Wilson Audio WITT Floorstanding Speakers

Wilson Audio WITT Floorstanding Speakers 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 10  
[Mar 24, 2008]
Anupam
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

These are truly high-end, even at the bottom of the Wilson line. They possess all the audiophile virtues in some measure and can provide enjoyable listening at all volumes. They can also reach astounding volume without distortion. They are also very efficient and can be driven by low power tube amps (I recommend it to take the edge off of most modern digital recordings).

Weakness:

Sheer weight - I had to hire a moving company to transport them to my apartment.

I had been searching for a replacement for my Infinity 4.5s for a long time and thought that only a full range modern electrostatic (alright then, Soundlab A-3, Pristines are what I mean) would be able to do it. I listened to Quads, Magnepans, Apogees, Acoustats, as well as conventional cone driver speakers. Nothing seemed to hit my particular sweet spot. I would try to listen with an open mind, and listen to several different types of music, yet hours later all I would have is doubt about my ears and brain. Then I saw that a scratched up pair of WITTs was being sold by somebody only 40 miles away. I went to audition and it took about an hour to know that these were it. Paradoxically, it was their performance at very low volumes (while we chatted with the owners) that convinced me of their extraordinary character - I had no trouble following the music which came through with almost all the richness and texture intact. I know of no other speaker that could do that, I would lose interest very soon at low volumes. And we were lsitening to a Sony surround-sound receiver in another room with Home Depot type cables!

So I got them, and hooked up a 35 W EL-34 integrated amp - as expected the mdirange and treble were full and lush, but the bass was anemic and loose. Switching to a Counterpoint SA-20 reduced the body but tightened the bass. The speakers are capable of very high volume and energizing the room so placement is very important. They are among the fastest speakers I have ever heard and compete with the electrostatics in that department. The sound is physically palpable, and 3-dimensional. They are very neutral to my ears, neither lean nor overtly warm, but that they may just be the rest of my system.

I have no regret whatsover about not being able to listen to the sweet EMITs and EMIMs in my old Infinitys - those are superb drivers. The WITTs sound as delicate and transparent, but are far better integrated top to bottom.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 19, 2006]
sprbggr
AudioPhile

Strength:

Very natural bass. Very smoothe musical sound.

Weakness:

Very very heavy. Looks a little but plump.

This review is for the Witt2. The Witt2 was always standing in the shadow of the Wilson Puppy loudspeakers. To my opinion this is not correct. The Witt2 has something special in the sound. I has an authority in the bass that the Puppy does not have. Also the Witt2 is less bright than the Puppy. I have the Wilson Witt2 now standing next to the Watt/Puppy 6 and both speakers have their strength. Witt2: Very good natural bass. Very smooth sound which is a little darker than the Puppy. Natural musical sound. Watt/Puppy: Speed and dynamics very good. Also more clear than the Witt but brighter. More transparent than the Witt2. Look wise of course the Puppy looks nicer. But the Witt also looks much better than for example the B&W Nautilus (my wife hates the Nautilus for looks). Well then the sound. I played Diana Krall on the Witt2. Her voice was very clear on the Witt2. Very smooth music. Piano very good. Then switch to Patricia Barber (Cafe Blue, my favorite album). Here the Witt2 is also very very good but not as fast as the Puppy. Playing Phil Collins on the Witt gives also a fantastic natural sound. The male voices were slightly better on the Witt2 but female voices were slightly better on the WP6. Finally it all comes down to preference. I could live with both speakers and both of them are fantastic sounding. No other speaker except a Wilson even comes close to the performance of the Witt2. If you now consider the price at the used market (around 5500 euro in Europe now) the speaker is unbeatable. No other speaker in this price region even comes close to the performance of the Witt2. Of course in high-end audio it all comes down to preference as well but to my opinion the Witt2 is one of the best sounding loudspeakers ever made. If I had to upgrade it would be the Maxx or a Cub2 with Watch Dog (then you have the bass and the transparency). Both the Cub2/Watch Dog and Maxx perform better then a Puppy6/7 but at a high price. Anybody wh wants a truly high-end speaker for a resonable price should consider the Witt2. At the current used price there is not better speaker. Peter

Similar Products Used:

Wilson Watt Puppy 6, B&W Nautilus 802/801, Wilson Cub2, Sonus Faber Amati.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 05, 2002]
Herman Voogd
AudioPhile

Strength:

clarity, openness, drive and speed.

Weakness:

Weight.

The Wilson Audio WITT is a great loudspeaker that really kicks your but. I used the Witt’s wit several Amps in many configurations and find that they are playing very well with my older Krell KSA 80B. But still I was not completely happy with the overall sound, in my opinion a little too much laidback I did a lot of research how the speaker was designed and about the driver-units that are being used in the Witt and Wilsons newer loudspeakers. The midrange is from SEAS and the tweeter from Focal, both units are so could custom made. When I disassembled these driver-units I sow that the modifications made by Wilson are none or only very small adjustments to the original design. So the next step was to see if newer types of SEAS (H571) and Focal (TC120 TD5) units could being used without chancing the electrical and mechanical construction, after a while and listening to several units I did find these two newer driver-units the best and after switching them with the old mid and highs I was really happy with the overall sound. I compared them one to one with the Watt Puppy 6 and in my opinion they are even better now. There is much more clarity, openness, drive and speed in the mid and upper frequency range. For owners of old Wilson Witts,s mark I and II it is an simple modification that is costing you about 500 US $, the units are simple to purchase by the official distributor in your country.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 22, 2002]
Paul Williams
AudioPhile

Strength:

Depth, resolution, soundstage, focus, immaging.

Weakness:

Weight of them, took my friend and I a lot of huffing and puffing to get them in the house!!!

I bought the MKII Witt speakers and having has them for about 3 months now, cannot understand the 1 out of 5 review below as these are the best speakers I have ever heard. My Friend has a pair of £15000 Genesis V speakers and I much prefer the Witts. The tonal balance is amazing, everything sounds REAL. I like Jazz and acoustic music and the first time I heard Eric Bib on these almost had me in tears, he sounded as though he was in the room. The soundastage is huge and very 3 dimensional. There is no smearing and the focus is rasor sharp. I no of no other speaker that offers this amazing resolution without ever sounding bright. I doubt that I will ever sell these as to be honest what could I replace them with?

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 20, 2000]
Lloyd Guiberteau
Audiophile

Strength:

Not too many - maybe at low volumes

Weakness:

Everything

I really wanted to like this speaker. I wanted Wilson's - after trying to get used to them I called the dealer to trade cthem for the Watt Puppy - he just about laughed at me - 3 months old and he will not take them in - I was not happy and thought I would be stuck with the biggest flop of a speaker but Legacy gave me a great deal in a trade for the Whispers - great move on my part - blows away the WAtt/Puppy
which my friend has. If you are thinking about buying these move on.

Similar Products Used:

Martin logan Quest - Legacy Whispers - Eggleston Andras

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Apr 26, 2000]
Charles Catron
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

imaging, depth , fatigue-free listening

Weakness:

ability to play loud, bass articulation, extremely heavy and difficult to move

These are extremely heavy, expensive, good-looking speakers.
I don't regret the purchase at all. I have the best sounding stereo that I have ever had at moderate listening
levels. However, this is not a "party" speaker. Do not
believe that it is bullet-proof. At my Bachelor party a couple of years ago crankin' "Hells Bells" was too much for
the Witts and I blew a resistor fuse. This required a house
call from my local stereo dealer and a soldering iron to replace the fuse ( the crossover assembly had to be removed
to affect repair). Since then I have had no problems but I
haven't been as liberal with the volume control either. I don't believe this is a speaker designed to play loud. If
you like to crank it up, go with Klipsch or another more
durable design.

System:
Threshold Fet Ten e
Threshold DAC 1 e
Mark Levinson No. 37
Threshold T400

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch Heresy, Klipsch CF-3

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Sep 09, 2001]
Dave McDuff
Audiophile

Strength:

Imaging, focus, dynamics (micro and macro), quality of finish, customer service

Weakness:

Weight, blown resistors

I have had these speakers nearly 2 years now and I absolutely love them. They are the absolute best sounding speakers for the money of any I have auditioned. The bass is tight and punchy, the mid's are clear and also quite extended the high's are accurate and pristine, if a little bright.

I've read the posts below and I too have also had to get the resistors replaced. I must have blew them after the first couple of weeks. I also blew a "woofer" believe it or not, but I believe it was a defect since the replacement has been through much worse punishment and haven't complained at all.

Contrary to what you read in these other reviews, I find these speakers do play EXTREMELY loud and clear without any problems at all. I'm using a Mark Levinson 334 AMP (250 WATT RMS) and I can reach the limits of the AMP before the speaker starts complaining.

The speakers sound great at all volume levels, from quite background music to first-row center stage level at a rock-concert level.

My only complaint is the weight. My god these things will kill you if you have to go up a level or two of stairs. My buddy and I were moving these speakers from my moving van, down the ramp, through the house, down the basement's curved staircase and nearly died after we were done. Get these speakers installed.

Similar Products Used:

PMC IB1-s, Revel Salon

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 01, 1999]
Joe Buck
an Audiophile

Heard the Witts at Stereophile show in SF in 1997. For the limited time I was "allowed" to audition these speakers, I was impressed. Of course they were front ended by the ARC Reference preamp and Krell FPB amp which could probably make RS Minimus 7's sound great. My local Wilson dealer poo poos this speaker. They push the Watt Puppys which also sound pretty good for a box speaker. As far as Wilson speakers being the pinnacle of acoustic reproduction, I don't think so but the Witts sounded damn good. I would not buy them just for the way I and thousands of other people were treated at that show. I was not important enough to be granted an audition of the Whams and only got to hear the Witts for about 3 minutes before being rushed out of the room so they could annoint the next group of sheep. There are other speakers at half the Wilson price points that sound as good or better (Thiel, Snell, B&W, Magnepan, Avalon to name a few).

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
[Jan 12, 2001]
Robert
Audiophile

Strength:

Everything.. at low volume levels until you upgrade the fuses located behind a panel on the bottom. (see review summary.)

Weakness:

HEAVY!!!! Moving these speakers into my home was quite interesting.

I have had these speakers for about 3 weeks until I had blown the resistor fuses... Called Wilson Audio and they sent the updated higher wattage pkg. without any charge. I love these speakers and would recommend them to anyone.
I rate these speakers with the updated resistor fuse pkg.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan Quest

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 30, 1999]
Lou
Audiophile

Strength:

Pinpoint imaging, unparralled dynamics, accurate, sound almost magical.

Weakness:

Very few. Require set up. Won't work in a bright room (i.e. hardwood floors, lots of windows, etc.).

While working part time for a high end audio store in the Seattle area, I had a chance to listen to numerous speakers from $1K to $68K. Only a few speakers, regardless of the price, have the magic. I heard the magic in the B&W Silver Signatures, I heard it in the Dunlavy SCIVs, I heard it in the Watt/Puppies, and I heard it in the $68,000 Wilsons. Other than the big Wilsons, the others missed something. Either they would'nt play loud, lacked low end, or sounded too lean. The WITTs however, had it all. And for less money than the others. If you plan to buy Watt/Puppies, give the WITTs a listen. They sound very similar, but I prefer to bass of the WITT. They are easier to listen to, and to set up.
Best used buy out there at roughly $6000.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 801 Series III
ADS 1090
KEF 104/2

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 10  

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