I agree that it takes tremendous commitment and cash to make a new product like this, but I have never been a fan of this type of marketing.
I am sure dealers and manufacturers like excitement. I loathe surprises and excitement and I love spoilers. Just give me the goods. I'm not interested in games.
and where, do you suppose, that the revenue stream comes from to fuel products like these?
it's an investment that has to have a payoff. bypassing the marketing opportunity to satisfy wankers like us is not intelligent. Wilson did not become Wilson by being stupid.
I do too and agree that it takes tremendous commitment and cash to make a new product like this, but I have never been a fan of this type of marketing.
I do too and agree that it takes tremendous commitment and cash to make a new product like this, but I have never been a fan of this type of marketing.
If you are in the midst of making something new and aren't far enough along to show a prototype you are proud of, just tell me you're developing something new. I can accept that. Don't show me half a photo.
I am sure dealers and manufacturers like excitement. I loathe surprises and I love spoilers. Just give me the goods. I'm not interested in games.
I believe the final design has been ready for some time now, meaning the look and drivers. What I had heard was that Dave wanted a "one knob" adjustment to keep all drivers aligned for specific seating distances. Currently on X2's, XLF's ..... you make separate adjustments for the tweeter and mid range drivers. This was a engineering challenge and I have no idea whether it was incorporated into the final product.
Back in the days (early 90's) when Nissan was introducing the Infinity Line they had a similar Marketing Strategy or at least visuals. They had to change it .. We'll see.
After months of speculation and twelve pages in this thread, I feel the same.
It will be interesting to see if DW's magnum opus is something really new and an indication of a new direction for future Wilson products or if it is more of an evolution of their XLF speaker. It looks like it is a two tower system from that last photo and not a four tower like Evolution Acoustics or YG's flagships. For Magico, the MPro was a departure and harbinger of things to come, though their statement speaker, the Ultimate 3, is quite different.
I believe the final design has been ready for some time now, meaning the look and drivers. What I had heard was that Dave wanted a "one knob" adjustment to keep all drivers aligned for specific seating distances. Currently on X2's, XLF's ..... you make separate adjustments for the tweeter and mid range drivers. This was a engineering challenge and I have no idea whether it was incorporated into the final product.
I always found this aspect of the German Physics fascinating - the DDD line source may be precisely physically positioned in relation to the bass enclosures for optimal phasing, by mean of a telescopic aluminium mounting arm driven by linear actuators. This may be easily adjusted from the listening position by means of a wireless remote control.
Back in the days (early 90's) when Nissan was introducing the Infinity Line they had a similar Marketing Strategy or at least visuals. They had to change it .. We'll see.
actually Infinity's 'Zen' mystique was quite different than the Wilson tease on the WAMM intro.
Infinity used calming visuals for their marketing image, instead of the car. and this was after the cars had been introduced. it might have seemed like a tease, but the joke was on Infinity.
I was somewhat involved with Acura at the time so observed the Infinity mess with amusement. and they never recovered from the lead they gave Lexus then. the Infinity product was very very good. Acura never really made the right product to compete....unfortunately. corporate Honda would not build a V8. still will not. Acura is still 2nd rate among Luxury brands.
Back in the days (early 90's) when Nissan was introducing the Infinity Line they had a similar Marketing Strategy or at least visuals. They had to change it .. We'll see.
Yes, and that was around 2006, so I think it was quite a while before all of the horn buzz in Munich. No, I don't think Alon Wolf is trying to cash in on the current popularity of horns. I think he may believe that horns can be the best speaker type. But, I also think that he feels they have to be made to heroic standards to not sound colored, and that is why they are so difficult to make and why they are so expensive.
Mike Lavigne;413651more 'whales' will be attracted to this hobby instead of another Ferrari or investment art......it could boost revenues in the highest of the high end and cause a trickle down too......I do hope that the buyers of these speakers actually listen to them regularly and they are not in some seldom used room at one of their summer homes.[/QUOTE said:
somewhat OT, but I don't feel we need more "whales" - hifi has turned into a whale business already.
with collectible art and cars as well as luxury condos seeing price declines, hifi may join the club as well.
luxury condos are booming in Seattle, people are buying and selling them before completion for profit.
more people noticing high end audio and spending money makes for a healthier manufacturing sector and better products. under the radar High End audio gets a bit stale and pushes out the marginal players we all like to see make it. growth is needed to encourage creativity.
luxury condos are booming in Seattle, people are buying and selling them before completion for profit.
more people noticing high end audio and spending money makes for a healthier manufacturing sector and better products. under the radar High End audio gets a bit stale and pushes out the marginal players we all like to see make it. growth is needed to encourage creativity.
in the USA it's a generational thing....and I'd agree that the age of serious audiophiles skews older and older.....not enough new blood. all the more reason to get some 'coolness' going to get the attention of the younger demo.
OTOH in Asia high end audio is more cross generational and growing. more dense living conditions and increased standard of living seem to equate to more home 2 channel audio.
overall I'd say the high end is expanding compared to 10 years ago. I'd bet that sales by the big boy brick and mortar brands such as Wilson and Magico are up world wide.
overall I'd say the high end is expanding compared to 10 years ago. I'd bet that sales by the big boy brick and mortar brands such as Wilson and Magico are up world wide.
What do you mean by "tough"? I'm not completely sure about $10-15k specifically, but if one looks at $10-30k, most if not all speaker manufacurers have at least one and more typically 2 models with excellent to outstanding sound. True, that's a lot of competition, but I would assume that is because there is a lot of money to be made there.
What do you mean by "tough"? I'm not completely sure about $10-15k specifically, but if one looks at $10-30k, most if not all speaker manufacurers have at least one and more typically 2 models with excellent to outstanding sound. True, that's a lot of competition, but I would assume that is because there is a lot of money to be made there.
I'd be interested to know if the people buying the Magico S1 and Q1 or Wilson Duette and Sabrina are reaching for those models as end speakers or if they are entry purchases to the high end and will eventually lead to sales further up the respective lines. And I wonder if Magico and Wilson think differently about those entry models than do the customers.
I bought my Mini II at the time thinking it would be my ultimate and end speaker for my small room. I think that was the market thinking of Magico at that time too. And then they introduced less expensive models. Now, however, I think the Q1 and S1 mk2 are thought of as entry models by both Magico and the customer and dealer for eventual moves up to the S5 or M3. It is a fascinating subject, at least to me.
"Dave Wilson spent the last five years creating this sonic and visual industrial art and wanted it's unveiling to be a slower, methodical, and intentional revealing of the various complexities found in the design. It will make much more sense when the reveal process is complete." From WA's FB page
I think both Magico S3 and S5 are in the $20-30k range, and I think either could easily be the end point for many speaker buyers, regardless of how Magico thinks of them
