Why does Wilson wire internally with Transparent cables? Should Wilson owners use Transparent also?

BMCG

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+1

Great post!

curiously the more i read WBF...the less i read TAS...and the more i listen....

thank you all :)

(btw...caesar many schools love to "claim" nobel laureates as their own....cf. MIT vs Caltech wrt one Richard P Feynman...but i digress..although clearly in my book RPF was MIT through and through :D...he just liked the better weather out west)
 

KeithR

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Let me provide you with a couple of concrete examples of "screw the audio fan" culture created by guys like "worthless" robert harley, that may not be apparent to you as a manufacturer:

If "worthless" harley", in concern for the fans instead of his own taste and goals, had done his due diligence, guys like me would have more time to spend with their kids, watch them laugh, not get frustrated, not chance banging up their gear, and enjoy more music....

I agree that RH should compare components and haven't subscribed for 5 years as a result. He reviewed 4 or 5 $30k speakers and wouldn't compare them until I pushed on a forum. This is such a competitive price point for the high end, writing about differences would have been extremely helpful.

Stereophile basically requires comparisons iirc JA correctly. and Fremer is no stooge, love him or hate him.
 

NorthStar

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What is so special about Transparent cables that Wilson uses it. Truly best or best synergy with Wilsons? Does Wilson systematically listen to other brands, or just has faith that Transparent is the best choice?

Is there a commercial agreement between Wilson and Transparent?

Should Wilson speaker owners use Transparent cables also to wire up their entire system? And if they don't, are they dumb or deaf?

The last car I bought, it came with Michelin tires. The car's brand comes with them, since many years now.
What brand of tires your last car came with?

Us, the customers we don't have to stick with Michelin or Pirelli or Dunlop or Bridgestone or Toyo or etc. tire's brand, we are free to explore other tires...for their grip with the road, with the rain, the snow, their handling on the curves, with the speed, with the weight, the temperatures, the pressure, etc. The car manufacturer and the tire manufacturer, they do sometimes form alliances, and those friendships can last a long time.

That's one of the best answers I can come up with; Wilson and Transparent have been together for a very long time now. I remember vividly reading articles in audiophile mags on their hi-end 'communion'.

I see this as a positive. Why? Because when it comes to audio cables the best judge is the one making a happy decision. It's a way of speech...
 

marty

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Apr 20, 2010
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I have more than an MBA from there. And if you dig, you can easily determine the school from the hint of intellectual heft there. Yet I'm not sure what this has to do with me.

Actually it has everything to do with you. That you will not disclose your business school is patently ridiculous. It is by your own reference to studying there that you purport to have keen business and human behavioral expertise! I'm going to ask again to give you the benefit of the doubt. Do you have an MBA? Did you attend the U Chicago? It's really simple. Yes or no to both will suffice.
 

RogerD

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When i'm bored I can always count on a Caesar thread.;)
 

BlueFox

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There is one on every forum.
 

C.A.P

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Apr 23, 2010
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Hmm .... I am not a Nobel Laurette but I did learn a few things in a pub ! .. They work well ! Sound well and price is right ! Wilson like any other company wants their manufacturing process and build process to be as predictable and consistent as possible .. Long term predictability is a major business advantage.. When two business work together to achieve a joint goal to sell both products its beneficial to both.. When you have a predictable product its easier to plan and design future products TOGETHER sharing knowledge gained from the past..
Its better to spread the Engineering cost as one company cant do it all.. Manufacture Every piece on a product !
 

Lee

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Feb 3, 2011
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Agreed.

+1

I have learned nothing interesting in those threads. I would rather OP spent his time describing his audio experiences - that would be at least of value to some ppl.
 

chuck

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Dec 19, 2011
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What is so special about Transparent cables that Wilson uses it. Truly best or best synergy with Wilsons? Does Wilson systematically listen to other brands, or just has faith that Transparent is the best choice?

Is there a commercial agreement between Wilson and Transparent?

Should Wilson speaker owners use Transparent cables also to wire up their entire system? And if they don't, are they dumb or deaf?

I am a Wilson owner (XLFs). I am neither dumb nor deaf. But I currently do use Transparent speaker cables. Nothing fancy -- just raw Reference cable with spades, there are no networks on my cables. I have auditioned several different cables -- some really expensive ones costing well over $10K including Transparent. I don't use Transparent for my entire system, though.

We Wilson owners can use any cable we choose -- there are no rules saying we have to use any particular brand. Interestingly, it is my amplifier manufacturer (Boulder) that has more things to say about the speaker cables that should be used or not used.

I trust Wilson to know their business on the components they put in their speakers. They sound spectacular -- spellbinding!
 

Lee

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Caesar stop worrying about reviewers motivation, they want to sell subscriptions to audiophiles and advertising space to manufacturers and dealers. They will rarely review a company that does not buy advertising, and a bad review is even more rare. I am personally more worried/irritated about the audiophiles that want to make this hobby a business, they sneak up on you !
Enjoyable travel stories and member system reviews that end up being pure informercials, those agendas are hidden much better !
Large discounts on equipment purchases are good motivators.

Good post but the part about advertising is not true. At Part-Time Audiophile, we do reviews and show reports all the time on firms that don't advertise with us.

There is a balance between covering gear that readers are interested in and the purely commercial needs of the publication. This also shows up in Alexa and other ratings that show the amount of eyeballs a site is attracting and for each manufacturer you need a certain minimum for them to feel they are reaching enough of their audience for an appropriate return.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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I am a Wilson owner (XLFs). ... Interestingly, it is my amplifier manufacturer (Boulder) that has more things to say about the speaker cables that should be used or not used...

Fantastic speakers! As for TA Cables, I have used them for years now, and really like them. I am curious...did Boulder have anything to say about Transparent Cables? Or any other cables?
 

GaryProtein

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This turned out to be an amusing thread.

Everybody has an agenda.

What else is new?
 

mauidan

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I tried a full loom of TA Cables (ICs,SCs & PCs) tuned to my electronics with my WA speakers and returned them to the dealer.

Audience Au24 SX cables sound much better in my system.
 

zbub

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Jun 27, 2013
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I would say the choice of cables for any setup is always system and room dependent. In my case and for this thread, my preferred choice of cables when I had the system in Taiwan, with mostly brick walls and large glass windows around the listening room, Transparent cables were the preferred choice with the Alexandria 2.2s. After moving back to the US last year, with much softer material walls and ceiling, I prefer Cystal Cables in the current set up. Both have different strengths, but overall Crystal Cables sound more balanced for my current listening room.
 

microstrip

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I would say the choice of cables for any setup is always system and room dependent. In my case and for this thread, my preferred choice of cables when I had the system in Taiwan, with mostly brick walls and large glass windows around the listening room, Transparent cables were the preferred choice with the Alexandria 2.2s. After moving back to the US last year, with much softer material walls and ceiling, I prefer Cystal Cables in the current set up. Both have different strengths, but overall Crystal Cables sound more balanced for my current listening room.

Curious, I currently move between TA Opus and Crystal Dreamline complete looms with the XLF's.
 

zbub

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Jun 27, 2013
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Curious, I currently move between TA Opus and Crystal Dreamline complete looms with the XLF's.

Granted the Transparent I have are NOT as high as Opus; when I was still in Taiwan, I finally settled on Transparent Reference Gen V XLR between CH C1 and Soulution pre, then Crystal Dreamline XLR between Soulution and FM amp, then Transparent Ref XL MM2 to the Wilsons. The balance was almost ideal in that listening room, and if I stayed in Taiwan longer, I will eventually end up with another Transparent between Soulution and FM. Now in the US, with the same Transparent between CH and Soulution and between FM and Wilson (I replaced the Crystal Dreamline XLR with a pair of Luminous Silver Reference XLR because I needed much longer cables for the set up, and by the way, I really like Luminous Silver Reference), sound was a bit too "in your face" and tonally tilted toward the bottom end a bit more than my liking, so I first replaced the speaker cables with Cystal Ultra that I had stored away, then also replaced the Ref. Gen V with Crystal Dreamline. Again, in my current listening room, I prefer it this way.
 

slcaudiophile

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Nov 6, 2014
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Um ... SLC?
What is so special about Transparent cables that Wilson uses it. Truly best or best synergy with Wilsons? Does Wilson systematically listen to other brands, or just has faith that Transparent is the best choice?

Is there a commercial agreement between Wilson and Transparent?

Should Wilson speaker owners use Transparent cables also to wire up their entire system? And if they don't, are they dumb or deaf?

this thread was a fun read ... although i want my time back!

here is the deal, despite what other have said ... it is about business. yes, business. wilson, just like ever other manufacture, has to juggle between making a product they feel their end user wants while at the same time making specific profit margins.

many years ago wilson established a relationship with transparent. without a doubt wilson (even pre-wilson when dave was building speakers in his garage) tried many cables but for whatever reason they (viz. dave) ultimitely decided to use transparent. it meets whatever criteria wilson wants out of a speaker while also allowing them to meet their margins.

what i find interesting is in the early wilson models they specifically mention not to use "braided" cable designs, which makes no sense. but they don't specify that any longer.

bottom line caesar; business.

do you have to use transparent cable with wilsons? no. are they other cables out there that sound better? yes of course.
 

slcaudiophile

Well-Known Member
Nov 6, 2014
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Um ... SLC?
Actually it has everything to do with you. That you will not disclose your business school is patently ridiculous. It is by your own reference to studying there that you purport to have keen business and human behavioral expertise! I'm going to ask again to give you the benefit of the doubt. Do you have an MBA? Did you attend the U Chicago? It's really simple. Yes or no to both will suffice.

this post is completely ridiculous. what on earth does ones education have to do with anything? who cares! looking at your bio you go on and on and on and on about what you do. am i impressed? no! my point is ones education has nothing to do with anything related. it’s not a job interview dude.

it is a forum. he asked a question. it happens! if you don’t like it move on and write some more self-important BS about what you do that not a single person here cares about.
 
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