Will's Horn Finalists

[Audiophile Bill]

WVL Son Speakers:

 

[djsina2]

For others who prefer Tool over Beethoven, they would not even look at the Cube Audio´s !

Can the SON do Tool well? There are some of us who are not into elevator music. These speakers have been on my radar for a couple years now.

 

[Yakamozan]

What electronics did you use on them, and what recordings did you use for audition?

Aries Cerat Genus, Lampi Big7 SE with KR242RK and the RK recti.
Vivaldi, Bach, Brubeck, EST, Massive Attack, Queens of the Stone Age, Hugh Masakela, Trentemoller, Patricia Barber ( sometimes i flip one or the other, but usually it´s at least a good record of each genre i freuquently listen too.

 

[Yakamozan]

WVL Son Speakers:

Amazing, i once owned the Audionet mono blocks you have sitting on the floor. Great pieces.

 

[Yakamozan]

Can the SON do Tool well? There are some of us who are not into elevator music. These speakers have been on my radar for a couple years now.

you bet !!!!

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Amazing, i once owned the Audionet mono blocks you have sitting on the floor. Great pieces.

Unfortunately not my room or gear but I thought the Son was sounding very impressive indeed.

Unfortunately I missed the year that WVL had his massive speakers - I think the Salon. Massive white waveguides with 2 x 15” woofers, his 12” full range and a tweeter. All with Mayer electronics that I do own.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Here is the Salon I was referring to:

 

[KeithR]

Aries Cerat Genus, Lampi Big7 SE with KR242RK and the RK recti.
Vivaldi, Bach, Brubeck, EST, Massive Attack, Queens of the Stone Age, Hugh Masakela, Trentemoller, Patricia Barber ( sometimes i flip one or the other, but usually it´s at least a good record of each genre i freuquently listen too.

You and I listen to all the same music I need to hear the WVL Son - had been considering the Cubes for a second speaker but was concerned on rock and electronica. Seems a simpler music type speaker.

Thank you for you comments.

 

[bonzo75]

I have heard the Son the Chicago at Vess, and the Son at another place. The giant ones for 300k were at Munich in 2014 but the room was too small for them.

 

[Yakamozan]

You and I listen to all the same music I need to hear the WVL Son - had been considering the Cubes for a second speaker but was concerned on rock and electronica. Seems a simpler music type speaker.

Thank you for you comments.

well, if that´s the case, it´s a no brainer. Haven´t heard Tool or Massive attack from any widebander that came close to the Cube´s. The Son smokes it, especially with that music, the Son will blow your mind !

 

[jeff1225]

well, if that´s the case, it´s a no brainer. Haven´t heard Tool or Massive attack from any widebander that came close to the Cube´s. The Son smokes it, especially with that music, the Son will blow your mind !

You have a killer avatar BTW.

 

[Yakamozan]

You have a killer avatar BTW.

)) Agreed

 

[morricab]

Hi Bill,
i believe making an extended statement to each speaker will blow my time, and as said, all this is of course still very much subjective.
The AA´s sounded aggressive and not balanced at all, almost like a high end PA system, the Odeons i founded super boring and slow, the Cessaro´s very polite, no big critics, but no finger snipping leg moving at all. The Odeons smaller version ( i believe it was 26) i heard in a private environment with AC Diana int., and even that i thought is super strange in sound and everything but exciting, completely out of balance sound, but the positioning of the speakers i found to be very poor in that room i have to admit. Typical living room set up, where pretty much the wife decides where the speakers have to sound best ...))
I did like the Dynamikks Athos 10, forgot to mention them, but wouldn´t have changed it even to the Nenuphar´s. Looking back, i even wouldn´t have changed any of the speakers tested to my previous OBX RW3, which i believe is still an amazing and exceptional speaker. I still like the old Caldera MKII by Joachim Gerhard, blows most of the speakers today´s away when it comes to realism and imaging, needs the perfect spot in the room and the right amp though. A pair of E.A.R 861 mono bridged with a 912 did not do it on the Caldera´s, a pair of Audionet Mono´s created an fantastic sound... Just to get this straight, the 861´s plus the 912 pre i consider the best electronics we owned until the AC stuff came in, but the Caldera did not work with it at all, with our Harbeth´s it was match made in heaven i´d say.
Cheers

I am surprised you found the Odeon 38s boring and slow. I have a lot of experience with those an the 32s with AC gear and slow and boring is not what we have found (nevermind my own Odeon La Bohemes...they are a very different design). Perhaps a bit sharp in the lower treble occasionally but slow and boring not. I have the Dynamikss speakers at home as well and they do hold their own I would say and I would prefer them to the Nenuphar because mainly I still hear the highs not sounding quite right from these single drivers with Whizzer cones. That said I haven't heard them with AC gear...and I also haven't heard the AER widebanders in an appropriate setting so perhaps there is still room to be surprised there.

 

[KeithR]

well, if that´s the case, it´s a no brainer. Haven´t heard Tool or Massive attack from any widebander that came close to the Cube´s. The Son smokes it, especially with that music, the Son will blow your mind !

Massive Attack is one of my all time favorite "bands." How is the ribbon integration with the 12"?

 

[jeff1225]

)) Agreed

Are you saying that Keith at A23 is "almost out of business?"

 

[Yakamozan]

Are you saying that Keith at A23 is "almost out of business?"

Not out of business, but last time when we had a phone call, it seemed to me like he´s not just slowed down business by a huge margin, i believe he´s sick of the market, just as many other audio companies i know. 95% rubbish dealers (the least), marketing full of lies and tricks and clients who rather want to extend pieces of their bodies with their music rigg, instead of pleasing their ears. I can fully relate to that btw. Suits today´s Zeitgeist

 

[christoph]

Hi Bill,
i believe making an extended statement to each speaker will blow my time, and as said, all this is of course still very much subjective.
The AA´s sounded aggressive and not balanced at all, almost like a high end PA system, the Odeons i founded super boring and slow, the Cessaro´s very polite, no big critics, but no finger snipping leg moving at all. The Odeons smaller version ( i believe it was 26) i heard in a private environment with AC Diana int., and even that i thought is super strange in sound and everything but exciting, completely out of balance sound, but the positioning of the speakers i found to be very poor in that room i have to admit. Typical living room set up, where pretty much the wife decides where the speakers have to sound best ...))
I did like the Dynamikks Athos 10, forgot to mention them, but wouldn´t have changed it even to the Nenuphar´s. Looking back, i even wouldn´t have changed any of the speakers tested to my previous OBX RW3, which i believe is still an amazing and exceptional speaker. I still like the old Caldera MKII by Joachim Gerhard, blows most of the speakers today´s away when it comes to realism and imaging, needs the perfect spot in the room and the right amp though. A pair of E.A.R 861 mono bridged with a 912 did not do it on the Caldera´s, a pair of Audionet Mono´s created an fantastic sound... Just to get this straight, the 861´s plus the 912 pre i consider the best electronics we owned until the AC stuff came in, but the Caldera did not work with it at all, with our Harbeth´s it was match made in heaven i´d say.
Cheers

Can you also say a few words about the hORNS Universum, please.
Sorry, just read that you already did.

 

[Alrainbow]

Not out of business, but last time when we had a phone call, it seemed to me like he´s not just slowed down business by a huge margin, i believe he´s sick of the market, just as many other audio companies i know. 95% rubbish dealers (the least), marketing full of lies and tricks and clients who rather want to extend pieces of their bodies with their music rigg, instead of pleasing their ears. I can fully relate to that btw. Suits today´s Zeitgeist

Well its always the same , you build audio gear for the market or to please yourself , same zeitgeist different century ..

 

[dsyzling]

I demoed the WFL SON alongside the Nenuphar with a dealer - accompanying electronics were AC Genus, Helene DAC and Pink Faun streamer. I don't think the Nenuphars were setup right that day - maybe it was positioning. The single driver as a point source was too noticeable and when I played Led Zeppelin the guitars were awful - a real screechy mess. I did come away thinking that I would have to listen to them again in a different setting or setup to make a more informed decision. Although your comments on rock in general and that speaker sounds like they wouldn't be suitable for my tastes since I generally listen to a wide range of music.

The SONs we used with the AC combination and tried a Mola Mola Tambaqui with a Nagra Classic Integrated. I didn't expect the latter to perform well but actually really enjoyed the combination. The demo room was very large and with a great deal of acoustic treatment, the speakers were also sitting on carpet - so your comment about platforms with Sorbothane is interesting and may account for some of my listening impressions. The SON sounds much bigger than their size would have you believe, they cast a wide and high (for their size) soundstage. Very fluid sounding - maybe it's the microdynamics, I don't know, but they seemed to pull out small fluctuations in music and this just gave the overall sound a smooth flow. Very unfatiguing, one of my overriding impressions was that I could sit down in front of these and listen to music for long periods.

I played a whole variety of music, in this case not classical and they coped extremely well. Again the one track that gave me doubts was, 'Whole lotta love' - Led Zeppelin, just the depth of bass and sheer grunt on the guitars was missing. I'm not sure whether that was the room or the fact that the SONs were positioned on the carpet. A speaker that is definitely on the shortlist, not least because my living room could cope with their size.

 

[Gemini]

Yakamazon, thanks for the interesting report. I am currently also looking at the Nenuphar and the Son but have not yet found an opportunity to audition either speaker in the Frankfurt area. Could you please be a bit more specific in what respects you preferred the Son over the Nenuphar? It seems to have been love at first sight/audition.
And have you changed. to the Diana Forte because you felt the Genus is not able to drive the Son sufficiently in your room?