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    The Computer Audiophile

    Announcing The Wilson Audio Alexia V Loudspeaker

     

     

    As members of the Audiophile Style community know, I absolutely love the Wilson Audio Alexia loudspeakers. I wrote about the Alexia Series 2 after having the speakers in my system for one year, and in June of this year at the three year mark. In addition, the Alexia Series 2 are the speakers I've used while reviewing every component that has come through my listening room door since 2019. I literally put several thousand hours of music through my Alexa Series 2 loudspeakers. 

     

    Today, Wilson Audio announced the details of its "V" upgrade for the Alexia Series 2. Here are the details about Alexia V straight from Wilson, without any wordsmithing or rewriting of the press release. 

     

    Wilson Audio Alexia V

     

     

     

    Vlogo.jpg

     

     

    Wilson Audio is well known for its persistent R&D advancements and continuous pursuit of “Excellence in All Things™.” As development finished on Alexx V® and as Alexia® Series 2 reached its five-year anniversary, Wilson Audio’s Engineers were put to the test to see how far they could push Alexia’s performance envelope. What unfolded is nothing short of remarkable. More than thirty areas of improvement were identified and refined. Benefiting from the enormous evolutions found in Chronosonic XVX® and Alexx V, Alexia V truly sits upon the shoulders of giants.

    wilson audio alexia v 001.jpg

     

     

     

     

    Wind-swept fields and towering arches served as points of inspiration for the more svelte lines and thoughtfully distilled design of Alexia V. Alexia V’s enclosures are crafted from many exotic and proprietary materials.

     

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    Alexia V’s enclosures are crafted from many exotic and proprietary materials. Included in these handcrafted enclosures are the latest versions of X-Material & S-Material, V-Material strategically nested throughout its form, carbon fiber, aerospace grade aluminum, austenitic stainless steel, and gold connections throughout the entire signal path. Each element has been carefully chosen and optimized for its distinctive role in extraordinary sound reproduction.

     

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    First introduced in the Alexx V, Wilson’s Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) Tweeter now finds a place in the Alexia V. This unique and complex carbon fiber rear-wave chamber is constructed entirely in-house on one of our many dedicated 3D printers. Listening to the results of this special tweeter, one can’t help but get lost in its ability to present an unprecedented level of ambient retrieval and exceptional harmonic expression.

     

    The integration of the tweeter and midrange is an absolutely critical element to accurate sound reproduction. Originally, when Alexia Series 2 was introduced, it utilized the same cellulose fiber/carbon composite midrange unit as is found in the WAMM Master Chronosonic®. This midrange has served Alexia well over the years. After extensive experimentation and system refinements, the Alnico (Aluminum-Nickel-Cobalt) QuadraMag™ has been successfully incorporated into the design and selected as the main midrange for the Alexia V. First developed for the Chronosonic XVX®, the QuadraMag midrange provides a tonally rich and life-like sound.

     

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    Wilson Audio’s bespoke binding posts create a cleaner signal path at its point of contact. Both banana plug and traditional spade connections can be used with this binding post. Additionally, the new spades, previously only found on the Chronosonic XVX and Alexx V, are optimized to couple precisely with the binding posts. New custom-built cables connecting everything inside Alexia V provide a balanced and beautiful sounding signal path.

     

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    Each custom capacitor used in both Alexia V’s crossovers has been wound and finished at Wilson Audio’s in-house capacitor manufacturing department (Reliable Capacitors®). These unique capacitors are made to industry-leading tight tolerances. The AudioCapX-WA™ capacitors, along with fine-tuning in the crossover topology, have contributed to a new standard in low-level loudspeaker resolution.

     

    Modifications made in the crossover slightly improved the impedance measurement of 2.59 ohms at 84 Hz from 2.54 ohms. Alexia V’s sensitivity measurement has also improved by +1dB over that found in Alexia Series 2.
     

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    V-Material is nested in the top of the woofer and midrange enclosures for increased vibration mitigation and control. By using X-Material throughout all three modules and methodically refining the internal bracing and panel thicknesses, Wilson Audio’s Engineers have enhanced enclosure damping to a new standard for this product category. Wilson’s research has found S-Material to be a superior material option for midrange driver coupling and provides an open and accurate sonic presentation.

     

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    Sculpted to blend with the new form and increase structural integrity, the midrange enclosure alignment bridge better reinforces the module's external frame and is a more massive construction using a combination of X-Material and aluminum. A delicate balance is formed within the lines of Alexia V.

     

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    In some areas, mass was increased, while in others, material was removed. The cutout that reduces unwanted pressure between the midrange and woofer enclosures found on the top of the Sasha DAW® woofer blades is now a part of Alexia V. The more aerodynamic-looking tweeter module has been reshaped to comfortably house the larger Convergent Synergy Carbon™ tweeter.

     

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    Wilson Audio’s engineering team is always evaluating and refining major hardware components in the search for breakthroughs that serve the music. A few more of the upgrades found in Alexia V:

     

    • Included with Alexia V is a complete set of Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode™. An all-new spike system launched with Alexx V, which has been completely upgraded from our standard spike system, and features a novel combination of austenitic stainless steel and V-Material. This coupling system was created by Wilson Audio’s Special Applications Engineering® (WASAE) division and has superlative vibration management that reveals far greater dynamic nuances across the entire frequency spectrum. These Acoustic Diodes come in two finish options - Natural Stainless Steel and Carbon Black.
    • Resistor mounting hardware is now attached to carbon fiber and angled in such a way for a more beautiful presentation and ease to work with.
    • The improved and aesthetically appealing external cable dressing solution.
    • A new stylized alignment “staircase” block has been developed for ease of visibility during installation.
    • The woofer port has been improved to increase laminar flow.
    • Mid enclosure internal volume was increased 6.4% to allow a more open-sounding midrange. The woofer enclosure internal volume is now 8.9% larger compared with Alexia Series 2, creating deeper low-frequency reproduction and faster transient settling.
    • Refined internal midrange wave diffusers allow faster midrange settling.
    • There is now an integrated Bubble level on the top of the woofer cabinet which makes leveling the loudspeaker much easier and more convenient.

     

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    “At its core, it's about our love of music. Sharing that love through the products we make is our goal.” -David A. Wilson II

     

     

    Alexia V - U.S. MSRP:

    Standard Finishes: $67,500
    Upgrade Finishes: $69,500
    Custom Finishes: $71,500
    Premium Finishes: $79,500

     

    Alexia V Specifications:

     

    Measurements:
    Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms / minimum 2.59 ohms @ 84 Hz

    Sensitivity: 90 dB @ 1W @ 1m @ 1k

    Frequency Response: 19 Hz – 33 kHz +/- 3 dB

    Minimum Amplification Power Recommended: 20 watts/channel

     

    Drivers:
    Woofer: 8 inches (20.32 cm) Cone Material: Paper Pulp

    Woofer: 10 inches (25.4 cm) Cone Material: Paper Pulp

    Midrange: 7 inches (17.78 cm) Cone Material: Paper Pulp Composite

    Tweeter: 1 inch, Dome (2.54 cm) Material: Doped Silk Fabric

     

    Dimensions:
    Height: 53 3/32 inches (134.86 cm) w/spikes [Variable]

    Width: 15 3/4 inches (40.01 cm)

    Depth: 24 3/16 inches (61.41 cm)

     

    Enclosure Type:
    Woofer: (Rear Ported) Material: X-Material

    Midrange: (Rear Vented) Material: X-Material/ S-Material baffle

    Tweeter: (Sealed) Material: X-Material

    Damping Inserts: Material: V-Material

    -Woofer Top / Midrange Top / Acoustic Diodes

     

    Product Weight:
    Weight Per Channel Uncrated: 265 lbs (120.20 kg)

    Approximate Shipping Weight: 795 lbs (360.61 kg)

     

     

     

     

    wilson audio alexia v drawing 001.jpg wilson audio alexia v drawing 002.jpg wilson audio alexia v drawing 003.jpg

     

     




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    They're beautiful in a brutalist sort of way. I do appreciate that they offer a broad choice of finishes. I need to come listen to now nice they sound one of these days.

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    On 9/6/2022 at 8:36 AM, botrytis said:

    My wife says she is not a Dr. Who Fan so no Daleks allowed in the house. 🤣

    I wish I understood that 🤣

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    On 9/6/2022 at 2:36 PM, botrytis said:

    My wife says she is not a Dr. Who Fan so no Daleks allowed in the house. 🤣

    Some speakers look more like Daleks than others ....

     

    image.png.bb3b5d0bdfec30ed857d1bd5320233cc.png

     

    image.png.4631707382fd6be20ce2eaab16b117d1.png

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    The fit and finish look amazing. I’m sure they sound amazing as well. Too bad they are so strange looking. I know the look is controversial, but I always felt they were hideous architecturally. Still waiting to see a room that they really feel at home. Certainly never a look I would spend my money on. Wish they made some different cabinets.

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    They must have put a lot of effort into those things.
    Did you get graphs of frequency response & horizontal + vertical directivity plots from the Wilson Audio’s engineering team?
     

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    1 minute ago, DigiPete said:

    They must have put a lot of effort into those things.
    Did you get graphs of frequency response & horizontal + vertical directivity plots from the Wilson Audio’s engineering team?
     

    More info to come.

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    Impressive work the Wilson team is doing these days. For some reason I found it interesting that these speakers are 53" tall. For some reason I thought they were shorter but pictures can be misleading when it comes to size/scale unless shown next to something else.

     

    Very nice speaker

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    I think of speakers like this – those nearing the limit of possible audio performance – as needing a listening room such as yours to fully decern and appreciate their capability.  It is interesting how their advertising photos show the speakers in a conventional living room.  I wonder how much their capability is compromised in such a compromised listening space.

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    On 9/6/2022 at 5:19 PM, Deyorew said:

    The fit and finish look amazing. I’m sure they sound amazing as well. Too bad they are so strange looking. I know the look is controversial, but I always felt they were hideous architecturally. Still waiting to see a room that they really feel at home. Certainly never a look I would spend my money on. Wish they made some different cabinets.

     

    If you think the Alexia V is hideous, you should take a look at the Alexx V. By comparison, the latter is absolutely fugly. 🙂

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    To me, all Wilson's are fugly. Beautiful sound, but fugly.

     

    To each there own.

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