"06-14-14: Bjesien
I would step back a little and look at the math. In the end you get what the market gives you. If you want an awesome two channel system spend around $30k (new) and you enter the market (IMHO). Awesome surround means maybe $45k."
No offense, but that's silly.
"Up for debate is whether buying the “better” Wilsons will make my system sound better or worse due to the rest of my equipment being of a lower caliber than the Wilsons. Will the resolving ability of the Wilsons highlight inadequacies in the rest of my system, or is buying a better speaker…buying a better speaker…and will be an improvement."
Its a good point, but I would refine it and say that its not about "better" in absolute terms, but "better" in the context of system matching. For example, I have a pair of Wilson's in my 2nd system. With those speakers, you have to consider that they are very efficient when you put a system together. With some components, you can get a his, either from too much gain or maybe even from not being the cleanest design. Its important to note, though, the hiss is not necessarily due to the fact that that the Wilson's are so revealing, but its a matter of efficiency. Most of the time, I can take a component that didn't work well on the Wilson's and put it in my main system that has more revealing speakers, and get no hiss.
As always, system matching is the key to good sound. If you are not planning to buy new electronics, you need to find speakers that work with what you have. Wilson's may work, but the only way I would buy them is to demo them with the electronics you will be using. I've heard that some people have good luck with Wilson and Parasound. Marantz, I don't know one way or the other, if its a good match.
I would step back a little and look at the math. In the end you get what the market gives you. If you want an awesome two channel system spend around $30k (new) and you enter the market (IMHO). Awesome surround means maybe $45k."
No offense, but that's silly.
"Up for debate is whether buying the “better” Wilsons will make my system sound better or worse due to the rest of my equipment being of a lower caliber than the Wilsons. Will the resolving ability of the Wilsons highlight inadequacies in the rest of my system, or is buying a better speaker…buying a better speaker…and will be an improvement."
Its a good point, but I would refine it and say that its not about "better" in absolute terms, but "better" in the context of system matching. For example, I have a pair of Wilson's in my 2nd system. With those speakers, you have to consider that they are very efficient when you put a system together. With some components, you can get a his, either from too much gain or maybe even from not being the cleanest design. Its important to note, though, the hiss is not necessarily due to the fact that that the Wilson's are so revealing, but its a matter of efficiency. Most of the time, I can take a component that didn't work well on the Wilson's and put it in my main system that has more revealing speakers, and get no hiss.
As always, system matching is the key to good sound. If you are not planning to buy new electronics, you need to find speakers that work with what you have. Wilson's may work, but the only way I would buy them is to demo them with the electronics you will be using. I've heard that some people have good luck with Wilson and Parasound. Marantz, I don't know one way or the other, if its a good match.