New AlexxV
- Thread starter sbnx
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Good question...have to talk to Robert on that one.When can we expect a review in TAS?
I assume no upgrade path?
No empathy for the guy who slaved away for many years to save his sheckels and get these for over $100K in the last few years, and is now out of luck.
No empathy for the guy who slaved away for many years to save his sheckels and get these for over $100K in the last few years, and is now out of luck.
When you bought that Panamerica did you assume an upgrade path?
The upgrade path is to sell whatever you slaved to save for and pay the difference.
The new speaker does not make the older speaker obsolete. There's no new technology in any Wilson speakers, just different driver and box configurations. I think the original ALEXX is still a state of the art speaker. The new ALEXXV might employ AlNico magnets, state of the art since 1931.
Only users of digital systems need really think about upgrade path as that technology continues to evolve.
There are many of companies in this industry who have great engineering and respect their customers. They offer an upgrade path.
Maybe wilson can offer you an extra discount when you write up their speaekr
Yes. Wilson continues with driver improvement, materials innovation, and a process of continuous refinement to individual speaker components. Some is new to the model some is trickle down from top models such as the WAMM and XVX. Technologies adoped to other models during intervening years are evaluated for application. We don't have all the details but I speculate that Wilson's steps to Alexx V will be similar in type to the ones they took upgrading the Alexia to Alexia Series 2.
Some examples:
A slight increase to cabinet volume and size - it is very important that the next speaker in a series fit in the same space as the current model. The Alexia 2 retained the width of the original and increased its depth by 4 centimeters. The V will be 1" deeper and 1" taller than the original Alexx.
The Alexia 2 received the Mark V Convergent Synergy Tweeter used in the original Alexx which it received from the WAMM. The Alexx V will offer a new carbon fiber tweeter, the Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) tweeter which derives from the Convergent Synergy Tweeter and is built by Wilson using 3-D printing technology.
The Alexia 2 improved temporal accuracy and focus with finer-grained adjustment increments for its tweeter module. The Alexx V slightly modifies the baffle angle of each speaker module position yielding time alignment accuracy close to the XVX.
The Alexia 2 received the larger diodes (feet) used in the WAMM. The Alexx V introduces a brand new footer - the Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode.. I've known for a while that Wilson intended to offer their own footer (but could not talk about it) - I thought it might first release as an add-on upgrade for all their speakers, but it arrives first with the Alexx V. I suspect the add-on will still happen as Wilson indicates other thread sizes are on their way. Materials advance with V-Material (used in the Pedestal equipment vibration abatement devices) being used in the new 'AD Spike'. V-Material sits between the threaded post into the speaker and the spike that goes into the floor, thus addressing vibrations coming up from the floor and down from the speaker. Clever.
The sensitivity of the Alexia 2 was 1dB lower than the original, with a small improvement to the minimum impedance (2.54 ohms for the 2 versus 2.0.) I'm keen to learn if there are changes to the Sensitivity and Nominal Impedance of the new V. The original Alexx is 91dB with 1.5 ohms minimum, 4 ohms nominal..
The sonic gains going from Alexia to Alexia Series 2 were genuinely signifcant. I speculate similar for the Alexx V. I have no affiliation with WAS. Any inaccuracies are on me.
Blah blah blah.....let’s get serious here, we know Wilson’s all about the outstanding paint job.
I think the biggest improvement to the Alexx V may be the adoption of the midrange driver from the XVX.
Ron there are many improvements, of which that is but one. In fact the driver itself is only a part of the "midrange" change - crossover, Wilson Audio CapX, internal enclosure design, open gantry, etc. Even though the driver alone is better than the one in the original Alexx, nothing happens as a singular part of the design.
I remember a company years ago whose ads showed their key parts roster versus an established competitor. It was loaded with the "in" best parts of the day. In terms of parts, it clearly had more parts technology than the competitor, though the competitor had high quality but mostly different parts. Sadly (to me at least), the company had created a tube product that sounded like bad solid state. You can throw all the technical jewelry you want at a design. That may or may not make it good. But proper implementation of technologies and understanding how they interact with other aspects of the design wins every time. At least for us it does.
ymmv
That all makes perfect sense. Thank you for elaborating!
I was not aware of the other midrange related improvements on the Alexx V. All I know is how great is the overall midrange complex sonic performance of the XVX.
I was not aware of the other midrange related improvements on the Alexx V. All I know is how great is the overall midrange complex sonic performance of the XVX.
I am curious about the new carbon tweeter. I like the silk tweeter used in the previous generation and it is interesting to see Wilson changing to a different material. As far as I am aware the only other speaker using a carbon based tweeter is Avalon. The Saga uses soomething described as a carbon/glass tweeter, and some of the PM serie also seem to use it.
The enclosure for the tweeter is carbon fiber. The diaphragm remains silk.
Interesting...what is the comparable material for the tweeter enclosure of its predecessor, the XLF? What was the difference in performance that led to the decision? Resonance?
More information will come out when Alexx V is launched. Normally I would be able to give you direct observations of the tweeter's development but in this crazy world I have been working remotely and have not been in Utah/the factory since September.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Huge fan of Wilsons having owned the X1s for 10 years and still getting to know the magnificent XLFs.
Guys, the launch of Alexx V is March 29. Visit your local dealer on that date. I think there will be a dozen plus dealers in the US who have demos. Check wilsonaudio.com to see who they are. It's much easier to evaluate new models/technology by experiencing them in person rather than pontificating in a vacuum on a forum.
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