Stereophile review of the new Wilson Watt/Puppy

However, after all of that, he concludes that they are better for jazz and orchestral and perhaps a bit reticent for pop and rock. This made no sense to me, especially for a $40.000 speaker. I am curious about the opinions of anyone else who has read the review. 

Anybody who know basic acoustics know that a good sound from a speakers/room coupling is good for anything.... I never read Audio review because i dont buy and even if i was in the need to buy your impressions said it all ... I will have the same reaction as you : absurd reviewing explained  by the marketing tasks...

I just got back a few hours ago from reviewing the Wilson Sabrina X, Watt Puppy, and B&W 803 D4. Music was streamed through a DCS DAC from a Roon Core. The 70-watt untralinear integrated tube amp was an Octave V70 SE. For kicks, I brought my wife along mainly to comment on the aesthetics, but she has a surprisingly good ear.

The verdict? First up was the Watt Puppy. Spooky amazing sound. My wife immediately loved it. Keep in mind, she has no idea about specs or pricing. She thought they looked industrial, but she could live with them. Next up was the Sabrina X. I thought they sounded fine, but my wife said they sounded horrible and not even better than my 25-year-old B&W Nautilus 804s.

Lastly, we listened to the B&W 803 D4s. These sounded surprisingly good. More presence than the Watt Puppies, more articulate high frequencies with no fatiguing, ear-piercing, or annoying sibilance whatsoever. The base was comparable to the Watt Puppies, with maybe a slight edge in overall presence. Soundstaging between the two speakers was equivalent, with the Watt Puppies slightly gaining overall realism/transparency. I’m splitting hairs here. But the selling point for me was the male vocals. The Watt Puppies sounded ever so slightly etched, or what some call clinical. The B&Ws shone in this area. Mid frequencies were full and articulate, not warm, but certainly not dry. Switching back and forth to the Watt Puppies, it became even more apparent that the B&Ws provided a more pleasing sound overall.

I could easily live with the Watt Puppies, and I have been dreaming of owning a pair for over thirty years now, but B&W edges out, especially considering the price difference. The build quality on the B&Ws is superb. There aren’t even speaker bolts showing on the front. The magnetic grills are beautiful, and the wood veneer gives them a nice living room finish. I’m torn, but my wife is convinced that the B&Ws are the better-sounding and far more attractive speakers. Thirty-five happy years of a fantastic marriage, I think I’ll keep her happy with the B&Ws. :)

@eteitelman The B&W's are very nice speakers.  If you are using the Octave amp then it sounds like they are a nice match.  I am not sure the Wilson's are achieving their best performance with a 70W at 4 ohm tube amp even though it says 25W min on the specs.  If you aren't using the Octave, then you may want to listen to each of them with your amp.