jkalman
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Watt Puppy 8 Review
Kal Rubinson
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Huzzah!

I drove around Stamford CT trying to find a store that might already have a copy, no such luck. They only had the old issue at HES... My mail order copy always comes after it is in stores, yet Elusive Disc teased me with the cover of this elusive issue in their weekly newsletter. I gots the blues (not to be confused with Blue's Clues, who is a dog of a similar color to those Puppies on this month's cover).

Mine arrived today, so watch your mailbox.

Kal

Jim Tavegia
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Mine came today as well (Monday). My 12 year old son, Nick, ever on the spot knowing how Dad loves his Phile.

jkalman
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Mine didn't. Perhaps my mailman is reading it.

I even stopped by another magazine store on the way to pick up Thai Food in Stamford... No such luck. This is what I get for living in the boondocks of NY. At least if I lived over the border in CT I would get cheaper taxes and my magazine subscriptions on time (they all seem to arrive around a week late, come to think of it)!

Elk
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Today (Monday) for me, too.

CECE
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Cheaper taxes in CT? Where when? Don't they even make you pay a tax on the value of the car every year, eeessshhh, what's up wit dat?

jkalman
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Cheaper taxes in CT? Where when? Don't they even make you pay a tax on the value of the car every year, eeessshhh, what's up wit dat?

That they do, but it would still be much much much cheaper for me... I believe it is a $1000 per extra car. My town's taxes are set to ludicrous speed for anyone whose home was built in more recent years.

They are about to go up again as well... We put in a pool and the tax inspector has been stalking us. It's ok though, I know a lawyer who is a genius at getting them lowered to more reasonable levels. Reasonable for where I live, over the border in New Canaan it is still cheaper taxes by far.

showflash
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Happy Birthday!

You will like the review, it is a full review.

jkalman
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Happy Birthday!

You will like the review, it is a full review.

Thanks!

jkalman
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Guess what my present is?

I found a buyer for my B&W 802Ds, and he is paying for them today! God couldn't have given me anything better, except everlasting serenity.

If everything works out, I'll have payed off my new WP8s by Thursday or Friday instead of next month. It will still be a couple of weeks until they are ready though (they are still undergoing the build process). Then it is a matter of scheduling a date for the dealer to come out and voice them.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

jkalman
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I still didn't get my issue yet...

The guy did decide to buy my speakers after listening to them though, not that I had doubts at the price I was asking.

showflash
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Hey Jeff,

Is there any way you could measure the exact thickness of the Steinway felt on the front of the W/P8 speaker and report back? And can you tell me if the felt color changes with the paint scheme or is it always black?

Just curious, what is the color of your set of W/P8?

How many days did it take for you to sell your B&W 802Ds and did you list them online anywhere?

Thanks!

jkalman
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Hey Jeff,

Is there any way you could measure the exact thickness of the Steinway felt on the front of the W/P8 speaker and report back? And can you tell me if the felt color changes with the paint scheme or is it always black?

Just curious, what is the color of your set of W/P8?

How many days did it take for you to sell your B&W 802Ds and did you list them online anywhere?

Thanks!

Mine are still being built as far as I know. I ordered them in Titan Red. I'll certainly post the info when I get them in the next two to three weeks. If it is any help, the felt was black on the WP8s at HES, and those were Titan Red.

I listed my 802Ds on Audiogon. It took around two weeks.

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Titan Red. Cool!

Make sure you post some pictures in the gallery! I'm sure everyone would like to see them.

http://forum.stereophile.com/photopost/

jkalman
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I ordered my grills in black as well. I'm not sure if that effects the felt at all.

jkalman
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Titan Red. Cool!

Make sure you post some pictures in the gallery! I'm sure everyone would like to see them.

http://forum.stereophile.com/photopost/

My current room is posted there, I put pictures up yesterday. When I get the WP8s set up by the gentlemanly salesperson whom will voice them for me, I will take pictures and switch the old ones out.

Of course, don't hold your breath... You probably won't see me posting on here for quite some time after I get them. I'm sure you understand.

Perhaps I will make an exception and try to post them as he sets them up. I foresee a long hibernation period setting in, as I run through almost all the music I own. Perhaps more than twice!

I'll have to add them to my AVS HT thread as well, so I guess I'll post here and there, and finally update my Audiogon All Out Assault thread with pictures (it currently just shows a picture of the room schematics) as well before I disappear into my audio tomb. After all, they say delayed gratification is healthy, but it never made me feel any better.

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Of course, don't hold your breath... You probably won't see me posting on here for quite some time after I get them. I'm sure you understand.

We can only hope! This would be the best news of all!

Enjoy your speakers! Come back some time next year and let us know what you think of them.

jkalman
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Quote:
Of course, don't hold your breath... You probably won't see me posting on here for quite some time after I get them. I'm sure you understand.

We can only hope! This would be the best news of all!

Enjoy your speakers! Come back some time next year and let us know what you think of them.

Ladies and gentlemen, the dealer I didn't buy my Watt Puppies from...

Really though, what you posted was fraught with possible duplicity. I'm not quite sure how you meant it!

Elk
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Sorry!

I meant only that it would be great that if you are so happy that you can do nothing else but listen to your new speakers.

jkalman
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Sorry!

I meant only that it would be great that if you are so happy that you can do nothing else but listen to your new speakers.

Heheh, I was hoping so. I thought that was the case, because your emoticon didn't have an obnoxious pairing, but you never know.

jkalman
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I got my issue finally today. Loved the WP8 article. I'm definitely going to keep an eye on that 100-200 Hz range in my room when mine are being set up. I'll also be sure to take plenty of ETF measurements at the time of voicing for my own entertainment and sense of ease.

I'm always impressed by the eloquence of the writing at Stereophile and how consistently the reviewers "nail" qualities of the equipment they review, especially recently with this WP8 review, the Ayre MX-Rs (as well as the K-1xe's in this latest issue as well!), and the 802Ds, among others. I admit I am being a little unfair in choosing the reviews I mentioned, because they are all components I own, owned, or with the WP8s, have on order and demoed recently, not because I'm intentionally picking or excluding any of the reviewers.

The reviews, both technical and subjective are extremely helpful. It is a wise balance. It is enjoyable to have a magazine around whose reviewers' experiences coincide so much with my own experiences of the equipment I purchase. That is why I am a subscriber and keep coming back for more. I can depend on what I read.

Monty
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Yup, nobody can tell you what to like. But, they can tell you how something sounds.

jkalman
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Yup, nobody can tell you what to like. But, they can tell you how something sounds.

So true, so true.

It is also true about the polarization of opinions concerning Wilson speakers as well. I'm glad Wes Phillips mentioned that. It bothered me for a long time that I might be perceived a certain way for buying them, or even liking them, especially since I like hanging out at the AVS Forum where people can sometimes get pretty judgemental about these kinds of things (though I haven't been posting there much anymore except on my HT construction thread).

I finally said screw it. I already took a lot of flack for owning the 802Ds for the last year and a half, and I absolutely love how the WP8s sound... Why torture myself.

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I've only heard two speakers from the Wilson line; the Duette and the Alexandria. That was enough to tell me what speakers I'm going to end up with at some point.

jkalman
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I've only heard two speakers from the Wilson line; the Duette and the Alexandria. That was enough to tell me what speakers I'm going to end up with at some point.

I felt the same way when I heard the WP7s. I went to a dealer to demo the Ayre C-5xe and heard them there... I was ruined from the moment I heard the Doors, "Love Street" on the all Ayre system through the WP7s. I like the 8s even more, they are more lush sounding in comparison, among other things. The 7s seemed a little drier if that is the right terminology; it seemed to be a more noticable difference in the highend frequencies, but it has been over a year since I last heard them and I think Wes nailed how time can make mountains into mole hills with these speakers. In any case, I loved them then, and I love them even more now in their newer incarnation. They had a profound impact on my sense of what kind of illusions highend audio can create.

I spent a little bit of time thinking that perhaps I could find the perfect speaker, but after studying room acoustics on my own and overseeing/directing the building of my HT room, I realized how futile that pursuit really was. Even if you find the perfect FR, you then have room modes and acoustic coupling to alter the integrity of the signal (among other things). Not to mention the materials used in making the speaker, the drivers, crossovers, etc, other components in the system. It is just too much to ever find perfect integrity. Ultimately, it is a matter of finding a balance and pursuing what I enjoy for my own pleasure, more than trying to find the most authentic reproduction of the sound, as that kind of perfection just isn't possible and I would be dooming myself to endless component/speaker/room switching instead of just enjoying the music.

Don't get me wrong. I admire the position reviewers are in, as they can draw from a vast resorvoir of personal experience with all the items they get to review (though, I wonder if they have to limit the time they spend with equipment they love a tiny bit more than others just to maintain an air of non-bias). I just can't afford to get new speakers as often as their vocations allow them to experience new things, and it would be destructive to my family financially to keep switchng components (LOL), as my wife would really appreciate me repaying her with some exotic vacations for her compassionate understanding of my audio pursuits.

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