WILSON ALEXANDRIA XLF SPEAKERS-


TIME waits for no one; i wonder when they are going to give demos on these speakers? i've only heard the X2.1's and they were quite overwhelming- i couldn't stop thinking about them for several days afterwards. the 2.2's are supposed to sound like the best concert hall in the world. so the 2.3's will have
to sound even better than that... although, after hearing the WAMM's many years ago i was
still the MOST impressed with their ability to dissect EVERY instrument out of the mix, plus they had two separate (18") woofer cabinets. if wilson hasn't tried to crossover the alexandrias to their present subs i wonder why not? other than space being an issue (in a room designed for $160,000 speakers?) that might work really well also....
french_fries

Showing 3 responses by french_fries

some might take this the wrong way and others the right way, but other than the X-1's, my experience is that Wilson Audio's top of the line speaker (WAMM's and Alexandria's) seems to have so many good things happening all at once that IF there is something lacking it's too minute for me to hear. I for one have an organ recording that broke up the MAXX-2's bass drivers, but on the Alex-1's they sailed right through it. of course i couldn't afford either super-speaker, but the sense of limitless power, dynamic range, and frequency extension is certainly there. OTOH, Wilson can't quite deliver the ultimate experience for a lot less money (let's say $35K) which will forever be a disappointment.
i really think i should clarify my comment about Wilson being able to make a speaker that "does it all" for $35K. Wilson Audio is fairly unique in constantly experimenting with new materials and designs and the customer has to fund these efforts along with the actual product. the company has to charge accordingly while even testing and improving systems not yet ready for sale. and sometimes you can get your speakers upgraded but not always.
you do get the best dealer support around and i imagine if you're no longer satisfied with what you have you get special consideration if you want a newer model.
but i have to reiterate that the Alexandrias are astonishingly better than ANY of their other speakers and there is "no going back" in my opinion after hearing them.
whatever nits and issues may exist with the Wilson "sound" simply melt away as
you audition some competently recorded acoustic music. i can't quite understand
what accounts for this effect. but it makes you wish you had the money, end of story.
OTOH many other manufacturers are not quite as busy making newer speakers or reinventing current models, so you can get a very musical speaker for a lot less money comparatively. i personally had to settle for a really excellent speaker with a cabinet finish that could use some improvement compared to Wilson or Rockport.
but... the drivers, the crossovers, and the stiffness of the enclosure are pretty far up the scale of "really good", so i enjoy listening to them and frequently dust them off so they may look their "best" - at least from a few feet away.
Hi, Lloydelee21, like all Wilson speakers the X1's underwent numerous improvements after the 1st model was introduced, and it's probably the 1st iteration that i auditioned. this was also around the period where the W/P-5.1 was also being offered. all i can say is that these were IMO some of the most clinical sounding speakers i've ever heard. in spite of their ultra-high quality they lacked the ability to convey the loveliness of the sound real instruments make.
it was also about the time i got to audition Sonus Faber Extrema speakers, which were almost impossible to walk away from (at the audio show i attended). indeed, a line had formed to wait for the middle seat in the room...