A Bright Pair of Watt Puppys


I'd love some suggestions on taming my bright system. My Watt Puppy 6's are really bright and it often seems on many recordings as though the tweeter and midrange are just way louder and more dominant than the bass. Often, to get more bass punch (or just warmer sound) I find myself wanting to turn the volume up. This helps the bass level a bit but also sends the rest of the spectrum thru the roof: it gets very loud.

Although I assume my room is too small for these speaks and I need some treatment, can't believe this is the only issue here. Watching other woofers at CES for example, the things extend rapidly right out of the enclosures on systems that sounded warm to me. My drivers barely move at all. Just doesn't seem right.

Also was told by the designer of Genesis speakers that my amp isn't powerful enough to control the bass on the Watt Puppys. That was a surprise.

Here's my system configuration:
WP 6
BAT VK-600
Bat 31-SE Preamp
Kimber 3033 speaker cables
Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling ITC
Shanling CD-100 dual output cd player
Furman power conditioner
Room Size: 15 x 25

Any suggestions? Anyone?
Thanks
/Lee
graywind11

Showing 2 responses by mcrheist

Quoted from Leemincy, "Hey, maybe it's the loud speakers! Problem solved."

Sounds like Lee is referring to getting the baby to sleep, rather than a complaint about the Wilsons. :-) I disagree with the above comments which claim the Watt Puppy 6 is a "bright" speaker. It is not...but it is very revealing (which is much different from "bright"). Since Wilson speakers will reveal any deficiencies in your components , room, interconnect/speaker/power cord cables or speaker placement, I believe that Johnjbarlow provides very important information for you in his comments above.

Begin with speaker placement and use a well recorded CD or LP that has significant bass extension. When my new Wilson Sophia Series II were setup by my dealer using Wilson's recommended speaker placement, they played "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves" from Paul Simon's "You're The One" CD, and "brand new '64 dodge" from Greg Brown's "The Poet Game" CD (both came from a demo disc that Wilson provided). So, be sure you are using well recorded discs for evaluation. The old saying, "gargage in, garbage out" has a lot of meaning. For example, no matter how many synergistic, revealing, audiophile systems you audition using Don Henley's "End of the Innocence" cd, the sonics are going to sound poor. The reason: the mastering of this CD is very poor, and consequently so are the sonics.

Next, focus on your room. Are these speakers in a carpeted room or one with hard surfaces? If so, rugs are needed. Do you have accessories, furniture, bookshelves filled with books or LPs, in the room? We might be better able to assist you with room suggestions if there was a more detailed description of your room other than dimensions.

If it is not speaker placement or room issues, then you have a weak link upstream. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Wilson speakers will not allow any compromises. Best of luck in resolving your issue.
Lee,

I ran out of time yesterday and did not have time to add some additional information that might be of use to you. I had a similar issue with my Wilson Audio Sophia Series II loudspeakers. After 3 weeks or so, I had concerns about how revealing they were. My dealer kept telling me that I needed to get either acoustical treatments or simply (and more economically) to just get "stuff" in my room. He emphasized to get "stuff" rather than acoustical treatments. At the time, all I had in the carpeted room was the audio equipment, a leather listening chair, and ottoman. I finally listened to him and added:

A 7' silk ficus behind each speaker (2)
A 7' ficus (placed in a corner behind seating area, in front of the speakers)
Artwork on the walls
1 Very Large Painting (canvas)
1 Ikea Expedit LP Rack -- 4 cubes X 4 cubes
1 Ikea Expedit LP Rack -- 2 cubes X 4 cubes
1 Ikea Billy bookcase with CD Inserts
3 leather cubed ottomans/footstools
Cubed Magazine Holder (soft material) filled with Audio Mags
--Both LP Racks are filled with LPs
--The CD rack is filled with CDs
--Accessories throughout the room
--6 framed LP Covers
--Books, Pix

The difference was extremely pronounced, in a very positive way. I wish I had listened to my dealer and added these items sooner. The furniture/accessories were strategically placed, and now the room feels so much more like a "retreat" rather than a "room", and sounds phenomenal. I highly encourage you to get "stuff" in your room; try this first before investing in expensive acoustical treatments. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers!