Wilson LōKē @ Stereophile

[Steve81]

This may be one of my favorite reviews to date... The subject, a Wilson Audio subwoofer boasting a "modest" $8,950 price tag, 10" driver, and 500W amp from Dayton Audio.

What makes this review different from virtually all others I've written over the decades is that the LōKē is the first subwoofer I've ever tried in my system.

Well it's good to know we're hearing from an expert on the subject, as opposed to some know-nothing hack...

Peter's jaw dropped, too, when, after we had adjusted phase, I insisted on switching from the supplied power cables to Nordost Valhalla. The improvement in deep bass focus, solidity, and color was quite noticeable and musically spot on. It is enlightening to affirm that power cables can make a difference even when only low frequencies are involved, even with class-D amplifiers like the one in the LōKē.

I for one am greatly disappointed that the esteemed Wilson Audio couldn't even provide a proper power cable.

My husband, who prefers to lie on the living room couch and listen to music through earbuds while cuddling with three adoring dogs, paid a rare visit to the listening room and sat in transfixed silence, unable to move. With the LōKēs engaged, every new instrumental or taped sound—every beat of the drum—impressed as a major event.

What higher praise can be sung, than the approval of a spouse???

And this folks, is why I never wanted to be a reviewer.

 

[shadyJ]

And this folks, is why I never wanted to be a reviewer.

You should look at that as a challenge, Steve. Is it ridiculous? - Yes, but could you write something even more absurd? They who do have a prosperous future as an audio reviewer.

Destiny calls, Steve...

 

[lovinthehd]

Wow linky here fwiw https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-loke-subwoofer

This is the looniest of their reviewers, with a large collection of idiotic cabling.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

The best part is they had the balls of steel to publish that sub's measurements ((80Hz blue; 60Hz black; 40Hz red x-over)

I've seen a better response from a $400 RLS 10" sub.

 

[lovinthehd]

The best part is they had the balls of steel to publish that sub's measurements ((80Hz blue; 60Hz black; 40Hz red x-over)

I've seen a better response from a $400 RLS 10" sub.

I noticed in the comments not the usual measurements due distance between subs and the usual John Atkinson measurements....assume you mean RSL?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I noticed in the comments not the usual measurements due distance between subs and the usual John Atkinson measurements....assume you mean RSL?

yes, RSL - the one I've linked to

 

[TLS Guy]

Wow linky here fwiw https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-loke-subwoofer

This is the looniest of their reviewers, with a large collection of idiotic cabling.

That really was a mega load of Codswallop. Just incredible.

 

[shadyJ]

The best part is they had the balls of steel to publish that sub's measurements ((80Hz blue; 60Hz black; 40Hz red x-over)

I've seen a better response from a $400 RLS 10" sub.

To be fair, that looks like it could be an in-room measurement. I would be a lot more worried about how that crossover dip at 3kHz manifests off-axis.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Wow. They should be called mentalphile…

 

[highfigh]

Nine grand for a Wilson subwoofer and a cheap power amp? Did they mention the model? If it's the BASH model on their website, it retails for $239.95. Hoo, boy!

BTW- they have a power cord, too-

AC Power Cord NEMA 5-15P to Unterminated 18 AWG 3C SJT 300V Black 6 ft.

AC Power Cord NEMA 5-15P to Unterminated 18 AWG 3C SJT 300V Black 6 ft.This power cord's SJT rating enables it to be installed in various environments. It's water resistant and flame retardant to give you peace of mind however you use it.Specifications: • Voltage rating: 300V • Temperature...

www.parts-express.com

 

[highfigh]

To be fair, that looks like it could be an in-room measurement. I would be a lot more worried about how that crossover dip at 3kHz manifests off-axis.

This is the in-room response from my listening spot- I'll take mine over that.

 

[Steve81]

Nine grand for a Wilson subwoofer and a cheap power amp? Did they mention the model? If it's the BASH model on their website, it retails for $239.95. Hoo, boy!

BTW- they have a power cord, too-

AC Power Cord NEMA 5-15P to Unterminated 18 AWG 3C SJT 300V Black 6 ft.

AC Power Cord NEMA 5-15P to Unterminated 18 AWG 3C SJT 300V Black 6 ft.This power cord's SJT rating enables it to be installed in various environments. It's water resistant and flame retardant to give you peace of mind however you use it.Specifications: • Voltage rating: 300V • Temperature...

www.parts-express.com

The amp is this guy I believe.

 

[Steve81]

Destiny calls, Steve...

Pass

Truth be told, I don’t think I could match Jason’s talent as a bullshit artist on a consistent basis. I’d be at a loss without some sort of grounding in reality.

 

[highfigh]

The amp is this guy I believe.

I don't have any experience with that one, but it looks like it does a lot, especially for the money. I have discussed it with some of Parts Express' tech people and they like it- as a commercial customer, they don't like when we complain for legitimate reasons, so they're honest with us.

Still, $400 amps on $9000 speakers? Sounds like the guy in New Hampshire who was 'tweaking' the Behringer A500. It's an OK amp, but to make it 'high end' and charge a lot more without having it re-badged?

 

[Cos]

I don't have the adjectives in my vocabulary to describe that review. This one review summarizes what's wrong with the home audio industry (or at least the media)

 

[lovinthehd]

To be fair, that looks like it could be an in-room measurement. I would be a lot more worried about how that crossover dip at 3kHz manifests off-axis.

I looked around briefly but didn't see any specifics about Miller's measuring. It was originally for Hi-Fi News but can't say I've seen much of their blog....

 

[shadyJ]

The amp is this guy I believe.

The woofer looks suspiciously Dayton as well...

 

[lovinthehd]

The woofer looks suspiciously Dayton as well...

It's the magic of stroking.....just a Wilson instead of Johnson?

 

[shadyJ]

I looked around briefly but didn't see any specifics about Miller's measuring. It was originally for Hi-Fi News but can't say I've seen much of their blog....

OK, I actually looked at the article, and he is averaging near-field measurements. Here is a closer look at his individual measurements:

FYI, there is no accurate way to marry the port response to the woofer response which is why I have to drag ported subs out in the middle of a parking lot. You can do this with a sealed sub, at least just to get the raw response, but not really a ported. To be honest, this probably isn't a bad response overall. The only problem is that spike right above 100Hz which is a pipe resonance of the port; they could have used DSP to tame it like most other manufacturers. At $9k, you would hope for perfection. As with all other Wilson products, you are paying for a fancy cabinet, nothing else.

 

[TLS Guy]

The woofer looks suspiciously Dayton as well...

I think I may have designed this sub for them! Take a look at this thread. I bet mine is probably better though.