Wilson Alexia V - 2023 Stereophile Speaker of the Year ???

[MoreWatts]

Choosing the right HiFi speakers is a slow and steady process.

The whole point of measurement data is to avoid this 'slow' process. A speaker that (1) measures ~flat throughout the FR, (2) is big enough to fill the required space and (3) can handle the associated power can genuinely be bought sight unseen. These are the kinds of speakers that are difficult to distinguish in ABX tests, because they sound 'correct,' meaning they play the recorded music as intended.

Those of us who live in the boonies (no nearby dealers) have ~always had to buy speakers unheard/unseen anyway. Thank ASR/measurement data that we now have objective data that can help in this regard.

When I needed to replace speakers ~24 years ago I discovered the audio magazines. The speaker evaluations just seemed to be opinions based on music I never listened to. The BS led me to take a chance on powerful, active studio monitors instead, which I then used for 20 years.

When I recently replaced those, the measurements led me to Revel F208s with a class D amp. The combo sounds wonderful, and can handle any type of music I throw at them.

Didn't those JBL 590s you own stop your speaker search? Why? They meet the 3 criteria above.

 

[DonR]

Stereophile never fail to confirm my expectation bias of them.

 

[computer-audiophile]

Didn't those JBL 590s you own stop your speaker search?

Yes, at the moment it looks like that, I've calmed down a bit, I'm already old and they fit well in our flat. But since I started with loudspeakers in the sixties, I've had dozens of loudspeakers and built many with special features myself.

 

[DSJR]

After decades of doing this I would only trust my listening impressions after having them at home for a few weeks and at least 50 hours of listening. An hour's exposure at the dealer's really isn't worth anything. All I can spot in that situation is obvious flaws and that's only if I get to control the programme material.

Maybe 'cos I'm an ex pro here (that sounds bad don't it?), but I find that I can have less than a few minutes with a given speaker and pretty well sum it up, further listening *usually* confirming these first impressions - as long as the amp is a good one able to harmlessly drive the roller-coaster impedance curve... I came badly unstuck in recent years though and that was the amp's fault (a Croft Series 7, with 2.5 ohm output impedance) as it was equalising the response of the speakers I was trying to judge.

 

[Salida]

Maybe 'cos I'm an ex pro here (that sounds bad don't it?), but I find that I can have less than a few minutes with a given speaker and pretty well sum it up, further listening *usually* confirming these first impressions - as long as the amp is a good one able to harmlessly drive the roller-coaster impedance curve... I came badly unstuck in recent years though and that was the amp's fault (a Croft Series 7, with 2.5 ohm output impedance) as it was equalising the response of the speakers I was trying to judge.

This has been my experience. I don’t need hours and hours for my ears to get accustomed to a new speaker. I can tell right away if it’s a contender and worth an extended listen.

I’d never buy an expensive speaker without auditioning first. I can then correlate the measurements with what I’m hearing. I’ve done this enough times to develop a sense for if I’ll like a speaker or not based on its measurements. But measurements have to be very complete.

If I have a set of measurements done to CEA 2034-A-2015 and a set of on axis measurements of nth order distortion vs frequency vs amplitude than I can tell if I’m going to like the speaker.

Just looking at measurements in the Stereophile article gave me very little perspective on what I might hear. I think these measurements had too much room interaction to be truly helpful. They were good enough to take the time to go listen these speakers.

 

[egellings]

I know the money talks, but this just seems glaringly over the top, even for Stereophile

Literally makes me sad and sick to my stomach

Money doesn't talk; it swears.

 

[MKR]

Money doesn't talk; it swears.

Ha! Indeed

 

[Sokel]

I have to admit (with some guilt) that's it's 200Hz-20Khz in room response is my exact cup of tea.
Lower than this doesn't look bad either but I would prefer it a lot more generous at 30Hz even if it's peak a little higher will probably give some good slam combined with it's high output.

Not bad,but there are better.

 

[MKR]

I have to admit (with some guilt) that's it's 200-20Khz in room response is my exact cup of tea.
Lower than this doesn't look bad either but I would prefer it a lot more generous at 30Hz even if it's peak a little higher will probably give some good slam combined with it's high output.

Not bad,but there are better.

If this is your cup of tea I expect you can get it for much less than $70k

 

[Sokel]

If this is your cup of tea I expect you can get it for much less than $70k

You can,yes.
And with higher output,etc.
You can also find it higher of course,the big Rockports are my absolute favorite at this kind of builds.

 

[MKR]

You can,yes.
And with higher output,etc.
You can also find it higher of course,the big Rockports are my absolute favorite at this kind of builds.

If I were in the “more money than sense” arena, would be Magico for the standard overbuilt monkey coffins. At least actual engineers seem to be present at Magico best I can tell, rather than only furniture builders and marketers, as with most others in this class of speaker

 

[Sokel]

If I were in the “more money than sense” arena, would be Magico for the standard overbuilt monkey coffins. At least actual engineers seem to be present at Magico best I can tell, rather than only furniture builders and marketers, as with most others in this class of speaker

Magicos are nice but they are caught to this 3000-6000Hz elevated trend which is my personal hell (instant round headache),same goes for new B&W,new Genelecs (80xx series on the other hand are favorites),etc.

It's such a problem for me I had to learn about it,so...

 

[MKR]

Magicos are nice but they are caught to this 3000-6000Hz elevated trend which is my personal hell (instant round headache),same goes for new B&W,new Genelecs (80xx series on the other hand are favorites),etc.

It's such a problem for me I had to learn about it,so...

Fair enough! It’s good that you figured out what works for you. Is this an actual diagnosed medical condition, never heard of such sensitivity to specific FR? That would be terrible, sorry for that.

 

[Sokel]

Fair enough! It’s good that you figured out what works for you. Is this an actual diagnosed medical condition, never heard of such sensitivity to specific FR? That would be terrible, sorry for that.

Not diagnosed,but a condition nonetheless,maybe medical as you say,specially if it's also thin sounding down to midbass.
I know others like me,some to a lesser degree,some unfortunate to a higher.

I have learned to live with it and so I will never live with bright speakers (not even a hint of it).
I can probably tolerate it for half an hour or so,but music for me is all day.

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

"I throw money off of bridges! Look at me!"

I have zero interest in ever buying grotesquely low powered SET or OTL tube amps. But I definitely enjoy looking at them at the Hifi shows. Pure audio porn. Much like real porn it’s fun to watch but I wouldn’t get married to either. But if others enjoy those eye candy distortion generators that’s their choice. Is it throwing money off a bridge if they’re having fun?

 

[MaxBuck]

These speakers don't look like anything I'd want to own myself, but the rusticity of the measurement procedure doesn't persuade me that they're particularly bad speakers, either. I'd want to see a well-done Klippel run before I'd conclude anything significant.

 

[ahofer]

My point is that is that it becomes catchy to be negative and bash things that we already know are not good. We know that Stereophile isn't going to give an award to the best measuring speaker. They aren't based on audio purity.

Group dynamics tend to go that way. Name-calling of people is bad, but I tend to think it's open season on their work, especially if it is proffered at a price that suggests it is a no-compromises design.

I'll call out the guy shown above from Innovative Audio too. Nice enough fellow, but he worked really hard to convince me that my old spectral pre-amp can't have been bad because it was a Spectral (it was noisy). Then told me he'd show my how cables would make a difference, but somehow "didn't have time". And refused to get me a demo of an active ATC instead of the passives. It's those kinds of experiences that make audio shopping a drag, and I don't mind saying so, multiple times.

 

[amirm]

Looks like Jason Serinus owns a set of Alexia V’s, so he must have been smitten I’d imagine he got favorable accommodation pricing, and that didn’t hurt Wilson’s chances in the running either.

He is near us and we (audiophile society) visited him a few years back: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ereophile-reviewer-jason-victor-serinus.1487/

This was his room:

 

[Blumlein 88]

D'Agostino D550 amps. $38k/pair. He cheaped out. Should have gone for the $295k Relentless model. The 550's are prettier to me.

Looks like the speakers are rather close to the rear wall to me, but maybe they work in that room. Needs to lose that blue tape and get some gaffer tape so it doesn't mar the floor. (Note gaffers tape in the UK is not the same. That is what we call duct tape in the USA).

Heard some Maxx 3's (or maybe 2's). Somewhat similar part of Wilson's line at the time. Couldn't say they sounded anything except fantastic. So wouldn't write these off. The amps on those were Brystons. I think they were helped being in a very large room.

 

[JiiPee]

That set has a WAF of minus googol.