Wilson Audio Factory Tour (or how we got WAMMed!)

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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almaaudio.com
[FONT=&amp]Guys,

I've finally had some time to put my thoughts to (virtual) paper, and picked some photos... Here it is!

https://almaaudio.com/blogs/news/wilson-audio-factory-tour-or-how-we-go-wammed

Full text below:

Wilson Audio Factory Tour and more![/FONT]

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[FONT=&amp]We had just been confirmed as the new Wilson Audio dealers here in San Diego when we got the call from Peter McGrath, casually inviting us for a factory tour, and a bit of training.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Fun, right? So, we boarded our flights to Salt Lake, half knowing what to expect, and half wanting to be surprised. Actually, even before we boarded, we got a very detailed schedule for the trip, which clearly indicated this was not a casual thing, but a carefully and professionally orchestrated event![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Early on the first day, during breakfast, we meet Bill Peugh, Peter, and our fellow dealers and distributors who’d be part of our group for the next days. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Having received that detailed schedule, we knew the “meat” of the program would happen on the 2nd day, with the factory tour *and* the visit to the Wilson’s home, to experience the WAMMs (or, as they say, “get WAMMed!”.)[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]But the first day started pretty great, with David and Sheryl Wilson giving us a personal introduction, and a run through Wilson Audio’s 40+ year history. Daryl, their son and current CEO, also warmly greeted us, and gave us a bit of his vision for the company moving forward. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Oh, as soon as we entered the conference room, we saw a gorgeous speaker, the Alexia 2, clad in the new satin finish. We knew right there and then that THAT was going to be the color of our demo pair![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]The rest of the day was taken by some in-depth talk about Wilson’s proprietary materials, as well as some listening to the Sabrinas, in the factory’s nicely appointed auditioning room. Peter’s choice of music was exemplary, and fully demonstrated what Wilson’s diminutive speakers can do![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]The next day began with the factory tour, and the realization that craftsmanship and attention to detail are two things you’ll see in spades in the Wilson factory. The multiple processes that the speakers go through are simply mind boggling, and once you figure they’re done and ready to go, there’s another step, with even more careful sanding and detailing![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]We saw quite a bit of WAMMs being made, including one almost ready to go in the packing/dispatch area![/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]I mentioned to the Wilson guys that, in an era when brands and industries are moving towards automatization, robots and machines, Wilson not only sticks, but invests into the skilled, time-intensive, artisanal labour. At the scale they’re currently producing, it’s truly impressive, as the laborious process is extended throughout the entire speaker production, from the cabinet to the wire to the protective lamination. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Well, factory tour concluded, it was time to listen to Alexia 2, and Peter didn’t disappoint. Incredible, thoughtful musical selection, and of course, fantastic performance by the new speaker.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]OK, factory tour done, time to get WAMMed! Now, I’ve heard my share of big, impressive speakers, in big, impressive spaces, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what I heard. First, David Wilson gave us some insight into the creation and development process, and then we finally moved into the big room. And there they were…[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]While we had seen bits and pieces of it earlier at the factory, seeing the whole monolith built in front of you was shocking.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Carefully presenting every musical selection, David guided us through each song. And song after song, we were grinning uncontrollably. It was like discovering high-end audio all over again! Yes, it *can* get better![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]One of the things I use to judge whether a system or component is good is how it is able to create the “feel”, or the “texture” of the instrument. A piano, for instance, has certain resonances and a certain “body” that your brain “decodes” into that “ah, that’s a piano” feel. While some systems are able to convey that, nothing was able to do it to the extent of what I heard there. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Most of the session was done without the help of the two WAMM Subsonic woofer modules, but for one fun track, David switched them on. And O-M-G. It felt like he had subs *on the floor*, since the bass wave seemed to come at you, from the speakers to the back of the room. And on the other selections, I couldn’t help but be amazed by all that monstrously tight bass, coming out of the two woofers on each tower… [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Basically, we heard a little bit of everything, jazz, classical, on CD and LP, and everything, without exception, was mind-blowing. It was simply impossible to fault what I heard. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Still incredibly humbled by the WAMM, we moved on to Daryl’s home theater setup presentation, with Alexx, Polaris, Yvette as rears. The purpose was to show how you could have a very high-end theater setup based around Wilson speakers and simple AV gear (Oppo and a receiver). [/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]The presentation was fun, and the three movie scenes all sounded incredible and very realistic. But since HT isn’t my thing, I don’t have much to comment on… Still, a perfect cap for an extraordinary night![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Then, on our final day, we visited the Mormon Tabernacle and their associated studios, an impressive operation! The studios we’ve visited all had extremely cutting edge equipment for audio and video, and, of course, Wilson Audio speakers for monitoring![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Again, our thanks go to the Bill Peugh, who organized an incredibly business/fun-packed training program, and all the extremely friendly folks at Wilson Audio, who’ve warmly welcomed us to the fold! We look forward to a productive, fun partnership for years to come![/FONT]
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[FONT=&amp]Alex / Fabio[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Alma Music and Audio[/FONT]
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PS: for hi-res photos, click here: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0g55Z2WMGEAXmj

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Last edited:

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Great write up, Alex. I think the new Wamm's are going to be giving Alon Wolf and Magico, along with a few other designers, something to think about. Pity that not more a'philes will be able to either hear these speakers, or more importantly- own them. Will look forward to hearing the new Alexia 2's at your upcoming event.
 

C.A.P

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2010
139
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363
What they need to think about is how to make aluminum cabinets sound NOT aluminum ! I would only imagine what these sound like.. I find their presence in a room in pictures as PROUD! The one pic that struck me where David is behind the WAMM (his baby)and is grinning with envy of a child !
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Thanks for the photos, Alex - it was great to see a panoramic view of the Wilson's room. Happy to know you also enjoyed my DAC ... :) I was speaking a few days ago with one of our local Wilson dealers who went through a similar WAMM visit and demo - his words were similar to yours!
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Fabulous Alex for you and Fabio to be a part of what I consider such a fabulous brand.

I was fortunate years ago to be invited to Provo for a tour of the factory and then back to Dave's house to hear the shootout between the X1 Series lll and X2 Series l. I too had the good fortune of meeting the entire team as I was hosted by John Giolas for the day

Best of luck with the Wilson brand Alex. I know Alma Music will be very successful with the Wilson line
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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Thanks for the photos, Alex - it was great to see a panoramic view of the Wilson's room. Happy to know you also enjoyed my DAC ... :) I was speaking a few days ago with one of our local Wilson dealers who went through a similar WAMM visit and demo - his words were similar to yours!

Oh, so we're joking about DACs now? :)
Of course I enjoyed it! Nothing in that room can be considered "bad", otherwise it wouldn't be there. Just for reference, David was using only one pair of Momentums, while you can see there's another pair sitting there. When I asked why, he just said, "listen, and then tell me if we need more power". Of course, we didn't :)
It was a transformative experience in my audiophile (and professional) life, and very humbling too.
I guess people's reaction, unanimous as they are, kinda makes the cynic in us think it's all a conspiracy, no speaker can't be that good... But yeah, it is...


cheers,
alex
 

asiufy

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Steve / Dave,

Thanks for the kind words! Hope to see you both on the 22nd!


cheers,
alex
 

Sharp 1080

Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Dallas,Texas
Oh, so we're joking about DACs now? :)
Of course I enjoyed it! Nothing in that room can be considered "bad", otherwise it wouldn't be there. Just for reference, David was using only one pair of Momentums, while you can see there's another pair sitting there. When I asked why, he just said, "listen, and then tell me if we need more power". Of course, we didn't :)
It was a transformative experience in my audiophile (and professional) life, and very humbling too.
I guess people's reaction, unanimous as they are, kinda makes the cynic in us think it's all a conspiracy, no speaker can't be that good... But yeah, it is...


cheers,
alex

I can only imagine the beautiful music produced in that room with the WAMM especially with the Momentum amps. I was fortunate to "borrow" a pair from my dealer when auditioning new amps for three days. My system has never sounded that good. It has to be beyond description listening to the WAMM in their home.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
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Oh, so we're joking about DACs now? :)
Of course I enjoyed it! Nothing in that room can be considered "bad", otherwise it wouldn't be there. Just for reference, David was using only one pair of Momentums, while you can see there's another pair sitting there. When I asked why, he just said, "listen, and then tell me if we need more power". Of course, we didn't :)
It was a transformative experience in my audiophile (and professional) life, and very humbling too.
I guess people's reaction, unanimous as they are, kinda makes the cynic in us think it's all a conspiracy, no speaker can't be that good... But yeah, it is...


cheers,
alex

Well, I have asked the same question about the Momentum's - I could not believe they were being used as floor dampers - and no one could answer me! I also see a pair of Nagra HD amplifiers there - did you listen to them?
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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Well, I have asked the same question about the Momentum's - I could not believe they were being used as floor dampers - and no one could answer me! I also see a pair of Nagra HD amplifiers there - did you listen to them?

Because of the extreme accuracy of the settings in the WAMM, David is going through the trouble of trying different amps, and seeing how their group delay affects the settings on the WAMM, so when a WAMM is installed in a client's, he'll have a baseline for the settings, given the amps being used.
He's had a number of amps in there (I forgot which now...), and the Nagra was one of them. We unfortunately didn't get to hear it, and we didn't hear the VTL either. Would've been fun, no doubt, but beggars can't be choosers y'know :)
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
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Because of the extreme accuracy of the settings in the WAMM, David is going through the trouble of trying different amps, and seeing how their group delay affects the settings on the WAMM, so when a WAMM is installed in a client's, he'll have a baseline for the settings, given the amps being used.
He's had a number of amps in there (I forgot which now...), and the Nagra was one of them...

very cool. In many respects, it seems like how TA apparently take in equipment, measure it, and then record that for when they need to calibrate equipment for their cables. But perhaps much more so given that it appears amp to speaker interaction is hugely important...and why (assuming a designer can design amps just as well as speakers)...having the amp expressly designed for the speaker is apparently ideal. Else an amp has to be designed to drive all manner of different loads.

Here David is essentially allowing calibration within his speaker to accept/finetune to different amps.
 

Mdp632

Well-Known Member
May 29, 2016
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Alex,

Thanks for sharing.. since you carry both yg and Wilson.. out of these flagship speakers. Have you heard the Sonja xv? If so how would you compare to the wamm?
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
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Alex,

Thanks for sharing.. since you carry both yg and Wilson.. out of these flagship speakers. Have you heard the Sonja xv? If so how would you compare to the wamm?

great and fun question...i am not sure it will be easy for Alex to answer given that, at any level, but certainly at this level, setup, room, equipment...all can make remarkable differences. Still, sure is a fun question!!!

maybe the other question might be...based on what he's heard...which of the two would he keep if given a choice (for free so we eliminate price)...and why?
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
All I can say is that what I heard there at David's was the single best setup I've ever heard, and I make no secret about it. It was just a memorable presentation. But of course, the setup included not only the WAMM, but other pieces of great equipment. How would Sonja XVs sound in that particular room, with that particular setup, is, of course, something I wonder myself, but I have no way of knowing. By the same token, I was also wondering how would the WAMM setup sounds with a different amp, or a different DAC, for instance. Or the Kronos. But again, there's no way of ever knowing that...

We understand the dichotomy Wilson/YG, and I think it's healthy for us to carry both. Each line with their own merits and attributes, that will reward in different ways.

As Davey put it, it's pointless to draw comparisons with a speaker that costs a third of the other. If you go by reviews and people's reaction in general, both speakers have been unanimously raved, which means they'll deliver for those who can afford either. Now, there is that other speaker manufacturer with a $650k speaker, if I'm not mistaken... And I seem to recall the reviews and public reaction on it were less than stellar...


cheers,
alex
 

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