Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX First Impressions

I just spent over six hours today listening to my friend's new Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX loudspeakers. Consistent with being blown away by the Master Chronosonic + Master Subsonic system at Maier Shadi's demo in Santa Monica, and consistent with a couple of reports by people who auditioned at Maier's both the Master Chronosonic and later the XVX and preferred the XVX, I am here to report officially that I think the XVX is now my favorite conventional cone driver speaker system. I think I prefer the XVX even to my longtime favorite dynamic driver loudspeaker, the mighty Rockport Arrakis.

Prior to the XVX, my friend had the Alexx. The height alone of the XVX over the Alexx affords the system the height and scale and grandeur I always notice and appreciate from very tall loudspeakers.

I don't know why the XVX is an order of magnitude better -- next level better -- than the Alexx. But I am certain that it is.

I think the XVX is the first dynamic driver speaker of which I was very aware that you can hear seemingly almost everything at fairly low listening volumes. It doesn't need to be played loudly to be heard comfortably.

In much the same way that people like to applaud their digital playback systems by saying "it sounds like analog," dynamic driver loudspeaker aficionados like to say their cone speakers have "electrostatic-like transparency." Believe me, if most dynamic driver speakers had "electrostatic-like transparency" we would not need electrostatic speakers.

As somebody who loves electrostatic speakers I have always been aware that speakers of other topologies are one or two steps less transparent than electrostatic speakers. I feel like the XVX truly has "electrostatic-like transparency" -- at least credibly so, and more so than any other cone speaker I've ever heard.

Just like I felt about the Master Chronosonic the XVX gives one the sense of unlimited dynamic capability. There is a limitlessness and an effortlessness to the sound that I do not hear from other box speakers. Other heroically inert box speakers sound tightly wrapped or button-downed by comparison -- like some portion of the sound is trapped in the box and having trouble freeing itself. The XVX sounds open somehow -- a sonic presentation I associate with planar speakers, not with big box speakers.

I know, I know, I know. I am thinking and saying the same things you are: these are meaningless statements as you can't compare loudspeakers in different systems from fault-prone memory; you will never be able to hear an XVX versus a Rockport Arrakis, or an XVX versus a VSA Ultra 11, in the same room with the same associated components at the same time, etc., etc. I know, and I agree with you.

All I am saying is that if you put a gun to my head and told me I had to buy a dynamic driver loudspeaker system for my personal system and cost was not a factor. . . I would say take the gun away from my head. Then I would tell you I will order XVX + Master Subsonics.

Without intending to be coy, I couch this is terms of "the XVX is the box speaker I would I buy if I had to buy a box speaker for myself" rather than "the XVX is the best box speaker I've ever heard," because I cannot hear the Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 11 and the Evolution Acoustics MM7 and the Rockport Arrakis and the YG XV in the same room in the same system as the XVX + Subsonics. So it just does not make any sense to declare, and it is analytically defective to declare, that the XVX is the best speaker I have ever heard.

My view that if I had to buy a box speaker I would buy the XVX + Subsonics is a combination of what I heard from the XVX, what I vaguely remember from hearing these other other speakers in other systems, and my slight prejudice against ceramic drivers which I would be worried I might find uncomfortable over a long period of time. (I would worry the same about beryllium drivers and about diamond encrusted drivers.)

I have owned only planar loudspeakers my entire life. I literally couldn't bear to listen to Wilson Audio speakers with metal dome tweeters. I have never been a big fan of Wilson Audio speakers in general. But I thought I heard magic from Maier's demo of the Master Chronosonic, and my experience today proves that that inkling was correct.

I don't know how or what Daryl Wilson did to achieve it, but I am reporting that to my ears the XVX is a very, very special speaker. It is a stunning achievement in dynamic driver loudspeaker design specifically, and in loudspeaker design in general.

PS: Assuming they physically fit in Michael Fremer's listening room, I have no doubt that Michael will upgrade his Alexx to XVX. He might go in not wanting to upgrade, but after hearing these there is no way he's going to be happy without the XVX.

Wilson-XVX.jpg
 
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Ron, thanks for sharing your impressions. I will probably never hear those speakers so I appreciate reading about them.
 
Ron ‘s visit ...?

Don't have those but here are a couple during set up. Listening to Alexx before packing it up with my son who is the bass player in Alien Ant Farm. Nobody better at packing big speakers than someone who spends most of his life touring (at least before Covid-19)
 

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Don't have those but here are a couple during set up. Listening to Alexx before packing it up with my son who is the bass player in Alien Ant Farm. Nobody better at packing big speakers than someone who spends most of his life touring (at least before Covid-19)
Is he wearing headphones?
 
Is he wearing headphones?
He was working on finalizing a social distancing, fly in-fly out gig in Alaska. Spent much of the day on the phone and still managed to pack the Alexx and unpack XVX in record time. Was more concerned with hearing XVX than he was Alexx, which he has heard many times. I was listening to get a feel for what the room was doing.
 
I just read Robert Harley's review of the XVX and Subsonics in the September 2020 issue of The Absolute Sound. He seems to have heard what I heard, and he even described certain sonic characteristics in similar ways. (If a sonic attribute was strong enough to make an impression on me, I think it would be pretty obvious to anyone who goes in with an open mind and with open ears.) Robert clearly loves this loudspeaker system!

It was disappointing that I did not see any specific observation comparing the sound of this speaker system to the sound of any other speaker Robert has had in his listening room. Unfortunately, published comparative impressions by The Absolute Sound writers are rare.

Congratulations, Wilson Audio!
 
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I just read Robert Harley's review of the XVX and Subsonics in the September 2020 issue of The Absolute Sound. He seems to have heard what I heard, and he even described certain sonic characteristics in similar ways. (If a sonic attribute was strong enough to make an impression on me, I think it would be pretty obvious to anyone who goes in with an open mind and with open ears.) Robert clearly loves this loudspeaker system!

It was disappointing that I did not see any specific observation comparing the sound of this speaker system to the sound of any other speaker Robert has had in his listening room. Unfortunately, published comparative impressions by The Absolute Sound writers are rare.

Congratulations, Wilson Audio!

Ron,

You have listened for yourself, what do you expect from comparisons? :) As far as I remember, any system RH had in his room was not playing in this league - comparisons would be unfair to the opponent. In fact if you read carefully you see that RH frequently compares to real music, indirectly implying that the XVX is a jump in speaker performance.
 
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Something!

When a reviewer has different speakers in his own dedicated listening room with the same, or substantially the same, associated components I think only business and advertising considerations deter interesting -- and significantly valid -- reporting of comparative listening impressions.

I still have to read a good valid report of comparative listening impressions of very top speakers, YMMV.
 
My experience with the XVX (and the XLF/X2 to a lesser extent) is that although it does have a very effortless sound, which is rare and highly valued, the soundstage is so high from the ground that I feel tired having to "look up" while listening. Not sure if it's the visual part playing a role too or not - as I am used to seeing tweeters while listening, but in the case of XVX and X2, it's the woofers that is on my eyesight. Yes I played with all the adjustments possible in case of the X2 as it belonged to an audio buddy.
 
... the soundstage is so high from the ground that I feel tired having to "look up" while listening. ...

Is it the entire soundstage that is raised up, or do you have a sense of the height of performers? Are they larger than life or do you have a sense of sitting too close? Do you feel like you are looking up when your eyes are closed?
 
Is it the entire soundstage that is raised up, or do you have a sense of the height of performers? Are they larger than life or do you have a sense of sitting too close? Do you feel like you are looking up when your eyes are closed?

Yes I feel like having to look up even with my eyes closed. Performers are not larger than life and I appreciate other sonic attributes, just too tiresome with stage height.
 
My experience with the XVX (and the XLF/X2 to a lesser extent) is that although it does have a very effortless sound, which is rare and highly valued, the soundstage is so high from the ground that I feel tired having to "look up" while listening. Not sure if it's the visual part playing a role too or not - as I am used to seeing tweeters while listening, but in the case of XVX and X2, it's the woofers that is on my eyesight. Yes I played with all the adjustments possible in case of the X2 as it belonged to an audio buddy.
i wonder why it was to a lesser extent with the XLF/X2...is it because the XVX tweeter/mids are physically higher...or is it because the setup of the speakers to listening positioning was not done correctly?

For example, from memory, when we listen to piano recordings where one would expect the piano to be lower than a standing artist, or acoustic bands...it feels to be at around the right height though frankly I would have no idea if this placement was 'artifact' or not anyway.
 
i wonder why it was to a lesser extent with the XLF/X2...is it because the XVX tweeter/mids are physically higher...or is it because the setup of the speakers to listening positioning was not done correctly?

For example, from memory, when we listen to piano recordings where one would expect the piano to be lower than a standing artist, or acoustic bands...it feels to be at around the right height though frankly I would have no idea if this placement was 'artifact' or not anyway.

Soundstage height and height discrimination in the soundstage in stereo are very complex matters and can't be superficially or casuistically analyzed - we will probably point to very different experiences using the same speakers.

Provided the speakers are decently designed and operating in an adequate room we will not listen to the speaker units separately when playing music or pink noise, although we will be able to locate them in a frequency sweep. When playing music soundstage height will also depend on floor and ceiling reflections, but also on our training to discriminate height from tonal cues in music and the ability of the system to reproduce them.

Properly set up the XLF's are able to create an appropriate height for the soundstage, with fabulous height discrimination. However in two minutes I can make them sound as if everyone is standing on a one meter stage in my room.

Surely we can train ourselves to locate the speaker units, specializing in finding the characteristic coloration of each type of speaker unit. But then do not expect to be fooled by the stereo illusion so easily - I remember an ex-member of this forum telling that he could not listen to most recordings as we was always listening to horrible distortions and errors of the recording engineers ...

BTW, I listen typically at around 10-12 feet - 3 - 3.6 meters.
 
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