Wilson Alexandria XLF Measurements "Quite Poor"

[andromedaaudio]

I dont know give it a try i just looked at the efficiency number and imp.


measuring distance :

If one looks at the fig 3 graph by JA , " Quasi anechoic" response , you know the one with the deep dip , it says its taken at a 50 inch distance , only 1,25 meter way to close .

wow...



...is it that much tougher to drive? Still works with Lamm SETs?

 

[microstrip]

Baaaahhhh , fault , dupla falta, próximo servidor ......

You have to wait until next year ...

 

[KeithR]

Does anybody think anyone buying a pair of XLFs gives a rats ass about measurements? Doubt it will cost Wilson any sales. Maybe the more interesting question is why so many audiophiles like the sound of the XLFs - yet the speakers don't meet our preconceived notion of what's important in speaker measurements? After all, Dave isn't a moron.

This is a bunch of hooey, Miles. I respect your thoughts, but this is so far out of line from where audiophilia should be it's not funny. You are basically saying science and sound have no relation and that audiophiles don't care anyway. The idea that some audiophiles like bad sound is no wonder--why on earth did they buy Talons for years?

We should be calling out manufacturers on sub-par products. Audio Research DAC8 was another one recently. This leads to better products for all of us.

and let's be honest- Dave Wilson had a mid bass hump in Watt/Puppies for 20 years. Questionable design, but audiophiles liked the artificial bass boost.

 

[FrantzM]

This is a bunch of hooey, Miles. I respect your thoughts, but this is so far out of line from where audiophilia should be it's not funny. You are basically saying science and sound have no relation and that audiophiles don't care anyway. The idea that some audiophiles like bad sound is no wonder--why on earth did they buy Talons for years?

We should be calling out manufacturers on sub-par products. Audio Research DAC8 was another one recently. This leads to better products for all of us.

and let's be honest- Dave Wilson had a mid bass hump in Watt/Puppies for 20 years. Questionable design, but audiophiles liked the artificial bass boost.

Amen!

Happy New Year People!!

 

[andromedaaudio]

Happy new year

 

[Revel Salon 2]

My Christmas gift to all of you folks!! I know I'm late but it's from the heart....

Guy;-)

link for free gift: http://harmanhowtolisten.blogspot.ca/

 

[microstrip]

(...) We should be calling out manufacturers on sub-par products. Audio Research DAC8 was another one recently. This leads to better products for all of us. (...)

Keith,

The Audio Research DAC8 received great praise in many forums, excellent reviews in many magazines and measures very well. Even the redoubtable SoundStage site gave it a Reviewer Choice accolade. However, as a reviewer of TAS and his friend who also listened to it did not like it in a subjective review, it seems it should be immediately promoted to sub-par product. I must disagree with you on this comment.

Disclaimer - I have hosted the DAC8 for some weeks, built a music server to use it and found it sounded very good, although I preferred the tubed CD8 costing the double. I considered it a great buy at the price. Anyway, I still do not own a music server.

 

[Tonepub]

So how many of you guys actually OWN or have spent a considerable amount of time with the XLF?

 

[Bruce B]

So how many of you guys actually OWN or have spent a considerable amount of time with the XLF?

I spent 2 mornings over a couple of weekends doing a demo with them. Very impressive speaker. The tweeter makes it sound like no other WA speaker previous.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Wayne , i reread the HIFI news test/graph also , the measurement was done at 1 meter distance on tweeter axxis , and that explains the whole thing , measure any mtm from that distance and you get someting like that , they (the xlfs ) are designed to be optimal at lets say 4 meters distance probably .
No wonder they also complained about the measured bass out put , if you stick a mic 1 meter in front of the tweeteraxxis thats what you get , no good reading of the total output as a system
Reading from the innovative and also m fremers measurement (although its comprimised as it is the min distance for such a large speaker ) , these are very neutral speakers which also run " about" flat to 20 hz , which is claimed by many but hard to accomplish

Measurement was done at 2.4M ...

Taken from hifi news test graph:


Frequency response, measured at 1m on the tweeter
axis, is principally characterised by a dip in output centred on
2.5kHz, despite which the response errors 200Hz-20kHz are a
modest ±3.9dB and ±4.2dB respectively for the pair [

 

[A.wayne]

I was talking about the stereophile test not the HFNRR , JA's measurement was done at 94inchs ...

 

[microstrip]

Micro, what is all this talk about "hosting" stuff, are you a reviewer? You seem to have huge amounts of equipment flow through your place and I just now wanted to connect some dots. Of course, perhaps it is none of my business and I understand if you dont answer. We certainly seem to be polar opposites on a lot of views we have in audio although atleast by now I understand you....I think!

Tom,

No, I am not a reviewer. Although I would love to be considered as such, to get industry pricing ... However, I have been a loyal audio consumer for many decades and knowing for my addiction, some friendly distributors want me to try new products, and some also friendly dealers remember me when they have part-exchange equipment at very nice prices. Many times they have success ...

I participate in WBF mainly for entertainment. And, mostly of the time reading between the lines, I consider I have learned a lot from other members.

 

[microstrip]

I spent 2 mornings over a couple of weekends doing a demo with them. Very impressive speaker. The tweeter makes it sound like no other WA speaker previous.

Bruce,

I spent several months with the Aida's. Very impressive speaker. The tweeter makes it sound like no other SF previous speaker. The XLF does not sound like an Aida, but it shared a similar airiness and extra detail in the treble without being bright that I find missing in the X2.

Although my XLF time was limited, I carried the same recordings that I used many times with great speakers to help me in these auditions.

 

[LL21]

Bruce,

I spent several months with the Aida's. Very impressive speaker. The tweeter makes it sound like no other SF previous speaker. The XLF does not sound like an Aida, but it shared a similar airiness and extra detail in the treble without being bright that I find missing in the X2.

Although my XLF time was limited, I carried the same recordings that I used many times with great speakers to help me in these auditions.

Happy New Year, Microstrip...pls feel free to post your comparison of Aida v X2 v XLF when you get some time. Thanks!!

 

[A.wayne]

Great backhand .....

Tom,

No, I am not a reviewer. Although I would love to be considered as such, to get industry pricing ... However, I have been a loyal audio consumer for many decades and knowing for my addiction, some friendly distributors want me to try new products, and some also friendly dealers remember me when they have part-exchange equipment at very nice prices. Many times they have success ...

I participate in WBF mainly for entertainment. And, mostly of the time reading between the lines, I consider I have learned a lot from other members.

 

[A.wayne]

when doing evaluations, a lot is learnt not from the recordings that please us or sound good , but from the ones that sound well , bad or have issues ..

Yes , you should also carry recordings that have issues on your reference, playing both types tells you alot ...

Regards,

Bruce,



I spent several months with the Aida's. Very impressive speaker. The tweeter makes it sound like no other SF previous speaker. The XLF does not sound like an Aida, but it shared a similar airiness and extra detail in the treble without being bright that I find missing in the X2.

Although my XLF time was limited, I carried the same recordings that I used many times with great speakers to help me in these auditions.

 

[A.wayne]

Happy New Year, Microstrip...pls feel free to post your comparison of Aida v X2 v XLF when you get some time. Thanks!!

C'mon LLOYD ...

The man is a professional reviewer/purchaser, without the discounted price, not Batman ....!

Who would protect him ....

 

[LL21]

C'mon LLOYD ...

The man is a professional reviewer/purchaser, without the discounted price, not Batman ....!

Who would protect him ....

Gotham's hero to the rescue! Caped crusader in search of truth and justice in audio!

 

[KBK]

I've always found it amazing how some people can look at a graph and assume that the graph doesn't lie. All it shows is the measurements under those specific circumstances. Microphone orientation by a few degrees and inches alone can skew results greatly. I can't see how you can get measurements for speakers that large that are truly representative unless you have a facility to do so. Even in an anechoic chamber measurements are made from 2m and plotted as 1m. Something the size of an XLF would require 3m. The modular M-T-M design doesn't lend itself to 1m measurements either where everything below 300Hz is cut off.

JA may know how to measure a speaker but it doesn't mean he can do it right on his driveway. At least he tried. I'll give him that. For a more meaningful set of measurements, I'd like to see how they perform in something like NRC's facilities.

As you can see below, I have no affiliation with Wilson Audio. Their products are our biggest competitors in fact being the current market leader for 6 figure loudspeakers in our country. I'm just calling it how I see it.

I just had a discussion with another manufacturer about how FFT only shows part of the relevant data. FFT is a nice relatively new (regarding engineering time-frames and widespread availability)and useful tool, but it has issues. Good old human recognition issues and projection moving into the territory of autonomous behavior. Failing to remember at all times that 'the map is not the territory'. And that popularity, as a bell curve center mass, only equates/reflects with itself.

 

[A.wayne]

Define new ,

FFT measurements have been with us for more than 2 decades now, I'm sure there were no suprises from JA's measurements , if there was , i'm sure WA would have responded by now ...