Introducing Wilson Audio Alexia V

High End is about attention. Taking care of every detail, driven by the desire to get the most out of yourself. Although the aim is quite universal, it is only fully completed by few. Wilson Audio is such a special exception. Of course tastes differ and the functional creations of Daryl Wilson and his team may not be your cup of tea, but the degree of perfection is hard to deny. The perfection of every facet of the construction symbolizes the premier class of High End loudspeaker systems. Cabinet material, filter components, loudspeaker drivers, time alignment, every aspect represents the maximum achievable in the sum of the system. But when your biggest motivation is constant optimization, you can never rest. It’s Wilson Audio’s mantra. Five years after the introduction of its beloved predecessor, Wilson Audio therefore introduces the Alexia V. The V-evolution of the fantastic Alexia.

The original Wilson Audio Alexia marked the step between the Sasha and the MAXX series 3. It combined the footprint of the Sasha with the adjustment precision of the MAXX. Where the Sasha fixed its tweeter and midrange in one predetermined position, the Alexia had the possibility to independently optimize the position of the tweeter to the seat height in distance. It gave the Alexia a degree of coherence and impulse accuracy that until than had only been ascribed to the much larger models. The degree of musical realism was and is unprecedented with the Alexia. The Alexia V builds on that foundation, bringing materials and innovations from the illustrious Chronosonic XVX and ALEXX V into the new Alexia V. With over 30 elements of further improvement, the engineers have refined the already fine Alexia even further. We mention the most important and already reveal that the sum of the parts forms an astonishing whole.

Alexia V – CSC Tweeter

Wilson Audio’s tweeters have always been a special piece of craftsmanship, with the real technical beauty hided behind the front plate. As with the woofer in its tuned enclosure, the small dome tweeter diaphragm also interacts with the trapped air behind the diaphragm. The size of the connected air volume, internal reflections and damping all have an impact on the movement of the voice coil and thus on the impedance and frequency behavior of the tweeter. They mask minute details and distort musical nuances. The indemnity of this has always been a great aspiration for Wilson Audio. The phenomenal Convergent Synergy Dome tweeter with its textile membrane is particularly sensitive to this. For the tweeter of the ALEXX V, the engineers therefore developed a complete 3D printed, acoustically optimized housing made of carbon. With its special shape, material and precisely placed damping materials, the CSC Tweeter reveals details that otherwise simply remain hidden. After the ALLEX V, this great driver now also finds its way to the Alexia V. Combined with the renewed crossover with fully in-house developed capacitors, the CSC Tweeter takes the Alexia V to a completely new level of authenticity.

The midrange is arguably the most important component of a loudspeaker. Operating in the frequency range where our ear is most sensitive and where the diameter of the driver dictates the necessary crossover frequency. The midrange must also be able to complement the revealing qualities of the CSC Tweeter with energetic expression and tonal integration. For the Alexia V, Wilson Audio therefore chooses its QuadraMag Midrange. Originally developed for the Chronosonic XVX, used in the ALEXX V and now in the Alexia V. Unlike the standard single ring magnet, the QuadraMag midrange uses four independent Alnico magnets strategically placed around the voice coil. The Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt magnets are compact, offer a high field strength, are very heat resistant and mold perfectly for its function so that the magnetic field can concentrate perfectly where it is needed – the voice coil. The shape and position of the magnets minimize compression and flow losses that obscure small musical nuances. It extends the exceptionally realistic sound class of the CSC Tweeter into the crucial midrange and is musically perhaps the biggest sound asset of the Alexia V.

Alexia V – Cabinet volume

Despite the fact that the Alexia V does not seem larger at first glance, the cabinet volume of the QuadraMag midrange driver did increase by a good 6%. The housing for the woofers has also grown considerably in net cabinet volume. A gain that is partly made possible by the space-saving cable passage between the two cabinets, which, as with the ALEXX V, is equipped with an airtight cable transit. The result is a friendlier impedance curve and an even more delicate cooperation between the woofer, cabinet and bass reflex port. Definition and layering are therefore even more perfect. The typical drive and rhythm that always characterizes Wilson Audio is unmistakably present and with extreme conviction. Visually, the Alexia V complements the smoother lines of the Sasha DAW and ALEXX V even more beautifully. The cleverly constructed lines along the sides of the cabinet are clearly inspired by the landscape of Utah, Salt Lake City from which the speakers rose. As with the Sasha DAW, the top of the woofer housing has an opening that provides a view of the Time Alignment adjustment mechanism. These openings also provide an escape route for trapped energy at the rear of the cabinet, preventing unwanted resonances.

Alexia V – Silence

Dynamics is the difference between the loudest loud and the softest soft. Eliminating unwanted vibrations, resonances and cabinet coloration has always been a spearhead from the very first sketch in David Wilson’s design book. Convert the electrical signal as effectively as possible into acoustic energy via the different loudspeaker units and add nothing. It’s that simple. That is why we do not find wood or MDF in the cabinet of a Wilson Audio, but Wilson’s own developed composite materials. More and more refined over the years. Partly thanks to new technical possibilities in material production and partly due to growing knowledge and measurement procedures. The keyword of the current generation is V-material. A material with a fantastic combination of stiffness and internal damping. Certainly not suitable for all walls and elements in the loudspeaker cabinet, but when used correctly it is extremely functional in eliminating unwanted vibrations. In the Alexia V, the unique V material finds a grateful place in several places. For example, the top of the woofer housing, parts of the cabinet for the midrange and the Acoustic Diode Spike combination supplied as standard are equipped with the special V materials. While the QuadraMag Midrange driver is mounted in a baffle of S material. Wilson’s composite cabinet materials are very weighty, difficult to machine and expensive, but they provide the very best foundation for a loudspeaker that respects every nuance in the electrical signal and does not add any kind of discouloration. Especially the midrange of the Alexia V is phenomenal. It has an unprecedented light-footedness that seamlessly follows every sound timbre and realy draws you deep into the music.

Alexia V – Details

With more than 30 strategic changes, we can of course continue for a while. The in-house developed and thus fully optimized capacitors according to own requirements and function. New spades on the speaker cables from woofer to top module – cables that are made for Wilson Audio at Transparent Cable. Bass reflex port with a larger rounding that prevents any turbulence along the edge, an integrated spirit level for positioning and various invisible adjustments inside the cabinet. They all contribute to raising the bar even higher. The Alexia was already an exceptionally beautiful loudspeaker, but the evolution to the V shows once again how driven or almost obsessed Wilson Audio strives for perfection in every detail. Something you can only have a lot of respect for.

V-evolution

The Alexia V is impressive. We have ordered our demo model in Cranberry Pearl. Admittedly, the deep red metallic glow even makes a turd attractive, but man, what a beautiful speaker the Alexia V is. The definition with which especially the midrange area unravels details is really bizarre. The lifelike depth in the stage, the spontaneity of even the smallest musical note and the weight of every sound facet is breathtaking. The bass complements this beautifully and seems even more controlled and subtle than with the already beautiful Alexia. The way the CSC Tweeter unravels the finest details is spectacular. Like a fireworks show on a crystal-clear, pitch-black night, the details of the Alexia V splash. Spectacular but without the edgyness, harshness or spurious overexposure that characterize many other systems in comparison. It gives the musical performance of a Wilson Audio Alexia V something magical. The scale and timbre are tangible and lifelike. Wilson Audio continues its V-evolution with the Alexia V magnificently.

In the week of November 28, we at Reference Sounds present the Mark Levinson No 50 Anniversary Edition Monoraul Power amplifiers that we will combine with the Alexia V.

You are most welcome – by appointment!

The suggested retail price of the Alexia V is € 92.000,- based on the standard Wilson Gloss finish.