Lee Scoggins and Mohammed Samji share their personal experiences and thoughts on audio-world legend David Wilson, of Wilson Audio, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Below is the Wilson Audio press release, followed by Lee, and Mo’s words.

From the entire editorial team at Part-Time Audiophile, we’d like to echo these sentiments and add our own gratitude for Dave’s contributions to our weird little world of high-end audio. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time.

— Scot Hull, Rafe Arnott, Panagiotis Karavitis & John Stancavage

Dear Friends,

We at Wilson Audio are saddened to inform you that Dave Wilson recently discovered that he has a rare form of bone cancer. He had been seeking the source of some discomfort he’d been experiencing for some period of time. He and Sheryl Lee are working with the best physicians and medical professionals to determine his treatment options so they can identify the best course of action for Dave.

As Dave and Sheryl Lee travel this difficult road, they’ve asked their friends, if they wish, to remember Dave in their prayers. They also wanted to share their love and gratitude for all those who have supported Wilson Audio for the past several decades. They consider you all a part of their extended family.

If you have questions or would like to share a message with Dave and Sheryl Lee, please direct both by email to Pam Huffaker (pam@wilsonaudio.com)

Thank you for the support you give through this wonderful Social Media Community.

Reflections

By Lee Scoggins

Two weeks ago I reached a mountain peak of audio nirvana that continues to resonate to this day.  After getting to know Debby, Daryl and Dave Wilson at various audio shows and on phone calls, I was invited to spend a couple of days in Provo, Utah to tour the factory.  I was also invited to hear Dave Wilson’s flagship WAMM Chronosonic speaker at Dave and Sheryl Lee’s house.  Leading up to the “demo” the Wilson hospitality had been, well, magnificent with a wonderful tour by Daryl and John Giolas at the sprawling factory in Provo.  That would have been enough for most, but every audio journalist wants to hear the new WAMM perfectly dialled-in in Dave’s large living room and I was super excited about that part of the visit.

Leading up to the event, there was some discussion about Dave having a “medical procedure” in the morning so we coordinated the demo with Dave’s schedule, playing it by ear.  Despite all this and looking a little tired but still full of enthusiasm, Dave greeted me at his home and we proceeded to have an epic visit that lasted the entire afternoon, starting with a lengthy and fairly technical discussion about Dave’s “temporal coherence” which guides his speaker development efforts.  Then I soon heard sound more realistic and natural than I have ever heard before.  It was a true “knock your socks off” experience that I am writing a detailed article about.  I am struggling to convey what I experienced because it was so different from other “mega” systems I have heard.

So as I have had these personal interactions and discussions, I have been impressed with the intellectual curiosity of the man.  I have been impressed by his graciousness and generosity of time for the WAMM demonstration.  I have been impressed by what he and Daryl have built in terms of speaker performance, customer experience, factory efficiency, manufacturing precision, and, perhaps most telling of all, the character and professionalism of Debby and Daryl.  Also telling is the level of talent that Dave and Daryl have attracted to their team.  I’ve gotten to know Bill Peugh, Peter McGrath, and John Giolas, all wonderful people and incredibly experienced experts.  High performers attract high performers.  Dave Wilson is a pretty amazing person to accomplish what he has and is fully deserving of his status as an audio legend.  Perhaps this commentary does not seem objective for a reviewer, but I get passionate when I see excellence in action.

All this commentary to set the context to express what I felt when I received the news from Wilson Audio of Dave being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.  I learned the other morning and I have been heartbroken.  One never knows what to say or write when something like this happens to someone you greatly admire.  I understand there will be a tough road ahead for this family that I am quite fond of.  Most importantly, I know Sheryl Lee and family believe in prayer and I do as well.  I am keeping Dave and his family in my prayers going forward and I hope you do too.

More Reflections

By Mohammed Samji

Over the years I have been fortunate to get to know the Wilson family. It all started when my loving wife gave me the green light to purchase a pair of Wilson Audio Sophia 3’s, which share the same name as our daughter.

It was the beginning of a journey of not just music, but of a friendship that we cherish with the Wilson Family. Countless hours of listening and inspiring both my children and friends of what music can sound like.

At RMAF 2013, David blew us away with the Alexandria XLF paired with a set of Thor’s hammers. I remember that evening like it was yesterday. The unbelievable reproduction of the larger then life bass drum and associated mallet from the “Winds of War and Peace” album from Wilson Audiophile recordings. That night in October was my first opportunity to meet David in person, an evening where he signed an LP for me, that has proudly hung on my wall since I returned home.  I don’t plan to ever take it down.

My journey came to a climax in May 2017 during a visit to Provo to meet with David, Cheryl, and Daryl to get a sneak peek of the Alexia Series-2. During my visit, I was very fortunate to sit at David’s kitchen table and hear his stories, memories and insights from the development of the WAMM Chronosonic. We entered his listening room and words can’t express what I heard on the larger then life WAMM loud speaker – his magnum opus. Imagine sitting in a concert hall in Europe, the WAMM transported you there and you didn’t want to leave. It was an honour and a blessing to experience sound reproduction like I heard did in David’s listening chair.

We were incredibly saddened by the news of David’s cancer yesterday. We pray for him and his family for a speedy recovery. He is in our hearts each time we drop the needle and listen. We still have lots of music to listen to together. God Bless.