Fleetwood Deville vs Wilson Sound

@f208frank nice listening space! System looks neat. 👍

@f208frank I have heard the Deville several times in a very nicely set up system with and without the subs.
While I was really impressed with their ability to image and throw a very nice soundstage, I was underwhelmed with the dynamics these speakers offer. They’re too relaxed, lack bottom end and lack the dynamic impact. They sing though if you feed them the right kind of music.

I have not heard the Sasha V but I own the Sabrina. I don’t find the sound to be analytical. Great clarity, drive and natural tone. The midrange is realistic and not colored. There’s also absolutely no way I would swap for the Fleetwood as it’s just not my ideal sound.

The decision is yours, like most anything in this hobby, and it should be based on listening tests if possible

Like most well established high end and expensive brands (B&W, McIntosh, ARC, Pass Labs), plenty haters out there. But who cares. Get what sounds best to you.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

$19,000 for a pair of birdhouses without stands. With stands, around $21,000.

The price tag puts them in the same category as Wilson Audio Sabrina X. 
 

Completely different sound and the decision on what looks and sounds best to you is yours. However, when I look at the Fleetwood Deville, with or without stands, and I look at Wilson Sabrina, I struggle to understand why the DIY looking Devilles, even though they sound good with limited and specific type of music, should cost as much as they cost. They impressed me with their ability to image on small scale acoustic stuff but they pooped on fast and dynamic live jazz…and forget rock. 

If there’s a premium baked into the Sabrinas, what’s baked into the birdhouses? The Devilles look like a $21,000 joke next to the Wilsons. 
 

@deep_333 design decisions are made based on what sounds best and Wilson Audio manufactures their own components. When there’s better quality and more effective to source parts from external entities, then a decision is made to do so. It is a smart business model and as long as it doesn’t result in sacrificing performance (I’m sure they go thru rigorous testing to confirm this), it should be completely fine. By the way, I don’t think Wilson Audio uses Focal drivers anymore. But they did. Focal is known for their drivers so once again, I don’t see why that’s the basis or a reason for hating the brand. 
 

 

tonywinga

651 posts

01-27-2024 at 02:51pm 

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It takes a commitment to get them the best electronics and cabling you can afford.  The payoff is a rewarding concert like sound in my listening room that can captivate me for hours

Yup. Don’t get an Escalade if you can’t afford the gas. 

😂 nice!

@deep_333 “forum stock”. That’s rich.

No, not a dealer. Just a happy owner of a pair of Wilson Sabrinas.
Not sure why it’s surprising to you that a top notch speaker requires world class electronics.
Back in late 90s I walked into Innovative Audio in Brooklyn NY. I stopped and paused my breath. I thought they had Nataly Cole in the store, performing live. It was a pair of Grand Slams (robot looking mofos) playing in a listening room, driven by an all VTL system with a top of the line VPI table. I stayed there and listened to the entire record. I never heard anything like this. I was hooked. May be it’s the effect those big Wilsons had on me at the time that lasted thru all these years until finally I got a pair of Sabrinas, but I can tell you I hear that sound signature, that realistic, live type of sound that these speakers produce.
You can knock yourself out hating David Wilson or Daryl or the entire brand. But there’s no denying their speakers are special. So again, it’s the recipe that matters. You can get the ingredients from the best possible sources. I don’t go mining for salt when I want to grill me up a ribeye.

Yeah. Thanks for your thoughts. 

Have you had nails for breakfast? You just can’t seem to be able to cool it. I haven’t seen this much hate pouring out of anyone in a while. You’re like an energizer bunny. Chillax. None of this is healthy. I get it…you really dislike Wilson Audio. It’s fine.