Wilson Audio TuneTot Review (high-end bookshelf speaker)

[YSDR]

Just seeking an answer why this design seems to do so well in a highly reflective room.

So they work well in a reflective room? Better than similar constructions (bare dome tweeter + cone midwoofer)? I have some doubt.

 

[MrHifiTunes]

I still think it's a LR2 attempt, but the end result is not textbook, this is how it turned out.
I would be curious about the xo schematic, maybe it would reveal a lot about the intention of the designer.

Yes if only we could. It would teach us a lot.
I do think that their intention is to get a different balance between direct and indirect sound making it more suitable for reflective rooms.

 

[MrHifiTunes]

So they work well in a reflective room? Better than similar constructions (bare dome tweeter + cone midwoofer)? I have some doubt.

That what I make up from the listening evaluation from Amir. They also point out that this is designed for harsh environment.

 

[watchnerd]

For those interested in the value proposition, I find the cost of accessories interesting...
you can change the grills of these speakers for US$600 with a pair of these:

Tune Tot Grille Set

parts.wilsonaudio.com

and change the color of the rings around the woofers for US$649 per color:

TuneTot Ring Set

parts.wilsonaudio.com

At least that's cheaper than the prices I'm getting asked to pay for Porsche accessories.

 

[MrHifiTunes]

That what I make up from the listening evaluation from Amir. They also point out that this is designed for harsh environment.

some quotes :

Either I am influenced by the showroom sound as much as the next guy or getting off-axis to be right in my rather reflective room overcomes issues in on-axis response.

For comparison, I switched back and forth a dozen times with Revel M106 speaker ($2,000). The Revel had a smaller halo and sounded more focused than the TuneTot. It had none of the brilliance of the Tunetot but his was a dual edged sword in that the TuneTot constantly gave the impression of a more detailed, and "audiophile" high frequency notes that were very nicely delineated. TuneTot also had deeper and cleaner bass response than the M106. Overall, I preferred the TuneTot over Revel.

 

[Pearljam5000]

When is Amir going to measure the *real* Wilsons?

 

[YSDR]

That what I make up from the listening evaluation from Amir. They also point out that this is designed for harsh environment.

Well, if someone heard those Scan-Speak drivers knows well how they sounds, they sounds soft and laid-back but with good resolution, easy on ears. With different filtering, the frequency response can be shaped in some ways, but the main character of the drivers remains.

 

[digitalfrost]

When is Amir going to measure the *real* Wilsons?

I wonder how/if these would fit the Klippel.

 

[DWI]

By the way, anyone can construct a bad DIY speaker. It's not hard.

I can’t.

 

[DanielT]

I can’t.

Have confidence. I can help you with that. I'm good at fixing such.

This is completely crazy. 47 pages about a small mediocre 2 way speaker.

Yes. I realize the irony since I myself fill in with posts in the thread.

 

[Vuki]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

 

[YSDR]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

Simple, "sounding better" is a subjective term. No one can say like that without their own subjective influence.

 

[MrHifiTunes]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

My take on this is :
they have wide dispersion
They alter the textbook design so that direct and indirect sound is different then textbook approach but still in balance in-room
Just different amount of direct and indirect soundlevels then textbook designs which seems to do well in reflective rooms (which both Amir and Wilson mention)

 

[Inner Space]

How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

Two of many potential answers: 1) perhaps conventional wisdom overstates the importance of FR; 2) perhaps conventional wisdom understates the importance of an inert cabinet.

 

[Vuki]

My take on this is :
they have wide dispersion
They alter the textbook design so that direct and indirect sound is different then textbook approach but still in balance in-room
Just different amount of direct and indirect soundlevels then textbook designs which seems to do well in reflective rooms (which both Amir and Wilson mention)

But in reflective room, shouldn"t smooth off-axis response of Revel be advantage?

 

[dc655321]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

Maybe the fallibility of human hearing?
This thread reads like a case study in such...

 

[YSDR]

But in reflective room, shouldn"t smooth off-axis response of Revel be advantage?

Yes, but the M106 utilizes full metal diaphragm drivers, which are less forgiving (and sounds different) than soft paper cone and soft fabric dome.
If this were not the case, we would only see membranes out of one kind of material.

 

[DanielT]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

That in itself is not strange. As mentioned, Amir's liking and taste. Then we do not know how the acoustics are in his listening room, how he places the speakers.

FR is one criterion, then you have dispersion (also as mentioned) and distortion. You have to weigh that into the equation. How high volume does Amir listen to? What does the distortion of each speaker look like then?

Edit:
It can also be a question of new pleasure. Love can pass. ...Or not...

 

[MattHooper]

In summation, overpriced crap.
Keith

Overpriced it may be from your value standpoint. But Amirm preferred the sound it produced to a Revel design so I guess his standard for "crap" differs from yours.

 

[watchnerd]

After so many pages no answer to the most important question to any ASR member-
How is it possible that speaker with that FR sounds (at least to Amir) better than Revel M106?

Amir is a bass head.