@mtdining "
Hifi companies break down into two distinct groups - those who invest primarily in marketing like B&W and those who invest primarily in R&D like Wilson Audio. Wilson has sold far more speakers than all the others combined because they make superior products."
This is one of the most false statements I have read in a long time. However, I'm open to being proven wrong so if you have credible data to support these claims please provide it. It is inconceivable that Wilson sells more speakers than B&W. I suppose it's possible that their gross sales are higher than B&W because their speakers are so expensive but I seriously doubt it. Again, please provide independent sales figures if you're going to make these claims.
It's almost just as inconceivable that Wilson's R&D budget is larger than B&W's. B&W has a history of developing new technologies on a huge number of speaker models but again, if you can provide data to support your claim, please do so.
Regarding the OP, my guess is that B&W has made a marketing decision to not compete in the megabuck speaker market. First and foremost they have to think about their dealers and whether or not a six figure product would fit in with their retail model. It's also an issue of branding. B&W has always stood for high performance/high value. Ultra high end gear requires a different level of customer and dealer service and companies like Wilson have set a very high standard.
I've heard several of the top end B&W speakers and I've also heard 4 Wilson models, all of which cost multiples of the 800 D3. I don't happen to like the sound of the big Wilsons but the top B&W's would definitely be on my short list. It's a matter of taste. But both companies have been successful by optimizing their own business models and they both deserve credit.
This is one of the most false statements I have read in a long time. However, I'm open to being proven wrong so if you have credible data to support these claims please provide it. It is inconceivable that Wilson sells more speakers than B&W. I suppose it's possible that their gross sales are higher than B&W because their speakers are so expensive but I seriously doubt it. Again, please provide independent sales figures if you're going to make these claims.
It's almost just as inconceivable that Wilson's R&D budget is larger than B&W's. B&W has a history of developing new technologies on a huge number of speaker models but again, if you can provide data to support your claim, please do so.
Regarding the OP, my guess is that B&W has made a marketing decision to not compete in the megabuck speaker market. First and foremost they have to think about their dealers and whether or not a six figure product would fit in with their retail model. It's also an issue of branding. B&W has always stood for high performance/high value. Ultra high end gear requires a different level of customer and dealer service and companies like Wilson have set a very high standard.
I've heard several of the top end B&W speakers and I've also heard 4 Wilson models, all of which cost multiples of the 800 D3. I don't happen to like the sound of the big Wilsons but the top B&W's would definitely be on my short list. It's a matter of taste. But both companies have been successful by optimizing their own business models and they both deserve credit.