wilson grand slamm vs. maxx2

Thank you for the detailed response. I will have to experiment in my room to know for sure. I know the Watchdog is an absolute necessity in my room with the WP7s. I am sure it will add in any environment, but at what price is the question. More importantly I would suggest in certain rooms the optimum speaker placement would limit true bass but improve imaging, necesitating the use of a subwoofer or 2 subs. I love this hobby / obsession

All very excellent questions

First...

I have an XS which has been in my system since I owned the X-1's several years ago.

Mine is an integrated 2 channel/multichannel and HT system.

I used the XS for music and hometheater only to find that with the X-1 and now the X-2 this is completely unnecessary.
I continue to use the XS with my HT for LFE

As for the MAXX ll...if it is purely for music, and, depending on the type of music you like, as well as how loud you play, in all hionesty the MAXX ll is a magnificent speaker for the money. It is a close call for me to say that the X-1 is superior except to say that it throws a larger soundstage. In our audio club I have the X-2, and other members have the X-1 series lll and MAXX ll. The member with the MAXX ll does use the WOWW sub and his sytem is superb. The member with the X-1 has 2 Watchdogs as well as an XS and his sytem seems less defined than the MAXX ll.

It is all what you are after and how you want to use your subwoofer. As I stated, my XS is now only for LFE in my HT. I think if you went with the X-1, there are great deals to be had now as well as a Series 5 upgrade that brings it very close to the X-2. If you are using it for music only as I have stated, I did not use a sub in my system.

Onbobgyn,

Do you ever find that the Maxx IIs need more bass? How does the bass between the X-1 & the Maxx II compare in terms of integration with the complete sonic spectrum, quality of bass reproduction, and finally the extension. Is the X-1 superior. Would you use a subwoofer w. Maxx IIs, let alone the X-1s or X-2s??. The mides & treble of course are very different between the X-2 & Maxx II as compared to the X-1. For me this is critical in determining which speaker to purchase. For others the Bass can be more important.

Having owned literally all of the Wilson line except for the WAMM I feel that I can safely comment. I did own MAXX land found them not to my liking however the MAXX ll for the money is perhaps the best speaker in that price range. It is so good that the X-1 became obsolete with the new X-2 (which I own and will never replace as IMO it is the finest speaker that I have ever heard)and the MAXX ll. It does have much of the X-2 technology and at 1/3 the price it is a truly exceptional speaker. There are good deals to be found in the resale market with X-1's as a result and as Opticltee has found it puts him quickly into the high end until he gets his X-2's.

A member of our Audio club has the MAXX ll and we always marvel a how good they sound.

Hi Muratc,

From what I understand the Maxx2 uses nearly the same technology as the X-2's, so I would have to agree with you with a couple caveats. One it does not produce the degree of bass I would like with my home theater setup. Two, I am getting a really good deal on my X1 S3's, so the new Maxx2's would cost me more. Actually if I could afford Maxx2's new I would go ahead and just wait until I could scrape together the money for the X-2's. I think the X-2's replaced the X-1's and the Maxx2's are a less expensive alternative to get more people into Wilson's at a more affordable price. It's got to be a hard sell to get people to pay the cost of a high end luxury car for a pair of speakers, but now just about every non-economy car is 40g's to 50g's.

I prefer to by-pass the Maxx's and if and when I can ever afford the X-2 I will move my X-1's into the rear position. I think I will be very happy with my first set of Wilson speakers being the X-1 Series 3's and I'm really excited to receive them. Maybe someday if it looks really far out for the X-2's I'll get the Maxx2's for surround speakers.

Chris,

As you know I am getting the Maxx IIs shortly. I have been advised by a good friend to keep my Sub to go w. the Maxx II. I was hoping to sell it to help fund the Maxx II but have instead decided to keep it & test it. I tried my WP7s again with & without sub. I am spoiled but I can't live without the Sub. Whouldn't you say that the Maxx II is better integrated than the X-1 and is more musical??? I am partial to the added warmth of the Maxx II. The X-1 series 5 was interesting but not for the money.

The Watchdog sub has the same port arrangement as the X-2. The Maxx II does not.

I heard the Maxx IIs several times & the bass was incredible. It is difficult to imagine needing more, but my room is big enough so I will try it. With my sub in my room I can overload it. If I feel the sub isn't needed I will then sell it. I just might keep it for home theatre. On a final point, the X-2 sounded incredibly life like, more so than any speaker I have ever heard.

IMO, Maxx2 is sonically better than X-1 and is very close to X-2 at 1/3 price. So my suggestion is to go with the Maxx2. Plus X-1's are not being produced anymore so it's not a wise move to invest in them.

Chris,
Glad to hear that. I am in the process of purchasing a pair of X-1 S3's. I got the advice from OB here on Audiogon, I was thinking of purchasing the S2 to save some money, but until I can afford the X-2 I think the S3 will make me very happy. Your opinion is great because I plan on using them for home theater as well as two channel.
Todd

The Gram Slamms X-1 Genn III's have more and faster bass, taller soundstage, more forward top end whereas the maxx II's have a warmer top end. I was pretty amazed as I would be able to sell my Watch Dog II Sub since the bass is faster and has more volumn from the pair of X-1's.

I just listened to them last weekend at my dealer that has them posted for sale (Esoteric Audio)and I have compared them to my dealers Maxx II's. For Movies the Maxx II's need a sub where as the X-1's made the three neighboring business compain because of the impact!

Right now the X-1 Gen III are a bargain compared to the Maxx II's since all the owners are upgarding to X-2's.

Chris