Alexx Review - Stereophile

chuck

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
358
314
968
San Diego
MF buying the Alexx to replace the XLF is odd to say the least. I doubt it is something anyone else would be likely to do -- I certainly wouldn't. The Alexx is an excellent speaker but the XLF is, IMO, better -- it can do more things, notably large scale music.

But perhaps reviewers have different priorities. MF did not say that the XLFs were slow or otherwise lacking in any area in his XLF review. Nor did MF mention in his review of the Alexx how they did with the Boulder 2150s -- which his review of those amps says he used with the Alexx but is omitted from the Alexx review.
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
412
1,210
Northern NY
MF buying the Alexx to replace the XLF is odd to say the least. I doubt it is something anyone else would be likely to do -- I certainly wouldn't. The Alexx is an excellent speaker but the XLF is, IMO, better -- it can do more things, notably large scale music.

But perhaps reviewers have different priorities. MF did not say that the XLFs were slow or otherwise lacking in any area in his XLF review. Nor did MF mention in his review of the Alexx how they did with the Boulder 2150s -- which his review of those amps says he used with the Alexx but is omitted from the Alexx review.

The Alexx are a better fit in his small room. Wilson says you can adjust them (XLF) to sit 7' close to the speaker. Based on their size, I see this as a detriment to their ultimate performance. I am at 10' now. My dealer set them up for 8.5' when I first got them. They sound much more coherent sitting farther away.
 

metaphacts

Industry Expert
Feb 1, 2011
305
205
950
Lower Provo River
The Alexx are a better fit in his small room. Wilson says you can adjust them (XLF) to sit 7' close to the speaker. Based on their size, I see this as a detriment to their ultimate performance. I am at 10' now. My dealer set them up for 8.5' when I first got them. They sound much more coherent sitting farther away.

There are more issues to set up than simply following the nomographs (or having custom numbers calculated).

The listening position relative to room and speakers is every bit as important as precise speaker positioning. Just out of curiosity, how far apart are your XLFs?

Bill
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
412
1,210
Northern NY
There are more issues to set up than simply following the nomographs (or having custom numbers calculated).

The listening position relative to room and speakers is every bit as important as precise speaker positioning. Just out of curiosity, how far apart are your XLFs?

Bill

Bill,

I have Alexandria X-2.2. They are 8.5' from tweeter to tweeter and I sit 10' back.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
The Alexx are a better fit in his small room. Wilson says you can adjust them (XLF) to sit 7' close to the speaker. Based on their size, I see this as a detriment to their ultimate performance. I am at 10' now. My dealer set them up for 8.5' when I first got them. They sound much more coherent sitting farther away.


As Wilson big speakers allow us to adjust time delay it is possible to listen in the near field with high quality, avoiding the "multi-unit effect" - I have tried it with success with the Alexia. However, the sweet spot becomes small, something I dislike. As I am used to large panels I become "claustrophobic" with a speaker that has abrupt large variations of sound quality versus listening place. The XLF's in a good room manage to fill the whole space with a coherent and easy sound, where you can walk around - IMHO it is what differentiates it from many others.

IMHO our choice of speakers depends a lot on room, but also on the equipment we own. MF choice seems a logical one - he already owns top DartZeel monoblocks, that are also probably more adequate to Alexx's than to the XLF in his room - he refers that "From top to bottom, the Alexx's sound was nimbler and surprisingly more transparent, particularly in the midrange, where the Alexandria can be too generous." Considering that the DartZeel had an output impedance of .3 ohm, the variation in frequency response due to the very different speaker impedance curves also fits better his very damped room - when I introduced the XLF in my room, I had to reduce significantly the absorption of my room. Just my .02 on the subject, YMMV!
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
That makes sense to me. You are almost 1.2x distance apart.

I am also 1.2X distance from tweeter to tweeter

10 feet from tweeter to tweeter and 12 feet to listening position
 

chuck

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
358
314
968
San Diego
I hope Fremer's reviews help sell a lot of big Wilson speakers -- you can't go wrong with any of them. It is great that the Alexx can rival, or surpass in some rooms, the XLF for half the price.

It is way too hard to find good sound. Going into a Best Buy is downright depressing. Far too few people have ever even heard great music -- what percentage of the population have actually heard a symphony orchestra either live or through a stereo system that can even come close to reproducing that sound? The more big Wilson systems, the better.

Is Wilson going to have the Alexx at the LA audio show?
 

DaveC

Industry Expert
Nov 16, 2014
3,899
2,141
495
Yes. But since the NASA decided to stick to imperial units and the famous ISS incident due to two parts that did not screw because the european side used 2.5cm and not the correct 2.54cm for an inch in the thread side, technical people must also think in imperial units!

In Europe pipes still use the imperial system - we have stainless steel 3mm and 1/8" tubing in the labs, a real nightmare sometimes ...

Yeah but you guys use British Pipe Thread standards that are STILL different from the US even though it's in imperial units. My new espresso machine came with 3/8" BPSS which was a nightmare to adapt to typical 1/4" compression fittings used here for smaller water lines.

IMO, the metric system is boring, if you can't think in fractions of 12s and 16s you're not qualified to use measuring devices anyways. ;)
 

Narayan

Well-Known Member
Oct 6, 2015
126
50
258
Yeah but you guys use British Pipe Thread standards that are STILL different from the US even though it's in imperial units. My new espresso machine came with 3/8" BPSS which was a nightmare to adapt to typical 1/4" compression fittings used here for smaller water lines.

IMO, the metric system is boring, if you can't think in fractions of 12s and 16s you're not qualified to use measuring devices anyways. ;)

Only Liberia, Myanmar and the USA refuse to use the metric system..."Genius is making complex ideas simple not simple ideas complex" Albert Einstein; he probably thought of that phrase when confronted with stuff like 4 inches to a hand, 3 hands to a foot, 3 feet to a yard, 22 yards to a chain, 10 chains in a furlong and 8 furlongs in a mile and then thinking about how many different types of miles there have been. You should desert the imperial forces and join the metric / rebel alliance :)
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,679
4,467
963
Greater Boston
BTW, the Alexx seems promising. While the sound at AXPONA was not the best on all tracks, it hinted at great potential.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
Yes, Americans are stupid when it comes to that (chill out guys, I am American myself). If i remember correctly, there once was a billion dollar satellite which failed because someone had forgotten, for a small part of the unit, to recalculate from the metric suppliers to the stupid inch/foot whatever system. At least American scientists have the common sense to calculate in liters, milli-liters and micro-liters, like the rest of the world, and not in gallons and fluid ounces or whatever that nonsense is called (fortunately I have never once heard the term 'gallon' in my lab). And then we still have the silly Fahrenheit while the rest of the world has Celsius. Gimme a break.

Sometimes Americans in their navel-gazing believe they are the center of the world. That's precisely the wrong way to think about American exceptionalism. And don't get me started about the planned pull-out from the Paris Climate Accord, another expression of ill-conceived 'exceptionalism' -- I am already fuming, so don't provoke me into getting flamingly political.

Regarding metric vs imperial, we all use both every day... like with money and time... e.g. $3.14, 'give me a dime', 'I need two and a half dollars', 'it's 12:45', 'it's quarter of 1', etc...

Regarding the Paris accord, are you just now getting mad, or are you like me who's been fuming for months :) Suggest you frame your answer in an audio context, so that it doesn't violate the forum's rules... example: "I can't believe what I am hearing - the a$$ is about to destroy the climate???" :cool:
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,679
4,467
963
Greater Boston
Regarding metric vs imperial, we all use both every day... like with money and time... e.g. $3.14, 'give me a dime', 'I need two and a half dollars', 'it's 12:45', 'it's quarter of 1', etc...

Ok, fair point. I'll have to think a bit to which extent I have to reconsider ;).

Regarding the Paris accord, are you just now getting mad, or are you like me who's been fuming for months :) Suggest you frame your answer in an audio context, so that it doesn't violate the forum's rules... example: "I can't believe what I am hearing - the a$$ is about to destroy the climate???" :cool:

Alright, I'll give it a shot. The final maturation of fuming over time added only a relatively small amount to what had already been there after a rapid initial break-in phase, facilitated by a denial machine that was vigorously spinning on repeat.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
Ok, fair point. I'll have to think a bit to which extent I have to reconsider ;).

I hope I didn't do a half-ass job in supporting my argument ;)

Alright, I'll give it a shot. The final maturation of fuming over time added only a relatively small amount to what had already been there after a rapid initial break-in phase, facilitated by a denial machine that was vigorously spinning on repeat.

Ah, nice: "break-in", "spinning machine", and "repeat" - applicable audio terms, you pass my test :)
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,679
4,467
963
Greater Boston

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing