after years and years of auditioning wilson speakers, i have come to the conclusion that it is wisest NOT to compare them to other speakers. their designs, sonic attributes, and price points rarely coincide with what other loudspeaker companies are trying to acheive with THEIR products. i strongly feel that you need to buy the right amplification, preamp, wire, and cdp (the exception being perhaps turntables) along with the wilsons (whenever you can financially swing it). your room might (let's face it, probably) will also need some work before the dealer/installer can set them up for your listening position. also be aware that truly lousy recordings should be moved to the attic/basement- they will sound icky (i have eggleston andra's, a more forgiving speaker, but i will not listen to old rock and roll cd's on them just to end up hating the band- and it wasn't really their fault, it was supposed to sound "ok" back in '68 on a pioneer system, and it did. but not anymore.)
wilson's are an audio religion where you are obligated to bring the music into ever-sharper focus. the aesthetic experience is re-defined as eliminating any/all forms of distortion or veils between the listener and a performance that was recorded using great equipment by an engineer that wants you to hear every musician, not just the "cello section". if you missed the composer's "idea" while concentrating on these sonic details, perhaps it's not the main reason you put the cd on in the first place. if you picked up on that too, obviously that's great. BUT, after reading harry pearson's article on cd's he feels are recorded properly in the latest absolute sound, i am astounded by the specificity he employs in picking and choosing, not just the cd, but which movement, or even PART of a movement that sounds "right" and "true". clearly he is, while writing for the magazine, also dissecting this section and that, to satisfy in his own mind where someone "messed up" but then somewhere else, perhaps for the last 5 minutes of track 6, came "close" to the absolute sound. one cd was from a movie soundtrack for moses's sake, and had no musical value at all...
wilson's are an audio religion where you are obligated to bring the music into ever-sharper focus. the aesthetic experience is re-defined as eliminating any/all forms of distortion or veils between the listener and a performance that was recorded using great equipment by an engineer that wants you to hear every musician, not just the "cello section". if you missed the composer's "idea" while concentrating on these sonic details, perhaps it's not the main reason you put the cd on in the first place. if you picked up on that too, obviously that's great. BUT, after reading harry pearson's article on cd's he feels are recorded properly in the latest absolute sound, i am astounded by the specificity he employs in picking and choosing, not just the cd, but which movement, or even PART of a movement that sounds "right" and "true". clearly he is, while writing for the magazine, also dissecting this section and that, to satisfy in his own mind where someone "messed up" but then somewhere else, perhaps for the last 5 minutes of track 6, came "close" to the absolute sound. one cd was from a movie soundtrack for moses's sake, and had no musical value at all...