Alex X-2 image height .

Jazzhead · Sep 7, 2013

Helped set up a friend's Wilson Alex X2 driven by Krell Evo 1 and 2 amps . Still to fully run in and loosen up . Serious clout on tap for sure . Could do with a touch of tube for some dimensionality and top end air .
My biggest issue with it was its imaging height . Does fine on big symphonic scores , but my point is more with smaller ensembles , lets take a piano trio for eg. , due to the height of the tweeter /midrange units , the piano imaged at 5-6 feet in the air and the the cymbals at 6-7 feet . Very disconcerting and breaks the illusion one is trying to recreate .
I wonder if this is an issue with set-up or something that is part and parcel of listening to the X2 due to its physicsl stature .Hoping for inputs from users and others who have heard this speaker .

rockitman · Sep 7, 2013

Jazzhead said:
Helped set up a friend's Wilson Alex X2 driven by Krell Evo 1 and 2 amps . Still to fully run in and loosen up . Serious clout on tap for sure . Could do with a touch of tube for some dimensionality and top end air .
My biggest issue with it was its imaging height . Does fine on big symphonic scores , but my point is more with smaller ensembles , lets take a piano trio for eg. , due to the height of the tweeter /midrange units , the piano imaged at 5-6 feet in the air and the the cymbals at 6-7 feet . Very disconcerting and breaks the illusion one is trying to recreate .
I wonder if this is an issue with set-up or something that is part and parcel of listening to the X2 due to its physicsl stature .Hoping for inputs from users and others who have heard this speaker .

Setup is key. You must use the manual's tables to align the mid and treble modules based on ear height, seating distance and speaker distance width. It is also important they are setup in the zone of neutrality Wilson speaks about.

Steve Williams · Sep 7, 2013

Jazzhead said:
Helped set up a friend's Wilson Alex X2 driven by Krell Evo 1 and 2 amps . Still to fully run in and loosen up . Serious clout on tap for sure . Could do with a touch of tube for some dimensionality and top end air .
My biggest issue with it was its imaging height . Does fine on big symphonic scores , but my point is more with smaller ensembles , lets take a piano trio for eg. , due to the height of the tweeter /midrange units , the piano imaged at 5-6 feet in the air and the the cymbals at 6-7 feet . Very disconcerting and breaks the illusion one is trying to recreate .
I wonder if this is an issue with set-up or something that is part and parcel of listening to the X2 due to its physicsl stature .Hoping for inputs from users and others who have heard this speaker .

If this was your impression, then the speakers were set up incorrectly.

LL21 · Sep 7, 2013

Hey Jazzhead,

Totally with Steve here and Christian. One of the most important things about Wilsons is the setup. Each head moves, and each head has its own resistor which changes the level of decibels that particular cone is producing. Starting with imaging, the cones have to be precisely, and I mean precisely setup...quarter-inch increments (less than 1cm?) make a big difference...particularly at several feet. With 2db of extra treble dispersion, my X1 will tear your ears off...remove that 2db of dispersion, and it competed extremely well with my former SF Strads. Trust me, after agreeing the deal and shipping the X1s across the ocean, the dealer set them up in his demo room for me...and I told him not to bother bringing them over the house until he 'fixed' the tweeter. It was that bad...I was really upset. They promised if they brought them over and I did not like them, they would remove them and put the Strads back in. Suffice to say, after 10 hours of setup (these are X1s which take longer to setup)...I was amazed and continue to be after a number of years.

Jazzhead · Sep 7, 2013

It was set up by a Wilson dealer , using the figures to time align the drive units as specified . So search me , bears further investigation for sure .

jfrech · Sep 7, 2013

Jazzhead said:
It was set up by a Wilson dealer , using the figures to time align the drive units as specified . So search me , bears further investigation for sure .

Jazzhead, could it be you're hearing more of a line source speaker array vs a point source? Does seem a bit high...could also be some sort of reflections off the ceiling or floor that might need some treatment....what speakers are you using...just curious...thanks

Steve Williams · Sep 7, 2013

Simply put I have just never had that problem. In fact there was a thread started here by Andre Marc after he visted me and heard my system. He comments about imaging

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...-Chez-Williams&p=193522&viewfull=1#post193522

Steve Williams · Sep 7, 2013

jfrech said:
Jazzhead, could it be you're hearing more of a line source speaker array vs a point source? Does seem a bit high...could also be some sort of reflections off the ceiling or floor that might need some treatment....what speakers are you using...just curious...thanks

he said X2's

jfrech · Sep 7, 2013

Steve Williams said:
he said X2's

I got that...maybe his reference is a point source...so a line source is just different to adjust to...

Steve Williams · Sep 7, 2013

gotcha

I misunderstood

Jazzhead · Sep 7, 2013

jfrech said:
Jazzhead, could it be you're hearing more of a line source speaker array vs a point source? Does seem a bit high...could also be some sort of reflections off the ceiling or floor that might need some treatment....what speakers are you using...just curious...thanks

Jfrech , that could be a possibility the room is largely untreated . There is carpeting on the floor but the ceiling is bare , may be contributing to this aberration . Will listen some more , to a wider selection and see if I can possibly pin down the cause .

Jazzhead · Sep 7, 2013

jfrech said:
I got that...maybe his reference is a point source...so a line source is just different to adjust to...

me too , misunderstood ... my in-house reference is the Marten Coltrane 2 .

LL21 · Sep 7, 2013

Jazzhead said:
It was set up by a Wilson dealer , using the figures to time align the drive units as specified . So search me , bears further investigation for sure .

I will say this: as with all things, it is all about how good the person is who set them up. The rules from the Wilson book may well apply in all cases...except the person implementing them has to understand the dynamics of the room to know which rules apply. For example, what happens if the roof slants slightly to one side, or if the room walls are not parallel? In our case, the speakers were each adjusted slightly due to the fact they were set up with the open plan kitchen to the left...so the bounce of sound is different on each side.

I am not saying the Wilson guy did not know what he was doing...but if his goal was to set them up according to YOUR ear, then he has unfortunately missed. And the one thing about Wilsons is that they can be adjusted to present a very broad range of sound depending on taste. Does not mean it will adjust to everyone's taste, but I do have to wonder if, say, Pedro of Absolute Sounds were setting them up what you might say then. Wilson have told me they consider him one of the top guys globally to setup Wilsons, and I know he has been flown by clients with multiple homes...to California, Korea, South America and across Europe because he is that good.

Steve Williams · Sep 7, 2013

Bear in mind the supplied setup algorithms that Wilson provides for upper and lower midrange modules and tweeter module are merely a starting point When I set up my speakers in my new room according to ear height, distance from speaker to ear etc I found that singers mouth was perhaps 4-5" too high. I then moved the upper mid range module and the tweeter module only "1" click forward and as Lloyd says a millimeter change can pay huge dividends at the ear because voila singer height was perfectly imaged.

microstrip · Sep 7, 2013

Steve Williams said:
Bear in mind the supplied setup algorithms that Wilson provides for upper and lower midrange modules and tweeter module are merely a starting point When I set up my speakers in my new room according to ear height, distance from speaker to ear etc I found that singers mouth was perhaps 4-5" too high. I then moved the upper mid range module and the tweeter module only "1" click forward and as Lloyd says a millimeter change can pay huge dividends at the ear because voila singer height was perfectly imaged.

I was going to refer this aspect - the setup proposed is for what Wilson consider a typical room. When I hosted the X2 I also had to change it from the advised position - the ceiling of my room is 8 feet height and my chair is a low seat one.

Jazzhead · Sep 8, 2013

Bear in mind the supplied setup algorithms that Wilson provides for upper and lower midrange modules and tweeter module are merely a starting point

the setup proposed is for what Wilson consider a typical room.

Makes sense , so in all probability is a set-up issue , will try fine tune the units and report back . Thanks .

LL21 will sound my buddy on Pedro , may be interested in availing of his service .

LL21 · Sep 8, 2013

Jazzhead said:
Bear in mind the supplied setup algorithms that Wilson provides for upper and lower midrange modules and tweeter module are merely a starting point

the setup proposed is for what Wilson consider a typical room.

Makes sense , so in all probability is a set-up issue , will try fine tune the units and report back . Thanks .

LL21 will sound my buddy on Pedro , may be interested in availing of his service .

The nice thing about Pedro at Aboslute Sounds is not just his technical expertise...I believe for example he was one of the original designers of the AE speakers in the '80s, but he has vast knowledge across the board...talk to Transparent Audio, Wilson, competing UK Distributors (I have)...and not ONE of them has anything but superlatives to say about him. He has a tremendous ear, but he also listens to what YOU want...perhaps the most important way to listen of all. His own tastes run towards purity of tonality rather than cerebral detail, detail detail....but at his level of exposure, he naturally wants it all. Think Metronome Kalista Ref, XLF, Transp Opus, etc. Good luck.

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