Gizmodo Visit With Mikey

[MylesBAstor]

I like MF's room, it's pretty awesome actually. Wish mine was full of LPs like his... I'm only up to 2000 or so...

Dallasjustice,

I'm sure you'll know MF owns just about every equipment that is in those pictures. Including the new $200k XLF that came after the pictures were taken. So there goes your argument...

As for "big speakers in small rooms", the first time I actually enjoyed a Wilson speaker was in Steve's room. In big rooms, they lack bass. So, maybe MF is actually getting better bass in his tiny room that some people with huge rooms, even with the 200Hz dip.

All that to say that you simply can't thrown generalizations out there... You think his room is a mess, sure, some people don't like that kind of "lived in" look (I do, love it actually). But to generalize that every review's room would be like that (or worse) is just wrong.

Myles' room is pretty tidy and organized, quite a feat given the size of your typical Manhattan apartments! If I lived there, I'd have to throw stuff out so people could get in

alexandre

Thanks Alex! I'll show that to Heidi the next time she complains!!!

 

[mep]

Mark,

IMHO unfortunately bringing Steve to this thread was a poor move. I respect his approach, enjoy a lot reading about his system, room and experiences, but IMHO his and MF priorities on sound reproduction are very different. Having people who NEVER HAVE BEEN in both rooms debating their respective attitudes seems an absurd nonsense. Although room treatment and big speakers is a subject I would like to debate I am now out, as the debate is becoming too personal.

Look, the only reason I brought Steve's room into this thread was because of the blanket statements Dallas made with regards to small rooms and room nodes that arise from them. He proclaimed his ability to tell how a room would sound from a picture. Steve is facing some of the same issues that MF has and that is a relatively small room with big Wilson speakers sitting next to the room boundaries that Dallas was telling people would damage the sound. So since he was trashing MF's room, I was curious as to what he thought about Steve's room.

 

[andy_c]

04/15/09....?

This one is a little newer (08/01/12):

View attachment 14257

LOL. That looks like the cover of Thelonious Monk Underground.

 

[puroagave]

For once, a piece that doesn't trash audiophiles.

instead a thread by audiophiles trashing a fellow 'phile...sometims theres no mercy on WBF and I wont claim to know what Mikey's room sounds like or entertain a guess.

im a recovering OCD tidy freak that married a clutter type of gal, in fact our house is in a constant state of clutter, dominated by our kids projects both school and hobby related which makes our living space look like a elementary school classroom at times - its all good. In mikey's case its also his work space and man cave. to me it looks like the kind of space you'd want to spend hours lost in music.

 

[JackD201]

I'm a clutter kind of guy who married a recovering OCD tidy gal.

From experience, you can only tell so much from room measurements by looking at them as far as correlation to ultimate sound quality goes. You have to have been in it when the measurements were taken for them to be of the most use.

 

[jeromelang]

His room looks like trash though Myles. His wife and/or guests probably don't set foot in there

I'll trade a perfectionist's room just for those records lying everywhere on that floor in Mikey's room.

 

[DaveyF]

Looking at Fremer's room in these pictures and video, it reminds me of the guy who I visited recently who had over 100K LP's in his Living room. Not too much room to walk around and very little room to sit down, LOL.
What occurs to me is IF Fremer's BIG XLF's are pleasing to him in this space, what would he think of them in a larger....shall we say "more appropriate" size room. I'm a BIG proponent for sizing the speaker to the available
real estate one has in one's room....By looking at Fremer's room, I would have to say that he isn't a disciple of this way of thinking, LOL.

 

[cjfrbw]

I'll trade a perfectionist's room just for those records lying everywhere on that floor in Mikey's room.

Yeah, it reminds me I need to get a vinyl copy of "Hot Rats".

 

[TheMadMilkman]

What occurs to me is IF Fremer's BIG XLF's are pleasing to him in this space, what would he think of them in a larger....shall we say "more appropriate" size room. I'm a BIG proponent for sizing the speaker to the available
real estate one has in one's room....By looking at Fremer's room, I would have to say that he isn't a disciple of this way of thinking, LOL.

I seem to recall reading that some of the design choices in the XLF (port can be switched from front to rear, some of the adjustable resistors, etc.) were devised to help the speakers work in smaller areas. This was particularly important for sales in Asia, where rooms are generally smaller than here in the US. It's quite possible that they're perfectly at home in MF's room.

 

[DaveyF]

I seem to recall reading that some of the design choices in the XLF (port can be switched from front to rear, some of the adjustable resistors, etc.) were devised to help the speakers work in smaller areas. This was particularly important for sales in Asia, where rooms are generally smaller than here in the US. It's quite possible that they're perfectly at home in MF's room.

Perhaps, perhaps not. I would think that even IF they do work in Fremer's room....they would work a heck of a lot better in a much larger room.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Perhaps, perhaps not. I would think that even IF they do work in Fremer's room....they would work a heck of a lot better in a much larger room.

And you know that big speakers in a smaller room can work better because you're sitting closer and don't have to deal with as many room reflections? In fact, more direct over indirect sound? Kind of like big headphones if you please.

What I don't get here is not only are people criticizing Mikey not having heard the speakers but Wilson Audio also. Don't you think, A) Wilson would have told him that they wouldn't work and B) Wilson wouldn 't have set them up optimally in Mikey's room. So basically people are calling Wilson idiots too. And as I said before, Mikey is far from an idiot, no matter what people here think and wouldn't permanently install a speaker in his room that wouldn't work. Not to mention, Mikey could have his pick of speakers installed in that room. In the end, he chose the XLFs.

It's too bad that Debby isn't around and could get her Dad just to comment on the use of the big speaker in smaller size rooms. After all, it isn't just Asia that tends to have small rooms, but basically much of the rest of the world including Europe.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Food fight.

I won't say what this room must sound like, because no matter how much we can actually know...yes, know...from looking at pictures of this room, any disclosure of applicable information will only bring out the lame "you haven't heard it, your comments are null and void" argument. Which is, of course, just a slightly more sophisticated version of sticking your fingers in your ears and repeating "Jesus, Mary, Joseph" until the offending words fade to digital black.

This, however, I can say with confidence -- that room is a chaotic symphony of unplanned diffusers and absorbers. It's about as strategic as a 5-year-old at a birthday party. It might sound great, but if it does, that's a complete freaking accident. This is the high priest of high end? People actually take this guy seriously? That's unfortunate.

Tim

 

[Gregadd]

Moreover Myles I wonder if Dallasjustice had a discussion of how much of Steve's money went to purchase the Wilson's?
Edit Certainly if Mikey where lining his pockets with the profits of corrupt reviews he could afford a bigger Manjattan apartment.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Did Dallas accuse Mikey of lining his pockets with corrupt reviews? Juicy! I guess I'll have to re-read this thread; all I saw was reasons why that room can't possibly be adequate for evaluating gear, particularly big speakers. On the take is much more interesting. Could you point me to a post?

Tim

 

[JackD201]

Moreover Myles I wonder if Dallasjustice had a discussion of how much of Steve's money went to purchase the Wilson's?
Edit Certainly if Miley where lining his pockets with the profits of corrupt reviews he could afford a bigger Manjattan apartment.

Gotta cut back on watching that Wrecking Ball video Reginald.

 

[Gregadd]

Try post 50,

 

[JackD201]

Huh? Miley Cyrus, Wrecking Ball, naked Miley on a Wrecking Ball music video, you're Mikey into Miley typo....never mind.

 

[still-one]

I'd give up the hobby if I had to spend my time listening in a room maintained like that. That is even worse than the photo I have seen of Ken Kessler's room.

I am sure it sounds great because the XLF's are flexible in their set-up. I would have to keep my eyes closed and that isn;t going to happen.

 

[still-one]

The island of Manhattan is still the most expensive real estate on the planet. I see no evidence that room treatment manufacturers are any less generous to reviewers. Finally room treatment takes up space. A problem for one already cramped for space.

Manhattan is far from the most expensive real estate on earth.

 

[Gregadd]

Huh? Miley Cyrus, Wrecking Ball, naked Miley on a Wrecking Ball music video, you're Mikey into Miley typo....never mind.

Sorry Jack.Now I get it. The reference was for Tim.