2. speakers
  3. 194892-201182

Which amp with Wilson watt puppy 8

Hi there !

i live on an island with no audiophile shops around. 
I arrived in 2011 with a Jeff Rowland continuum 250 and Sonus Faber Cremona m speakers who were a great match. Unfortunately I blew the speakers a few times, then upgraded to columns, blew them also twice. I guess the amp is too powerful for them, but this time Sonus Faber was unable to provide me replacement tweeters and speakers, which is an enormous disappointment. I will never buy anything from them again. I ran through the web and found corresponding parts that I changed myself, but they seem to sound much higher in the trebles and lack bass, especially at high volume levels, (above 55%) . I tried swapping the cables, but it didn’t change anything. 
I now bought a pair of Wilson audio watt puppy 8 that arrived this week from a NYC store. I hope them to last lifetime. 
They have cost me around 11.5k$ door to door, look great and tough, but need to be driven above 60 % of volume otherwise nothing comes out of them, especially bass !
I also get the same sharp treble sound, which is very disappointing.
My problem is to find the issue : 

1/ room acoustic

2/ change my class D amplifier for tubes or transistors

3/ find better cables

4/ me turning old ?

what should I do next ? what amplifier would you recommend with this configuration (watt puppy 8, MIT Avtr 1, ps audio direct stream mk1, aurender n10, musical fidelity M6 CD) ?

thank you 


 

lendivf

Showing 1 response by bobbydd

bobbydd
101 posts
 

Lotta opinions here but apparently little experience with your particular equipment.

I have owned Wilson W/P 7's 20+ years - very similar to series 8 - so maybe I can help?

The titanium tweeter in this vintage of Wilson's IS a little hot and not as refined as more modern drivers.  Despite this, these speakers still DO have merits at their current used values.

Not sure how well the Rowland amp you have matches the Wilson's.

I suggest trying a Pass Labs or, at lower cost, possibly a Parasound amp to drive the W/P 8's.  What you are looking for is lots of current drive and a smooth top end to balance that tweeter.

 

I use my W/P 7's in a third system so didn't want to break the bank driving them.  Ended up acquiring a used Parasound A21+.  Turns out there is great synergy with a smoother top end and enough drive and transparency to enjoy these vintage speakers.  I'm sure a Pass 250.8 would be even better but at double or triple the cost - so hey make your choice.

Remember the impedance curve of the W/P's dips to near 2 ohms below 100 hz, so the amp must be able to deliver lots of current.  Some amps have a high wattage rating but are NOT at their best into such loads.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

More to discover