade people to the new version of anything, we say "either go up a whole level or just be happy, it's just not worth it for either of us to do minor updates" (unless there's some problem the new model specifically addresses).

Have more fun, buy more music!

Why would he do that if he's happy with the W/P7s? That's a lot of work to try to be unhappy and lay out $10K-$15K for an upgrade which, really isn't going to be much more than a minor step (unless the W/P 7 was really badly engineered). Really, we don't upgrade people to the new version of anything, we say "either go up a whole level or just be happy, it's just not worth it for either of us to do minor updates" (unless there's some problem the new model specifically addresses).

Have more fun, buy more music!


Hmmm John...I must be getting too old and grey because this is the first time that I have ever agreed with you. :eek:

Senility!!!! :)

ob, why are you sitting here agreeing with alimentall when you could be doing something far more enjoyable... drifting in your new amg??

Ah, I remember the good old days when "drifting" was called "sliding off the road" :)

Senility!!!! :)

Ahh..I knew there was an explanation.

Ahh..I knew there was an explanation.
OB,

Remember, as you age; your memory is the 2nd thing to go.

The 1st is ...ah....oh....um.... I FORGOT!!! :)

OB,

Remember, as you age; your memory is the 2nd thing to go.

The 1st is ...ah....oh....um.... I FORGOT!!! :)

But I didn't


They shoot horses don't they?? :)

And tastes even better! :cool:

Controlit, why not get the dealer to let you audition the set at home? There are too many variables between their showroom and your home to do any more than a casual evaluation.

Their set up is perfect at their showroom...they are also really heavy and not something to move around..

Instead they came to me, tweaked my Watchdog and WP7's and I am just in heaven...ferget those WP8's no way Jose...

Perhaps good but certainly not the best ever. Matches well with the WP and MAXX. You need to have a listen to the Wilson XS

Best ever for me! stop!!!

ob, why are you sitting here agreeing with alimentall when you could be doing something far more enjoyable... drifting in your new amg??

Good idea!

BTW...I wouldnt take the WP8 for a freee upgrade on my 7's if I had to keep em....booo Wilson...I mean...woof

Has anyone had a more recent experience with comparing the WP7's and WP8's? There have been a couple of reviews now that both feel the WP8's are improved in a number of areas over the WP7's.

Cheers, Ian

The 8's IMO are merely a lateral move as cf to the 7's. The next step up is the MAXX ll where at that price range is in a league of its own

i just heard the 8's at my dealer as well and was not impressed at all. now i haven't heard the 7's, but i have heard the sophias and the 8's just weren't my cup of tea. i found them (in this setup with all mac gear), to be rather 2 dimensional and flat.... sounstage was okay, but depth was non-existent. in direct comparison, with the same electronics, i compared the 8's to ml sumiits which were much better in soundstage, depth and 3 dimensionality. so, the gear could not have been at fault too much, but i -personally wouldn't buy them even if i had the money. if your happy with the 7's, just keep em. i am starting to slowly drift away from the upgrade game.... although i pretty much bought all new gear last month (sold off absolutely everything i had previously), so i guess im not the one to give such advice. either way, if you are in sonic bliss, screw the "upgrade game". it will SUCK the life right out of you!!!

Has anyone had a more recent experience with comparing the WP7's and WP8's? There have been a couple of reviews now that both feel the WP8's are improved in a number of areas over the WP7's.

Seems like reviews never point out the ways in which they might be worse, do they?

I'm waiting for that amp review where they say the new Mark IV Limited Edition Signature Gold Jr+ sounds no different or possibly just a tad worse than the Mark IV Limited Edition Signature Gold Jr.

i just heard the 8's at my dealer as well and was not impressed at all. now i haven't heard the 7's, but i have heard the sophias and the 8's just weren't my cup of tea. i found them (in this setup with all mac gear), to be rather 2 dimensional and flat.... sounstage was okay, but depth was non-existent. in direct comparison, with the same electronics, i compared the 8's to ml sumiits which were much better in soundstage, depth and 3 dimensionality. so, the gear could not have been at fault too much, but i -personally wouldn't buy them even if i had the money. if your happy with the 7's, just keep em. i am starting to slowly drift away from the upgrade game.... although i pretty much bought all new gear last month (sold off absolutely everything i had previously), so i guess im not the one to give such advice. either way, if you are in sonic bliss, screw the "upgrade game". it will SUCK the life right out of you!!!


Were the Summits and Watt/Puppy8's in the same room with the same electronics? I went from Martin Logan Odysseys to WP7's and I didn't lose the 3d soundstaging at all. Of course the Logans are very 3 dimensional due to their radiation pattern. They just weren't dynamic enough for me when you push them. That's one of the fun aspects of this hobby comparing the differences.

yeah, it was same room, same electronics. i don't particularly fancy mac gear.... i always find it rather soft. poor dynamics and no sparkle. when i had by ascent i's (which imo, where a much better speaker than the new line, including the summits), i had excelklent dynamics using a pass labs amp. yes, logans are super 3-d since their panels. i can see how you went with the 7's. definately a different "flavor", i did however enjoy the sophias albeit their price tag.

yeah, it was same room, same electronics. i don't particularly fancy mac gear.... i always find it rather soft. poor dynamics and no sparkle. when i had by ascent i's (which imo, where a much better speaker than the new line, including the summits), i had excelklent dynamics using a pass labs amp. yes, logans are super 3-d since their panels. i can see how you went with the 7's. definately a different "flavor", i did however enjoy the sophias albeit their price tag.
Yet this is where we disagree.... the ML Summits are better to my ears than the slightly bass deficient and somewhat bright Ascents.

And I'm very suspect when someone says that the 8s dont sound good.... or atleast as good as 7s.

why are you suspect? just because a manufacturer comes out with another speaker that they say is better and maybe costs more, doesn't necessarily mean that it MUST be better. many folks around here can tell you of many high end companies that had better products back in the day as opposed to their newer line.

i for one, never had the problem of my ascent i's being bass deficient. many who owned my speaker reported this. i can assure you the amp was at fault if you felt the ascent i's did not have bass. when using mac monos (501 i think they were), with double the power of my pass labs x250 amp and also being mono, the bass on these amps did nothing to my ascent i's. i was shocked when i put back in my pass x250 and suddenly the bass roared. the best word i can describe would be "thunderous". so i can only assume that those with the bass problem would be pleasantly surprised if they changed amps.

my opinion of the new ml line is only that, my opinion, but most on this entire thread who have heard the 8's all agree that the 7's are better. new materials don't equal better performance. as i said, i liked the sophias very much, and i think they are closer in sound to the 7's than the 8's imo.

I have said before that the WP 8's are merely a lateral move fromn the 7's made only to satisfy the strict importing rules by the European Union regarding lead which is in the WP 7 cabinets.

oneobgyn - is your opinion based upon a careful side by side comparison of the WP7's and WP8's? I knew that some of the changes were made to comply with the EU's import regulations, but I understood that materials, driver and crossover technology from the Maxx II's had been incorporated into the model change. Certainly this could have resulted in changes in a positive or negative direction.

The review in the current issue of Hifi+ (http://www.hifiplus.com/issue49.html) is very positive; "What I expected was the audio equivalent of a hip replacement, what I got was the bionic man!" I haven't found Hifi+ to be shy of criticizing product (unlike a lot of other magazines).

Cheers, Ian

oneobgyn - is your opinion based upon a careful side by side comparison of the WP7's and WP8's? I knew that some of the changes were made to comply with the EU's import regulations, but I understood that materials, driver and crossover technology from the Maxx II's had been incorporated into the model change. Certainly this could have resulted in changes in a positive or negative direction.

The review in the current issue of Hifi+ (http://www.hifiplus.com/issue49.html) is very positive; "What I expected was the audio equivalent of a hip replacement, what I got was the bionic man!" I haven't found Hifi+ to be shy of criticizing product (unlike a lot of other magazines).

Cheers, Ian

Hi Ian

I agree that all of Dave's speakers now have much of the X-2 technology.

I have owned literally all of his speaker except for the WP 7 and 8 and the MAXX ll ( I had MAXX l's)

IMO the increase in price does not justify the gain and I would recommend that anyone considering the move from 7's to 8's have a listen to the MAXX ll's first because they are a very special speaker. I sold the MAXX l's because they didn't do it for me and went to the X-1 Series lll and then to the X-2 where I will remain forever

I first heard the WP8s when Dave Wilson came to San Diego last September. I felt at the time that they were superior to the WP7s. The WP8 would have appeared regardless of the EU mandate on lead since the X-2 technology had been applied to the rest of the line.

The real question here is the WP8 worth the extra money? Are any AC cables worth $2K? CD players for $20K? Speakers for $135K? The average well educated individual would have reached the conclusion that the “Good Ship Sanity” has long since sailed for this group.

The one thing that did impress me when I first heard the WP8s was Dave Wilson the man. He is a sincere individual who appears to truly respect and appreciate his customers.

By the way, if you order a WP8 today, there is a 6 week back order.

he one thing that did impress me when I first heard the WP8s was Dave Wilson the man. He is a sincere individual that appears to truly respect and appreciate his customers.

He is a true gentleman. He opened his house for me so that I could get a private demo of the X-2's

By the way, if you order a WP8 today, there is a 6 week back order.

When I ordered my X-2's there was a 5 month wait.

He is a true gentleman. He opened his house for me so that I could get a private demo of the X-2's

Yes, but OB, c'mon, you're his best customer! I think *anyone* (who isn't insane) would do that for their best customer or even the top 100 or so.

Not even close to his best customer. Merely a strong supporter of a great product. There are guys in Asia that are buying several X-2's at a time and there is a guy here in Silicone Valley that has 5 X-2's using 10 Halcro DM68's using a bridged pair per channel.

[QUOTE]there is a guy here in Silicone Valley that has 5 X-2's using 10 Halcro DM68's using a bridged pair per channel.
Can we get him to join BADAS and host a demo?

I have compared the 7's and 8's with the same equipment, and as I stated before I prefer the 8's (slightly more musical and coherent) but not enough to warrant the extra cost. I am very happy with my 7's.

I still have my 7s as well.