The following is a press release issued by Wilson Audio.
March 29, 2021 – When it came time to upgrade the Alexx®, Daryl Wilson wanted to be sensitive to where research and development had brought Wilson Audio® over the past five years. The decision was made that a fresh look at the Alexx was in order, so Wilson Audio’s R&D team approached the Alexx V as it if were an all-new loudspeaker. They took elements that clearly worked in the original design and began to apply the myriad of technologies generated by Wilson’s R&D since the advent of the Alexx. Following major launches of the WAMM Master Chronosonic®, Chronosonic XVX®, Sasha DAW®, and SabrinaX®, Alexx V joins a very special family of ground-breaking loudspeakers designed and handcrafted especially for music lovers and audiophiles alike.
The original Alexx loudspeaker, launched in 2016, quickly gained critical acclaim throughout the industry. Alexx benefited from several elements developed during the five years Wilson Audio’s founder David A. Wilson, and his unwavering R&D team, brought to life his magnum opus: the WAMM Master Chronosonic. Now, five years after the monumental accomplishment of the WAMM, Alexx V builds upon the original Alexx’s success by offering a completely re-engineered performance envelope without greatly increasing the footprint. Comparing the overall size of Alexx V to the original, Alexx V is only one inch deeper and one inch taller while maintaining the same width.
Each and every component of Alexx V has been re-evaluated and significantly improved. The launch of Alexx V represents a cumulative approach to loudspeaker design, something that Wilson Audio has been steadfast about integrating since the very first location monitor (WATT®) that Dave built almost five decades ago. Incorporating the latest technologies, engineering efficiencies, and material sciences, Alexx V has improved upon the original Alexx by giving, yet again, a higher level of resolution (both temporally and audibly). Finally, Alexx V incorporates Wilson Audio’s latest design language which started with the WAMM Master Chronosonic. The open gantry design not only allows for more structural rigidity and setup flexibility, it also provides a more free flowing organic look and emotionally expressive sound.
Materials
Alexx V features unique and exotic materials that have been tested, developed, and refined exclusively for Wilson Audio over the course of roughly fifty years. Methodically utilizing mixed-materials, in pursuit of obtaining the highest performance, has long been a fundamental aspect to each Wilson loudspeaker.
A variety of carefully chosen materials have been implemented in this distilled design. The latest version of X-Material, extremely monotonic and damped in its response, is found throughout the woofer, gantry, and upper modules. S-Material is tightly coupled to each midrange and provides a neutral and natural surface from which music can launch. First used in the Chronosonic XVX, our latest and most remarkable sound-vortex, V-Material, is strategically nested into interface locations for superior vibration control. V-Material behaves like a vibration absorber and has been put in the structure between the woofer module and the gantry. V-Material can also be found in our new, carefully engineered, and high performing Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode™ spike system. X, S, and V-Material, combined with carbon fiber, austenitic stainless steel, and aerospace grade aluminum, are aesthetically and judiciously blended to make cutting-edge audio and industrial art.
Adaptable
Alexx V is an extraordinarily adaptable design. Carrying over elements from its larger siblings, such as the XLF reversible woofer port and independently adjustable modules, allows this system to be elegantly tailored to your listening room. These tools built into the DNA of Alexx V allow for greater ease of installation into a wider variety of listening spaces, thus permitting the listener to truly experience the depth and ability of this system.
The open architecture gantry first launched with WAMM Master Chronosonic, followed by Chronosonic XVX, has now found a home with Alexx V. Not only does this benefit the overall appearance of the loudspeaker, but critically, it also enhances the overall rigidity of the entire upper module section and minimizes pressure trapped behind the enclosures, resulting in greater fidelity. Easier access to the upper modules makes for quicker adjustments. Similar to our innovative lighting solution (Sono 1™ from Coolfall®) featured in Chronosonic XVX, Alexx V has an illumination cross-brace at the rear of the gantry which aides in speaker module setup and time-alignment fine tuning.
Drivers
Continuing the Midrange – Tweeter – Midrange (MTM) design geometry of the original Alexx, our Engineering team has spent considerable time advancing key components of the loudspeaker’s sound characteristics. Every baffle angle, at every module position, has been refined. The time-alignment accuracy of Alexx V is much closer to the XVX, giving this system the ability to recreate micro-detail one would expect from a much larger system.
The different sized lower and upper midrange drivers allow for a more careful tuning of the frequency band, which, when combined with the latest manufacturing advances, gives a greater degree of accuracy and adjustability. The incredibly fast and resolving 5.75” mid-woofer used in the original Alexx, TuneTot®, and SabrinaX, carries over to Alexx V. With the midrange band managed by two dissimilar sized drivers we opted to leverage the incredible advances of our Alnico (Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt) QuadraMag® design. This 7” mid was originally developed for Chronosonic XVX and has a warmth, beauty, and texture that brings to life all the elements in your favorite recordings. The QuadraMag driver combines four separate magnets, arranged in an innovative quadrature geometry, further enhancing the delicate intricacies found in the all-critical midrange region.
Behind the midrange drivers, internal wave diffusers have been machined directly into the material to further aid the resolving power of these drivers and by dramatically increasing the settling speed of the system. This creates a more life-like reproduction of midrange tone, expression, and accuracy in these remarkable midrange drivers.
When it came to the tweeter, the R&D team once again considered all available options. Fundamentally, the integration of the tweeter and midrange is an absolutely critical element to accurate sound reproduction. Countless hours were spent examining areas of potential improvement. After careful and methodical consideration, the R&D team decided to build an all-new tweeter system. Therefore, Alexx V features an entirely new Convergent Synergy® Carbon (CSC) tweeter, which builds upon a modified version of the previous Convergent Synergy motor while embracing an re-imagined, intricate, and innovative rear-wave chamber. This carbon fiber design is completely manufactured in-house using several 3D printers. The sonic results of this tweeter development cycle have been nothing short of dramatic. The CSC offers far greater and more linear high frequency extension while providing unprecedented ambient retrieval and superior harmonic detail.
Wilson Audio originally developed the 10.5” and 12.5” woofers in conjunction with the WAMM Master Chronosonic. These state-of-the-art bass drivers incorporate Wilson Audio’s latest thinking into accurate and musically relevant low frequency reproduction. Carefully optimizing the Alexx V enclosure, the internal volume has dramatically increased (+16%) compared to the original Alexx. The net result is that Alexx V features almost the same internal woofer volume as the Chronosonic XVX, which in turn allows for much deeper low-frequency reproduction, faster transient settling, and an overall increase in bass resolution.
Specifications
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms / minimum 2.0 ohms @ 250 Hz
Sensitivity: 92 dB @ 1W @ 1m @ 1k
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 32 kHz +/- 3 dB
Drivers
Tweeter: 1 inch, Dome (2.54 cm)
Dome Material: Doped Silk F abric
Mid-Range: 5.75 inches (14.61 cm)
Cone Material: Doped Paper Pulp
Mid-Range: 7 inches (17.78 cm)
Cone Material: Paper Pulp Composite
Woofer: 10.5 inches (26.67 cm)
Cone Material: Hard Paper Pulp
Woofer: 12.5 inches (31.75 cm)
Cone Material: Hard Paper Pulp
Dimensions
Height: 63 5/16 inches (161 cm) w/o spik es
Width: 15 3/4 inches (40.01 cm)
Depth: 27 29/32 inches (70.88 cm)
Enclosure Type
Tweeter (Sealed): X -Material 5.75”
Mid-Range (Rear Vent): X -Material with S-Material Baffle
7” Mid-Range (Rear Vent): X -Material with S-Material Baffle
Woofer (Front or Rear Ported): X -Material with V-Material Top Plate
Product Weight
Weight Per Channel Uncrated: 500 lbs (226.80 k g)
Total Approximate Shipping Weight: 1,400 lbs (635.03 k g)
Availability
The official global launch for Alexx V is 29 March 2021. We anticipate Alexx V to be on display and ready for demonstrations at 17 Dealers/Distributors at the time of launch. Wilson Audio is prioritizing shipments to Dealers and Distributors who are featuring Alexx V as a part of a show or event.
Tags: WILSON AUDIO
By TAS Staff
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