The speakers that cost £200,000 a pair

[Richard Allen]

Just read wilson audio web site. Equally little info on the performance of the speakers. Nothing about thier accuracy/fidelity. The amplitude frequency responce is specified but there is no graph and it is not stated at what spl it is or what distortion levels so meaningless...

Now that is a very good point. It does make you wonder if the XLF's have a frequency response that's as disappointing as the Maxx 3's, which I think have a disapointingly coloured response for high end speakers.

The XLF is a completely different animal. These speakers are incredible. The only problem as with all large speakers is whether you can get far enough away from them to appreciate their qualities. In most rooms in this country I have my doubts.

 

[lindsayt]

Just read wilson audio web site. Equally little info on the performance of the speakers. Nothing about thier accuracy/fidelity. The amplitude frequency responce is specified but there is no graph and it is not stated at what spl it is or what distortion levels so meaningless...

Now that is a very good point. It does make you wonder if the XLF's have a frequency response that's as disappointing as the Maxx 3's, which I think have a disapointingly coloured response for high end speakers.

The XLF is a completely different animal. These speakers are incredible. The only problem as with all large speakers is whether you can get far enough away from them to appreciate their qualities. In most rooms in this country I have my doubts.

How do we know the XLF is a completely different animal when it comes to having a neutral tonal balance / frequency response? Where are the measurements?

If the XLF's are incredible and are a completely different animal to the Maxx 3's does this imply that the Maxx 3's are less than incredible? The Maxx 3's cost $68,000.

The Maxx 3's do have a measured +4db peak at 60hz and a -4 db trough at 150hz which I don't think can be fully explained by the nearfield measuring technique. Especially when "While the responses taken with the MAXX 3 set up for Michael's listening position differed in the fine detail, they weren't substantively different from the response shown in fig.3" (the nearfield measurements). The expression "1 note bass" comes to mind with the Maxx 3's. This is a common enough affliction with ported speakers. The XLF's are also ported, but with larger drivers than the Maxx 3's.

I find that nearfield frequency response measurements are a very good guide for predicting the subjective tonal balance for speakers.

I'm sure that the Wilson XLF's are good enough for many people to describe them as incredible. I think it'd be interesting to find out if they are more incredible overall than other speakers? I'm thinking of other speakers that can be bought for £500 to £6000. Electrostatics, large sealed boxes, large corner horns.