Wilson Maxx3 vs Avalon Isis

Hi Rob,

Yes indeed I have read both articles. Thanks.

I auditioned the Isis again yesterday and for fun brought my Lamm ML2.1 SET amps (18w) along. Not surprisingly, the Lamm was insufficient power for complex music. However, when we cranked up the pre-amp (Ayre KX-R) all the way to within 80%-90% of the maximun, the Lamm was as loud as the Ayre MX-R (a 300 watter), and harmonically richer even though bass was flabby. And on simple vocals, there was no comparison..Lamm ML2.1's did better. Obviously, driving the Lamm this hard will shorten tube life, and not recommended. But the Isis dealer took his hats off to a 18W SET.

After two rounds of listening, I feel the Isis has a lot of potential, but associated equipment need to be well matched as well as top rate in order to bring out the true magic of these speakers.

Hi, Kurt_tank:

I have owned maxx 2's and now maxx 3's. They are pretty different speakers with the maxx 3 having more beauty, more resolution, more coherance, wider deeper stage and (much) more transparency.

Janeb: certainly everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I would never chartacterize the Wilsons as slow...really any model. I have a good fried in Dallas, with Dali Megalines with 6 foot ribbon tweeters as point of comparison. Wilson still has state of the are treble, regardless of the "time of technology" they are currently using. The new Maxx 3 is really close to the Alexandria series 1. It's really the comparison to make on this speaker...

Alectiong: If you have Lamm ML2.1's the Maxx 3's are much easier to drive than the Maxx 2's I owned the Maxx 2's and now have Max 3's. My Lamm ML2.1's didn't cut it on my Maxx 2's, but they work much easier with the Maxx 3's.

Drag your Lamm's to a Wilson dealer that has Maxx 3's.

I never cared for either the synergy of the Goldmund and surely not the boring Pass gear with Wilson Speakers. If you want smoother sounding solid state Theta Citadel's (more transparent and limitless current for bass control) or Ayre MXR (warmer on top, less on bottom) If you feel Wilson speakers are hifi sounding you should look upstream at the gear powering it, if you don't have the patience to pick gear that's synergistic buy another speaker.

The Maxx 3's are more similar sounding to X2.2's than to Maxx 2's.

Enjoy your listening sessions while making your decision, whatever works for your ears is what's best for you.

Hi all,
With full respect, both the Maxx 3 and Isis are both GREAT speakers. They cater to different personal preferences.
At the end, I went for the Isis for my own taste.
Thanks for all your opinions.
alec

Alectiong: Congrats on the Upgrade!
Are you keeping your Lamm ML2.1's to power the Isis or changing amps? Just curious?