Nautilus 800 Vs Wilson Audio VI Vs LM Labs Utopia

Although I do not sell any of the speakers you mention, I have to say I recommend you go with the Wilson WP6's.

All of the speakers you mention require quite a bit of power to really make them sing.

I would also suggest you delve a bit into other speakers that are not so mainstream.

I prefer the W/P 6's over the other 2. They are a steal right now on the used market. Add a Wilson Watch Dog and you will be in audio heaven. A updated Watch Dog is coming soon.

Wilson ????? C'mon guys.

Is there a reason you have not listed any planars in your considerations? Given your musical tastes, Maggies, Martin Logans, Innersound and Sound Lab all offer solutions which might suit your tastes.

The Wilson WP6s are relatively efficient and can play pretty loud without any apparent strain. They have a characteristic sound with a slightly hot high end and a slightly heavy low- to mid-bass. For rock, this all works out well (at least to my taste) for obvious reasons. For jazz, the speakers scale up to drum hits effortlessly, cymbals really shimmer, trumpets bight, and plucked bass notes are thick and chocolatey. For light classical, I don't really know, but I would guess that it wouldn't work out as well. See if you can get a good demo session; you really ought to hear these speakers for yourself. Good luck.

I have listened to all three & my experience with Wilsons tallies exactly with Jameswei post above. For your stated tastes, the Utopias properly driven & set-up could do the trick; I find them more "precise" than the others, even though the sound projected by the 800 sig. seemed to me to be "bigger" than the other two (maybe more "dramatic"?). And, you already have B&Ws.

So, IF I had B&W's (as you do) I would audition a properly set-up pair of 800sigs. for reference first, AND the others. I would also consider an Innersound, a maggie and a Soundlab.

At $10k you're entitled to absolutely excellent sound; just make sure you have the place to accomodate these speakers & the upstream chain to match!

Wvick
How did your quest for the speakers go? Which ones did you finally buy ..B&W 800 or WP6? Just curious to know!
All,
Thanks for all the input. As of now, though I have not auditioned WP6 yet, I am tilting towards them for their exceptional value and positive reviews about their sonic character. Also, of all three, B&W 800 seems to be power thristy but i guess from investment point of view it would retain its value. Any experience with Meridian DSP series speakers and how they compare with others? Also, more input on JM Labs Utopia would be appreicated.
For now I am not considering planars because of the room constraints. As I understand planars have to be deep inside the room to realize their full potential (..and avoid room reflections). Also I think they would bring wonderful (..almost spiritual) experience for the classical music but may not go very deep for Jazz and Rock.
I would make an effort to audition some planars in my room though. I will keep all you guys informed.
Thanks,

Sstalwar, I have a pair of WP 7's on order. Should be here anytime now! I really liked the 800's but the Wilson's won the toss. I have had B&W's before and decided it was time for a change. The 7's just have that extra bit of magic and I like the looks and size better too.

From a lot of people who have listened to them, the VMPS 40 sounds as good as any of the three speakers you mentioned, but will throw you back only 5000 $ new. See their website www.vmpsaudio.com and search the archives here and elsewhere. They do not get reviewed in the mainstream audio press, but seem to be a real bargain. Contact Audiogon-member ljgj, who got these speakers a few months ago, and has listened to a lot of the big-name, big-money speakers, as far as I remember.

For the past three years, I too have been waiting for the used market on these speakers to hit the $10K mark. A the beginnign of my search i auditioned all three and concluded the following:

1. the 800s only sound good when they are played loudly, and as the frequencies move from drive to driver, you hear a change in elevation of the sound source. To demonstrate this clearly, listen to a drum solo with a decending tom tom pattern.

2. The Wilsons are SMALL in comparison and fit well into the living space without taking it over. They are punchy, and good for rock, although they do not disappear in the room, and their sound stage is limited to a region between the speakers.

3. The Utopias, which are large and need space to breath, needs the least amount of amplification, and sounds better than the others at low volume levels. Also, hey cast a huge soundstage, and when properly set up when listening to jazz with my eyes closed I swore I was at a live performance.

My choice is #3 if you have a large room (mine is 18X25). I am still waiting for these to break $10K, which I assume will happen when the Nova utopias come out this year.

I hate to complicate your thinking but I just recently bought the Sonus Faber Amati Homage and compared them against all of your choices, admittedly with different upstream gear. I liked the sound of the Amati's just as well as the other 3 but the Amati's are just so beautiful that the wife-acceptance factor made the decision easy.