New AlexxV

[tima]

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.

Hmmm... but isn't this what Wilson's pre-launch marketing is designed to do as it dribbles out bits of information: get people talking about the their new speaker? Doesn't really matter what is said as long as people are made aware and talking about it.

But I do like the phrase "pontificating in a vacuum on a forum." ;->

 

[CKKeung]

WILSON AUDIO ALEXXV SPEAKERS

Mono & Stereo High-End Audio Magazine - Nagra - MSB Technology - CH Precision - Gryphon - Raidho - Totaldac - Living Voice - Viva Audio - Magico

www.monoandstereo.com

 

[spiritofmusic]

Hmmm... but isn't this what Wilson's pre-launch marketing is designed to do as it dribbles out bits of information: get people talking about the their new speaker? Doesn't really matter what is said as long as people are made aware and talking about it.

But I do like the phrase "pontificating in a vacuum on a forum." ;->

At least in space, no-one can hear you scream...

 

[CKKeung]

 

[Mdp632]

Did anyone watch Music Lover's demo on FB Live? Supposedly, they were using Boulder+DCS+ Transparent for the front end.

I don't have FB account so, was curious if anyone had a link that could be shared outside of Facebook.

That being said, I was REALLY hoping they would have demoed using all Spectral SV front end. Being Music Lovers is one of 2 Wilson +Spectral dealers in the country.

Would have loved to have heard the 500SV amps driving this speaker.

 

[Skanda]

I'm going to listen to the chronosonic xvx and alexx v's tomorrow evening. They are set up at a dealers and the alexx v has been breaking in since Friday. I thought listening to the broken in chrono and the somewhat broken in alexx v would give a good idea of what the alexx v's _should_ sound like when they are fully broken in.

i'm not huge wilson fan and personally use magicos but wilson sabrinas are what got me on this crazy speaker journey. i was really all in on headphones for years and while i had heard good speakers i never really _got it_. one day i decided to go demo a wilson sabrina because i thought it looked cool and i was curious what a 20k speaker could do - i was really stunned and sold most of my headphone gear and bought some dynaudios which i loved. the rest, as they say, is history. I did hear an alexia 2 many years later at the same dealer with dag and i really did not like it and didn't understand the fuss.

i have no bias going into this as a statement speaker from any manufacturer is a great engineering effort and i am sure wilson has done lots over the years. i am quite excited and curious about what this will sound like and looking foward to sharing my thoughts with you guys.

p.s. one of the reasons i was interested in the new wilsons was my experience with verdant audio (https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/a-visit-to-verdant-audio.31460/) there were two monitors. as a rough analogy, one with a magico sound and one with a wilson sound. while i was more impressed by the magico one and that is more my speed in terms of what i like my system to sound like...i couldnt help but be amazed by the wilson sounding one. i had a blast cranking that up and jamming out. if i had to describe the difference one sound (the magico esque one/my current system) gears more towards studying a studio session - amazing resolution, thought provoking, and fun in it's own way...the other (the wilson esque sound) was more like rocking out at a studio session. both have their place and it got me intrigued about what the new wilsons are doing

 

[Bobvin]

Skanda, I like your description of the “magico-esque” vs. “wilson-esque” sound. It has been a while since I heard Magico, but from what I remember they lacked the visceral punch you feel when listening to Wilson speakers. Of course, like you say, that may not be what someone is after. For me it surely is, ‘cause I am a rock & blues guy at heart, and that kind of musical presentation is closer to a “live” sound (in my opinion.)

I look forward to a chance to hear the new Alexx V, because I will soon have three other speakers in-house to compare. I’ve lived with Alexia v1 for a half dozen years so it will be interesting to learn how each of these others compares.

 

[thedudeabides]

So the Wilson has more mid bass punch than the Magico and the Magico is more apparently transparent than the Wilson. Is that close?

 

[Skanda]

Yep pretty much...I listen to a lot of hip hop, electronic, rock so that visceral bass is great...I've always leaned towards transparency and resolution as I found the sound scapes more intriguing. I'm always worried about too much bass action in my room so I'm able to have bigger magicos and get that big speaker scale. It's all personal preference but I always felt magico had better resolution - I love nerding out over the little things in tracks...the small sample here and there embedded deep in the mix etc.

All that said...when you've been listening for a couple hours and are deep in a session with everything playing just right...it's nice to turn up the volume and take a punch or two from your speakers! That's where the midbass drive comes in.

 

[Bobvin]

here’s a question... does mid-bass ‘hump’ mask transparency? If you flattened the hump, does the apparent transparency increase? and the corollary? (Asked somewhat tongue in cheek)

 

[LL21]

I'm going to listen to the chronosonic xvx and alexx v's tomorrow evening. They are set up at a dealers and the alexx v has been breaking in since Friday. I thought listening to the broken in chrono and the somewhat broken in alexx v would give a good idea of what the alexx v's _should_ sound like when they are fully broken in.

i'm not huge wilson fan and personally use magicos but wilson sabrinas are what got me on this crazy speaker journey. i was really all in on headphones for years and while i had heard good speakers i never really _got it_. one day i decided to go demo a wilson sabrina because i thought it looked cool and i was curious what a 20k speaker could do - i was really stunned and sold most of my headphone gear and bought some dynaudios which i loved. the rest, as they say, is history. I did hear an alexia 2 many years later at the same dealer with dag and i really did not like it and didn't understand the fuss.

i have no bias going into this as a statement speaker from any manufacturer is a great engineering effort and i am sure wilson has done lots over the years. i am quite excited and curious about what this will sound like and looking foward to sharing my thoughts with you guys.

p.s. one of the reasons i was interested in the new wilsons was my experience with verdant audio (https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/a-visit-to-verdant-audio.31460/) there were two monitors. as a rough analogy, one with a magico sound and one with a wilson sound. while i was more impressed by the magico one and that is more my speed in terms of what i like my system to sound like...i couldnt help but be amazed by the wilson sounding one. i had a blast cranking that up and jamming out. if i had to describe the difference one sound (the magico esque one/my current system) gears more towards studying a studio session - amazing resolution, thought provoking, and fun in it's own way...the other (the wilson esque sound) was more like rocking out at a studio session. both have their place and it got me intrigued about what the new wilsons are doing

Look forward to reading your thoughts on this...I can appreciate your own comments so far and your preferences. It will be interesting to hear what you think of Darryl Wilson's latest designs which are already garnering significant praise, most notably from discerning audiophiles who were not necessarily Wilson fans before his designs came along particularly the new Chronosonic XVX.

 

[Jeffy]

Look forward to reading your thoughts on this...I can appreciate your own comments so far and your preferences. It will be interesting to hear what you think of Darryl Wilson's latest designs which are already garnering significant praise, most notably from discerning audiophiles who were not necessarily Wilson fans before his designs came along particularly the new Chronosonic XVX.

I'm sorry but you should not have to spend 300,000.00 to 900,000.00 to get the Wilson sound right. This is absurd.

 

[LL21]

I'm sorry but you should not have to spend 300,000.00 to 900,000.00 to get the Wilson sound right. This is absurd.

My first Wilson, the X1/Grand Slamms, were 16 years old when I bought them and 26 years old when I traded them in for the XLFs which we refurbished. So I hear you...I am VERY happy with the Wilson sound for a very small fraction of either of those two figures above!

That said, I don't begrudge anybody who wants the newest, the best and is prepared to pay the premium to get it. Well done for them being able to have fun with that level of money on a pair of speakers. And I am happy to pick up these state of the art pieces 5, 10...again even 16 years later, for a tiny fraction of the original price and enjoy them.

The X1s are magnificent speakers, and for their performance, I never even thought about a new pair of XLFs given the massive price differential (let alone the XVX). But a 5-7 year old pair...completely factory refurbished by Wilson all the way through a new custom paint job to match our room...at a small fraction of the original price...great. And it was only available because SOMEBODY paid full retail 5-7 years ago.

 

[Skanda]

I'm sorry but you should not have to spend 300,000.00 to 900,000.00 to get the Wilson sound right. This is absurd.

i don't think anyone is saying that you do...i think we're all just curious about what this new speaker sounds like - i certainly am.
i'm sure nothing about an alexx v1 or xlf or sabrina sounds wrong.

i personally never cared for the old alexx and xlf because i thought they were ugly and regardless of price, I'm not going to own speakers i think are ugly because i will also be looking at them every day. i would only buy and ugly speaker if it was the best in the world...and you and i both know that there is no such thing. i prioritze sound first but visual display is important to me too. i always loved the look of the alexia and i like the look of the alexx v because of the new open gantry

 

[Mdp632]

My first Wilson, the X1/Grand Slamms, were 16 years old when I bought them and 26 years old when I traded them in for the XLFs which we refurbished. So I hear you...I am VERY happy with the Wilson sound for a very small fraction of either of those two figures above!

That said, I don't begrudge anybody who wants the newest, the best and is prepared to pay the premium to get it. Well done for them being able to have fun with that level of money on a pair of speakers. And I am happy to pick up these state of the art pieces 5, 10...again even 16 years later, for a tiny fraction of the original price and enjoy them.

The X1s are magnificent speakers, and for their performance, I never even thought about a new pair of XLFs given the massive price differential (let alone the XVX). But a 5-7 year old pair...completely factory refurbished by Wilson all the way through a new custom paint job to match our room...at a small fraction of the original price...great. And it was only available because SOMEBODY paid full retail 5-7 years ago.

No doubt your speakers are world class and I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

But, nobody, pays full retail. Didn’t you mention yours were formally owned by Transparent audio’s owner?

If so, they paid industry accommodation or maybe even less.

 

[dbeau]

But, nobody, pays full retail.

 

[dbeau]

No doubt your speakers are world class and I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

But, nobody, pays full retail. Didn’t you mention yours were formally owned by Transparent audio’s owner?

If so, they paid industry accommodation or maybe even less.

"nobody pays full retail" FALSE of course!
I have bought 'used, demo, sale' speakers and kit and also have paid "full" price and believe that applies to most of us here.
It is contingent on availability and ability and desire.

 

[microstrip]

here’s a question... does mid-bass ‘hump’ mask transparency? If you flattened the hump, does the apparent transparency increase? and the corollary? (Asked somewhat tongue in cheek)

I think preference depends also on room and system. Both are extremely detailed, depending on environment both can sound transparent and have punch. From my experience, Magico's need larger rooms than Wilson's.

 

[LL21]

No doubt your speakers are world class and I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

But, nobody, pays full retail. Didn’t you mention yours were formally owned by Transparent audio’s owner?

If so, they paid industry accommodation or maybe even less.

Yes, they might even have been gotten them for free or cashless in trade for something else given the relationship there. The point is that for non-industry folks (like me)...I could not buy at the prices I have historically paid on average across the system (25 cents on the dollar retail, so 75% discount) unless someone else bought them first. And so if the market is going to support the sale of 300K speakers...fantastic. Eventually, the price will drop to a range where others will be able to buy them 2nd and 3rd hand and really enjoy a sensational speaker which would not exist were it not for that first generation of owners.

 

[dbeau]

Yes, they might even have been gotten them for free or cashless in trade for something else given the relationship there. The point is that for non-industry folks (like me)...I could not buy at the prices I have historically paid on average across the system (25 cents on the dollar retail, so 75% discount) unless someone else bought them first. And so if the market is going to support the sale of 300K speakers...fantastic. Eventually, the price will drop to a range where others will be able to buy them 2nd and 3rd hand and really enjoy a sensational speaker which would not exist were it not for that first generation of owners.

LL21,
I regrettably believe that's where I am with the Taiko Extreme. I wish all owners were less enthusiastic and and not so d%^&n excellent in describing the wonders of improvement. I also don't think 'used' ones w/b available for a long, long time and Taiko has no reason to 'discount' to folks like me -- so I may have to look into mortgaging something.