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You pay for it and you get it...

When it comes to large speakers, IME what you get far more than any other attribute, is the sense of scale...which is what seems to delineate the best large speakers from the best small speakers. As an example, yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to the new Wilson Sabrina X’s and the new Wilson Alexx V’s. While both speakers are from the same manufacturer, and both employ what looks like some of the same drivers, this is basically where the similarity ends. The big Wilson is about seven times the price of the small model! So, besides a much larger cabinet and a few extra drivers what do you get for your money...the answer is SCALE!! This is something that unless heard, is a little hard to fathom. The small Sabrina X’s do most things well..and I was very impressed by them, far superior across the board to the original model Sabrina. The Alexx V’s in a very large room ( which is also a MAJOR requirement for them to work their magic, and if one does not have this I believe then this is the wrong speaker for you) are able to throw a sense of scale that has to be heard to be believed. This is what you pay for with these large speakers, and in the Alexx V’s case, what you get. The frequency response of the larger model is not that different in the highs..and in some extent I think the midrange resolution was similar, but the bass is where it’s at...and this is where I think the sense of scale and enormity comes from. On paper, the smaller model can drop down to within probably ten Hz’s of the larger model, yet in a room of commensurate size, the little Sabrina X’s will never be able to portray the scale of the Alexx V’s. This aspect seems to apply to all large speakers in large room vs small/middle size speakers in large rooms.
Question is is it even possible to get scale with a smaller speaker in any size room, so far I have not heard this...anyone else?
128x128daveyf

Showing 2 responses by skanda

skanda
60 posts
 
@daveyf you mention: "I am pretty sure that the little Sabrina X's cannot portray scale if they are placed into exactly the same room and with the same gear as the Alexx V's." do you think it's possible to get that scale if the sabrina x's are optimally set up in a mid/small room as they are intended to be used?

i'm pretty sure i'm picking up what you're putting down. big speakers have a physicality that little speakers don't. i used to be a big fan of bookshelves and minimonitors. my magico s5mk2 was my first floor stander and i don't think i can ever go back. theres a sense of scale that the monitors never got to and my room isn't huge either (hence why i opted for a sealed cabinet speaker). i've heard the xvx and alexx v though the v was only a few days old and not broken in. the xvx was broken in and i'm not a wilson fan boy but wow that was an impressive speaker.

you mentioned the alexx v should be in a large room. any idea of what those dimensions might be? i'm strongly considering one but i have a rectangular room which isnt super large but not small either. it comfortably runs my magicos along the long wall...the alex v's might be a bit much and may have to go a bit closer to the wall behind them but wilson's driver adjustment apparently allows for being as close as 8ft between listener and speaker. my biggest room issues are a small node at 45hz triggered by just a handful of tracks in my playlists and the wall behind the listener is only about a foot behind their head (nyc apartment living room, so i had to make do with this compromise)

over the years (and i'm not very old lol) i've become less and less bothered by the idea of large speakers in smaller rooms - within reason. nobody reasonable would put the alexx v in a broom closet but i think too many audiophiles are a bit afraid to push the envelope and go for the bigger speaker in their room. i find that it's usually a better choice and worst worst case you're going to need some software to even out any crazy low end issues. what you get in return is that sense of scale and physicality that little speakers tend to miss.
skanda
60 posts
 
awesome, thanks for clarifying. you're getting the imaging etc but not the scale even though you're using the appropriate size speaker for your room - this explains perfectly what you're talking about earlier and i 100% agree: big speakers do scale, and you can only really understand scale after hearing it. this is a great thread to set up.

my room is 24x14x8.5, it's actually a solid room and using it as a living room i don't need too much treatment since the furniture prevents alot of issues. no side wall reflections either as both speakers have open room on both sides. one speaker has a corner from a closet near it...i'm wondering if thats whats causing that minor node. the alexx v is an imposing speaker but tthis new gen of wilson are the best looking wilsons the company has made imo.

btw, i've been following your posts from back in the headfi days. i have learned alot from reading your writings. as i mentioned earlier, i'm a younger member of this hobby (just turned 30 so i'm practically one foot in the grave!). i remember back in broke college kid days i was dreaming of an hd800 with zana deux amp :). while i don't own wilsons, the wilson sabrina was the most expensive speaker i had heard at the time and got me to sell all my headphone kit to put together a speaker rig. i didn't have money for the sabrina's at the time and found myself loving some dynaudio monitors. the rest is just the story of a madman diving into an obsession!
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