Wilson audio Maxx best amp match???

The Wilson speakers have always been friendly to tubes; if you look at what Wilson employees are using, expect to see tubes.

Its a good idea to have an amplifier with some power behind it. The larger ARCs, CAT, Manley as well as our own amplifiers get plenty of use on the MAXXs. I recommend something with at least 150 watts for best results, but it should be an amplifier built with the best intentions possible- the MAXX is a great speaker and it will easily show off limitations in the amplification. If you deal with that properly, you will have an outstanding setup.

I am using Krell late 90's gear and B&W N802's, I have to say that even though I have never been a huge Wilson fan. One of the most convincing systems I ever heard was years ago at Chicago dealer who at the time had Wilson WP 3's and all Spectral (I think it was just a 250w stereo amp). I was listening to Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture done by the Cincinnati orchestra (Tel Arc-CD) and it was unbelievable and blown away. It always stayed in my mind as a great match with the Wilson's, I then heard the MAXX and WP at Progressive Audio in Ohio a few years later and was very disappointed and they were using all Krell with them.

Unless you're using any of the High-quality tube amps (like the Lamms), Passlabs should certainly be given a listen.

I was friends with a Wilson dealer in a medium-sized city, and he hosted several Wilson-sponsored open house events. After the presentation/demo, they would just play music for the rest of the evening, first using the solid state amp they'd done the demo's with, and then after a while they'd hook up a tube amp. It was interesting to observe the room empty out when the solid state amp was in play, and the fill back up when the tube amp was hooked up. I'm not sure people were aware of the change in amplification, but evidently they were hearing a change for the better with the tubes. The solid state amps were more expensive than the tube amps, just for the record.

Not saying this trend would necessarily apply to all tube amps or all solid state amps, but to address at least part of the original question, tubes can work quite well on various model Wilsons, including the MAXX.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer

Atma-Sphere MA2
ARC Ref 210
Berning Quadrature Z