Quote:
Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
Hi Jazz, you provided a fairly compelling picture of how speaker development has evolved from the classic IRS-Epsilon and earlier predecessors such as the IRS-Beta, from which many of it's drivers evolved. I'm not surprised your Evolution Acoustics MM3's were dramatically better taking into account their price, but of course as you found out with the Q1's, the size or cost of a speaker tells little about how musically satisfying it is.
For me, I liked the overall balance, smoothness and excitement the S5's offer. To my ears they were every bit as coherent as the Q3's and sounded a bit warmer. They are like a higher end version of an IRS-Gamma that just happens to kick the Renaissance 90's, IRS-Sigma & IRS-Epsilon's butt!!
ps: I plan to place my S5's on Stillpoints Ultra 5's with the Ultra bases which, knowing how good the Ultra 5's are, should lift the S5's to the same level as the Q3 (since they are close already)..
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Even if I prefer it, I wouldn't say that the Q3 is a better speaker than the S5.
S5 is more accessible, more tolerant to the source, in the sense that it is a bit warmer, with a very slight bass hump. It is also very transparent, but not as much as the Q3. For me, it is targeting the typical Wilson buyer, as it does everything a sasha would do.... better, and without being as "revolutionary" as the Q3.
Q3 require a learning curve, like all Q series. You need to reeducate your ears, because their linearity, transparency and impulse response is better than anything else on the market. Response is perfectly flat and extremely transparent (because of a more inert cabinet construction and more expensive drivers and XO). On very good recording and with very good upstream components, no speaker it its price range beats it. On poor recording or with average upstream components... you hear it, because they are "brutally honest" (vs. "honest" for the S5 and "pleasing" for the Sonus Faber).
If I would listen to a lot of pop/rock, I would buy the S5. For Jazz (which is my priority), I prefer the Q3. You really cannot go wrong with any of them.
I haven't heard the S5 and Q3 in the same room with the same equipment. But I have at home S1 and Q1 in same room, fully treated, so I had the opportunity to compare for several hours, with different upstream components. S1 is an amazing value for money. But cost put aside, I would take the Q1 any day.