The $27,900 disappointment? Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 8 issues.

Thanks.   I have been switching back and forth between the 8 ohm tap (now 4 ohm) and the 4 ohm tap (now 2 ohm).  I even tried the 16 ohm tap (now 8 ohm), however, I did not like the 16 ohm tap at all.  Overall, I like the 4 ohm tap (now 2 ohm) because it seems to emphasize the lower end of the frequencies just a little more than the 8 ohm tap (now 4 ohm).   I have always gravitated to the lower frequencies, so, I believe that is why I prefer it.  It also makes my older thin sounding CDs sound much thicker.  On more bass heavy recordings, I just marvel how much wall shaking bass comes out of these W/P 8s.  It is really impressive for a tower speaker.   I can tell you that the bass is much better than my old Genesis Servo 12 Sub that I was running with my Martin Logan Electrostats...

@hjdca I noticed the following information on your profile....member since Jan 2013 (12 years) without a single post or discussion on any topic.

All of a sudden, your account has sprung to life (after 12 years of deep hibernation) in great praise of Wilson audio with 12 comments on this specific thread.

It feels a bit strange to me. Hence, could you kindly clarify which category you may fall under, for added transparency?

a) Wilson dealer

b) Manufacturer or personnel with other vested financial interests in Wilson audio

c ) Ecstatic Customer/End User of Wilson speakers

Thanks

Yes, no problem. I am (c).  With the same ID, I have a few posts on AudioKarma, you can see some previous iterations of my stereo, and some reallly old ones on AudioAficionado, but, my ID is not valid anymore on AudioAficionado. I am mostly on Audiogon on rare occasions to look for used equipment or learn something from the forums. I agree that it is weird that my first post on Audiogon is 12 years after I joined...

Here is my story:

This is my fourth stereo system. My first one started way back with a Marantz 2230.

It took me 13 years to get to where I am today with my 4th stereo system. I bought every piece I have used. I started in 2013 with one MC275 and one McIntosh c2300, and an old Pioneer turntable, an old Sony CD Player, an IPAD, a WD my passport server, and hand me down Martin Logan Aerius and a Genesis servo Subwoofer that my brother gave me. I bought replacement woofers and panesl from Martin Logan and very, very slowly started adding pieces. I added another MC275, then, an MT10, then a McIntosh D100 replaced later by a D150, then, a McIntosh MCT450 - and the new hobby of SACD, then, replaced later by a MCT500 where I love using the USB sticks which have all my ripped SACDs, CDs, and my Qobuz purchased songs. Last year, I noticed my old Genesis servo Subwoofer amp buzzing and the woofer would flap at high volume. So, I started wanting to replace my speakers. My brother has a pair of Wilson Sophia 2 that I did some critical listening, and I really liked them. So, I started looking around for speakers. In Audio Mart, I found a pair of W/P 8s for sale locally for a fantastic deal, so, I went and listened, liked what I heard, especially the bass, bought them, put them in my truck and brought them home. Then, I contacted Wilson and bought new resistors, and new diffraction pads and replaced them. I also added Isoacoustic GAIA I footers From there, I bought a used Shunyata DPC-12, 5 IFI Nova power cables, and an Adona Altair rack that I had built to my height requirements. I declared myself finally done, and I really liked the sound of my system. When I saw the GR Research video about the W/P 8, I was really surprised, & it really peaked my interested, so, I responded to some threads about it.

If we're gonna question every W/P owner's posting credentials, why don't we bring up Danny Richie's past association with AV123 and its convicted criminal scammer Mark Schifter? Geez. I hate YouTube personalities. 

You can also hop on ASR and find plenty of hate for DR's design and parts choices. That would be akin to DR's attempted take-down of a 20 year old Wilson design. But they're no better to me - ASR also represents a VERY different perspective on this hobby versus myself and many (most?) on this forum. 

@hjdca 
It makes sense that the 4 / 2 ohm taps give you more perceived bass. As amp output impedance rises to be "significant" versus the bass-frequency impedance dip (2 ohms), more of the amp's generated signal is "lost" due to the resultant voltage divider (Ohm's law). E.g. 2 ohms into 2ohms loses 6 dB of signal (in theory), 0.4 ohms into 2 ohms loses only 1.6 dB, and 0.1 ohms loses only 0.4dB. Of course the full picture is much more complex than just this. 

Since Wilson is probably focused on actual listening results in "typical" rooms, it stands to reason they've acoustically tuned and "voiced" their speaker to sound good with popular audiophile amplifiers, including tube amps, which will demonstrate some losses in bass region from this. 

I’m new to this site - is it common practice to be skeptical of someones intentions when they defend Wilson speakers?

If thats the case then I should be suspect one. I actually joined the site just to comment on this thread 😂

I felt I had to because when youtube personalities throw out content than raises more question than it provides answers, and spawns a litany of comments (youtube comments) that are so off base and misguided that it makes my head hurt… then its the responsibility of those with actual experience to try to set the record straight (or at least provide some real world examples. )