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Wilson Audio TuneTot Review (high-end bookshelf speaker)

Rate this speaker:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 363 58.7%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 186 30.1%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 44 7.1%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 25 4.0%

  • Total voters
    618

pablolie

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...so after all this, we arrive at the conclusion that measured flaws are not relevant given the fact that our hearing is compromised, distortion can be a desirable trait... oh and don't forget that if you play music loud enough the human ear is terrible at discerning any detail anyhow! If you can hear detail it just means you're not playing music loud enough, dude!!! ROCK ON!!! :-D
PS: ...he writes while listening to Mozart's Divertimento No. 2 For Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, 4 Horns & Strings In D Major, K. 131: Adagio :)
 

zeppzeppzepp

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It's not about enjoyable, but audible. If I can't hear it, does it matter? If the speaker with higher *inaudible except to measuring devices* distortion produces an extra 10db without sounding strained, this is probably more important than degrees of *inaudible* distortion.

The question is whether (and where, likely certain parts of the audio spectrum the ear is more sensitive) the distortion is audible and what the effect of said distortion is in relation to other strengths/weaknesses of a given speaker.

I doubt this is particularly variable (audibility of distortion) between individuals and could be information that understandable on a group scale.

With respect to Amir, I think I am right in saying he finds the somewhat higher 2nd harmonic of horns relatively inaudible/innocuous. Horns have benefits for SPL that may surpass concerns about this measurable (but is it audible?) weakness.

The real problem is you heard it and you hate it but you didn't know it was the distortion.
Something like that..........
 

DanielT

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The real problem is you heard it and you hate it but you didn't know it was the distortion.
Something like that..........
Who the hell likes distortion (other distortion the one I showed post 1227)? EQ by preference certainly absolute but distortion?!Who like distortion (not aimed at you specifically but generally)?

1227?! This is insane, it's just a small two way speaker.
 

voodooless

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What's really insane is that our esteemed, trained listener reviewer found this quite bad measureing loudspeaker to sound nicer, more attractive than Revel m106
One guy in the internet has an opinion, so what? He can get in line behind all the others.
 

zeppzeppzepp

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Who the hell likes distortion (other distortion the one I showed post 1227)? EQ by preference certainly absolute but distortion?!Who like distortion (not aimed at you specifically but generally)?

1227?! This is insane, it's just a small two way speaker.
Yeah.....when I was young.................

4X12 cabinet and endless feedback.........
Damn........just don't remind me the old days...........
 

Godataloss

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One guy in the internet has an opinion, so what? He can get in line behind all the others.
It kinda throws the whole "if it can't be measured, it doesn't count" credo out the window if, in fact he is measuring it, and the results don't fit the established rubric.
 

DanielT

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Yeah.....when I was young.................

4X12 cabinet and endless feedback.........
Damn........just don't remind me the old days...........
What's the talk? You can of course do as you like, when you want even now. EQa to your liking and taste. Extra distortion, well this regretted that I sold (see attached pictures) this little DIY tube amp (not me who built it). Too damn fun to drive it in overdrive and fix distortion.:p

It's just gadgets. You should have fun. Not harder than that.:)
 

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voodooless

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It kinda throws the whole "if it can't be measured, it doesn't count" credo out the window if, in fact he is measuring it, and the results don't fit the established rubric.
Not really, sample size is just 1. Never mind that it’s not a controlled listening test.
 

Thomas savage

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I have no regrets for the time in my life spent living on an apartment on the beach in Santa Monica between the ages of 27-31.

The selling point was that you could see them film "Bay Watch" from my balcony.

Big downgrade when I later moved to Boeblingen, just outside Stuttgart.
Come on if you had coke any of them were yours for as long as it takes.. ..

Did my Mom not teach you anything.
 

Godataloss

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Not really, sample size is just 1. Never mind that it’s not a controlled listening test.
Who does a controlled listening test to pick out a speaker you prefer from a pair? You would listen to it exactly how he did- with varying material at varying listening levels and see which performed more to your liking. Doesn't even seem like it was a difficult choice either. Now if you are claiming he couldn't pick it out (the woefully poor measuring Tunetot) in ABX testing with the Revel, that throws even more water on the old credo. Seems unlikely he would actually favor the Revel with anything approaching a significant factor in blind testing where the only sensory input is the sound alone.
 

voodooless

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Who does a controlled listening test to pick out a speaker you prefer from a pair? You would listen to it exactly how he did- with varying material at varying listening levels and see which performed more to your liking. Doesn't even seem like it was a difficult choice either. Now if you are claiming he couldn't pick it out (the woefully poor measuring Tunetot) in ABX testing with the Revel, that throws even more water on the old credo. Seems unlikely he would actually favor the Revel with anything approaching a significant factor in blind testing where the only sensory input is the sound alone.
Your totally missing the point here. Amir can prefer the Wilson all he wants, it does not invalidate whole measurements and preference score stuff. All that is statistics, and therefore 1 individual will not make a dent in those theories.
 

YSDR

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Your totally missing the point here. Amir can prefer the Wilson all he wants, it does not invalidate whole measurements and preference score stuff. All that is statistics, and therefore 1 individual will not make a dent in those theories.
Of course not, but everyone is an individual. Statistics show that a speaker with a higher score has a relatively high chance that someone will like it, nothing more.
 

voodooless

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Of course not, but everyone is an individual. Statistics show that a speaker with a higher score has a relatively high chance that someone will like it, nothing more.
Exactly. What goes for Amir, goes for you, me and any other member.
 

lurkera

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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.

I briefly compared the TuneTot to my Revel Salon 2 ($23,000). Revel did not have the exaggerated spatial qualities of the high frequencies that TuneTot had but overall presented a much more balanced tonality and of course, much more bass impact. Its midrange was so smooth and nice. Still, I was amazed how the TuneTot did not sound small compared to it whereas the M106 did.
The "audiophile tuning" is perhaps something you prefer? I sure do as I have eq settings that I sometimes switch to for it. I know as people get older they prefer boosts in higher frequencies due to hearing loss.

That being said, if you still have the speakers, can you try using an equalizer to make a similar sized Revel's or other well measuring speaker sound like the TuneTot's?

If the TuneTot's spatial qualities are just a matter of exaggerated high frequencies, it should be interesting to see it replicated.
This site often mentions how tube amps are a waste of money to add distortion when it can be added by software. In the same view, why pay $10k for distorted sound when you can just get well engineered speakers and eq them. That is, unless the TuneTot's have some quality that currently is not being measured that adds certain benefits to the sound, one which might not be replicable by software. In that case, the price might then be understandable.
 

DanielT

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Suggestion, we skip these speakers. Everything has been said about them at this time.

Many interesting side tracks OT in this thread, but let's continue with them elsewhere. Create new threads and let more people, who do not read this thread, take part in them.
 

Godataloss

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Your totally missing the point here. Amir can prefer the Wilson all he wants, it does not invalidate whole measurements and preference score stuff. All that is statistics, and therefore 1 individual will not make a dent in those theories.
Of course it's anecdotal in Amir's case, but I can hold up the history of the entire Audiophool industry as additional data points if you like. It's littered with shit-measuring adored products. I appreciate what ASR is about, but a computed "Preference Score" becomes laughably more ironic the more I learn. It's not that the approach is without merit, but when I see the ass-chafing in this thread of those that blindly cling to it with the same fervent dogma as the audiophools they relish to mock, it's reduced to the same hyperbolic drivel I came here to escape. I hail the schism-inducing TuneTot as I do not give in so easily to the robot overlords.
 
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