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

@willywonka +2

Mike

There are a ton of neurotic, and insecure, folks in the hobby that will never be happy, and there will always be audio professionals to accommodate them.

+1 williywonka

I bought a set of KLH m5 before the price increase, Danny looked at a pair and he was impressed with them but did put together a kit. Didn’t buy as I’m pleased as is. I also found a preowned pair of Wilson og Sabrinas for half cost of new very pleased. Happy listening. 

Danny had very good things to say about the Goldenear BRX.

Upgrading component parts for better sonics is nothing new. Using words like “disappointment” and “issues” insinuates that it was originally designed as flawed which is grossly incorrect.  

I believe VERY LITTLE of what Danny has to say! He’s a competitor of other speaker companies and loves to bash them like he has the best products in the world! I have absolutely ZERO respect for the guy!

Why don’t you have ZERO RESPECT for the unsatisfied customer who packed up his Willy Puppies and shipped it to GR Research for getting it improved?

Why do you keep misdirecting your ZERO RESPECT at the wrong guy in this lil transaction? He is just fixing design flaws and other inadequacies because there are a bunch of disgruntled owners shipping their speakers to him. Those unsatisfied/unhappy speaker customers should be on the receiving end of your ZERO RESPECT, i should think.

How dare these guys who paid the 28k be unhappy with Willy Puppy?? How dare?? eh?

I briefly owned Danny’s Super V loudspeaker a few years ago. While I never warmed up to the coaxial full range driver, the OB bass modules produced the finest bass I’ve ever heard in my room.

This reminds me of modern political campaigning.

90% of your campaign is spent telling the world what an idiot the guy you're running against is and 10% is used to tell the people what you are offering as an alternative.

I believe VERY LITTLE of what Danny has to say! He's a competitor of other speaker companies and loves to bash them like he has the best products in the world! I have absolutely ZERO respect for the guy!

I've heard the Watt Puppy 8s on several occasions and thought they sounded wonderful each time I heard them. May not have been my first choice in speakers, but they still sounded very pleasing to my ears.  Me personally, I've always relied more on my ears than reviews from whoever.  Happy listening.      

I must agree with one poster on that vid. Those speakers remind me of a 50 year old trash can or maybe modern day DaleK.  Prefer the more classic designs , think Dynaudio Contour series ...

I just want to point out that Wilson was making very different speakers in a different market then than now.

Not that I’m a fanboy or could even really justify their prices, but when we look back at vintage speakers we are looking back at different times and tastes.

Vintage Infinity, Focal and B&W all can easily be criticized by a DIYer/modder. Troels Gravesen has also done a few rebuilds (Yamaha, Snell) but sticks more to the facts.

While it's easy to critique these vintage pieces now, it's also good to remember that they were actually what was considered successful. 

I’m not saying don’t mod, but be gentle on the reputations of the original designers.

Ohhhh, I bet Wilson isn't happy.

I'm glad to see Danny changed his hair style. He used to look like my aunt. Beard and all...

He is very fit for a guy his age (runner/athlete, trains like spring chicken, etc). Audiophiles in his age group should atleast pick that up and get healthier even if they don’t care for his diy kits.

Haven't watched yet, but I really like this guy. I watched his how-to video on soldering before I re-did the crossovers in my Maggies. He is an asset to the audiophile community. 

Think about this though, on top of your day job, and moderating your own sub-forum, you start a You Tube channel. You want plenty of hits, and you have initial intentions to provide great communication to watchers, and respond to every comment. And then you get successful, and it provides you with some income, wonderful! And then you get really successful- After 1 day he already has 575 comments! How would any sane person find the time to read and respond to them all. 

I believe with Krell , Dan Agostino amp or Mark Levinson amp are the right amp for the Wilson watt puppy.

Does anyone know if there has ever been a pair of speakers sent to him that he couldn't improve? Just says "nothing to be done here, it's perfect".

I've seen such videos, I think. But they're rare. They could be instances of honesty on his part or just a way of ensuring that the other criticisms seem more justified.

Bottom line, these videos are just his professional opinion, anyway. Others will disagree and then how does one decide between them?

In the end, I look for the economic incentives for these guys. How does it benefit them to say this or that? Are they selling more of their stuff with these views? Are they attracting viewers with their "bad boy" schtick (oh, Mikey...)? Are they building confidence in their objectivity as a reviewer? It's pretty hard to know how the bread gets buttered. 

Does anyone know if there has ever been a pair of speakers sent to him that he couldn't improve? Just says "nothing to be done here, it's perfect".

I'm not bashing Danny, I know he makes quality products. Just curious if he's ever sent anything back with no mods necessary.

I like this guy and GR Research but he has one oar in the water and one oar out. He sells kits that measure and sound better for less money than the products he trashes. So he is a salesman for his product….

Isn't this a "review" by a competitor who mostly criticizes the design choices made by Wilson for the Watt/Puppy?  There is no such thing as a set of perfect design, so that any choice necessarily involves compromises.  If you optimize one thing, something else is not so good.  Is the choice of connecting the two woofers in parallel necessarily worse than connecting them in series?  One way lowers impedance and makes the woofers a more difficult load, but the other way reduces efficiency.  The bottom line is how something sounds with the gear owned by prospective buyers. 

While I am  not a big fan of this speaker, a lot of people like it and they voted for it with their wallet.  There are MANY other speakers, both cheaper and much more expensive that I like even less, and many that I like more.   That is how it goes and this is less a review than a personal discourse on one builder's preference on design.

Ha, yeah, he's cleaned up a bit.

@thecarpathian 

I'm glad to see Danny changed his hair style. He used to look like my aunt. Beard and all...

ROTFLMAO

Ohhhh, I bet Wilson isn't happy.

I'm glad to see Danny changed his hair style. He used to look like my aunt. Beard and all...

Dealers must love selling them!  $28K speaker with a 2.4 ohm impedance, so you have to buy a $15K amp to drive them.