GoldenEar One.R vs. Wilson Watt Puppy 7s


Greetings!

I currently have a pair of GoldenEar One.R speakers, which I am very happy with.

They are fed by a PrimaLuna EVO 400 tube preamp and a McIntosh MC312 solid-state amplifier.

As the source I mainly play vinyl records, using a Rega P10 with an Apheta 3 cartridge, and listening mostly to classic rock, 80s rock, and jazz. (No e.g., metal or classical music, if that’s a useful input to my question below.)

For quite some time I’ve been interested and quite fascinated with Wilson Audio’s WATT Puppy speakers and their evolution over time, From the early times before the Puppy even existed and it was only the Tiny Tot to their current offering.

(All current Wilson Audio speakers are wildly out of my budget.)

I now have an opportunity to purchase a pair of Watt Puppy 7s (which from what I understand many consider better than the Watt Puppy 8s) from the latter half of the 90s, in what appears to be in great shape.

It would be wonderful if there are members in this forum who have experience with both and can help me understand what I possibly could expect from the WP7s, in all aspects of sound quality, range, sound field, and sweet spot - generally but also ideally in relation to the GoldenEars I am familiar with.

Thank you!

128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xbimmerlover

keep your golden ears the wp 7 is an old design at this point and will not really outperform the tritons

if you want to upgrade look at kef reference 3s or legacy signatures

we were a golden ear dealer and both of those loudspeakers were even Better.

 

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

former golden Ear dealer

kef and Legacy dealer

I owned the Wilson Watt Puppy 7s.  They are fine but not great and certainly not an end game speaker.  I preferred either my Tekton Moabs or my Magnepan 3.7s.  And I much prefer my current Magnepan 20.7s to either of those two speakers.  You can do better than the Watt Puppy 7s but I've never heard the Golden Ear speakers so can't comment on them.  

Wilson audio has a robust trade up program. I suggest that you go to a dealer and audition a pair of used 7's. The dealer will negotiate on the advertised price. The price will include delivery and setup. Also some dealers will deliver outside of their geographic area. (I am not a dealer nor associated with a dealership).

The Watt / Puppy 7 was manufactured from 2002 to 2006. I owned my pair for 20 years. I agree that there are current speaker models that I enjoy more than the 7's.

 

@audiotroy thanks - appreciate your take.

(Bummer, I had hoped for more lauds for the legendary Watt Puppies.)

You mention the KEF Ref 3s… What is your opinion of the KEF 205/2s?

@welcher I appreciate your response.

I appreciate your response.

If you don’t mind me asking, what newer speakers (that doesn’t mean brand new or just coming out but some thing in the generation or two after the WP7s) do you prefer and think perform better than the WATT Puppies?