I just celebrated my second year of Wilson ownership on the 29thh of August. It was two years ago that the team from Paragon Sight and Sound in Ann Arbor arrived to set up my factory recertified pair of Alexandria X2 Series 2 in Desert Silver. Before I get into the X2 installation let me give you some background information on my recent audio journey.
Background
Over the years I have always maintained a decent two channel rig . When I was married the GAS Ampzilla. Nakamichi 610 pre and Dahlquist DQ-10’s were my staple for some time Over the years many, many different brands found their way in and out of my set-up. Back in the days before Audiogon like many others I was always taking a bath on the trade or resale of those units. When I started looking at the prices of gear on A-gon I noticed that two brands seemed to both hold their value and also have a loyal following. So I decided to build my system around McIntosh and B&W. I was happy with my decision as I swapped Mac gear until I had their top amps, pre, CD player etc. The 802D’s didn’t last quite as long.
My job required extensive travel. I was responsible for some of our manufacturing operations in China, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. I often used Singapore as my weekend waypoint. It was there I was first exposed to MBL speakers. I was smitten. I purchased a pair of 111e’s and was very happy.
Six years ago I decided to take early retirement. Spending three weeks out of every month in Asia living out of hotels was getting to be a bit much. Prior to retiring I never considered auditioning or purchasing some of the better gear when it would sit unused most of the time I was away. Upon retiring I immediately moved up to the 1.2ks, then the C1000 and upgraded to the MBL 111f’s.
As I developed my relations with Larry at Paragon over the past 10+ years I would spend time auditioning the latest Wilson offerings. Watt Puppy 7’s, WP 8’s, Sasha, Maxx 3 etc. To be honest none of those products interested me or could get me to move from the 111f’s. The first Wilson product that made me stand up and take notice were the XLF’s. Unfortunately I was not in the market for a $200k speaker.
Then one day Larry called and asked me to come in. Knowing I liked the XLF’s and understanding that the only a speaker that presented a large soundstage and still worked within the confines of my of my two channel room would get me out of my MBL’s. Larry suggested the X2’s. He had a pair of factory recertified X2 Series 2 at Wilson and wanted to see if we could agree on a deal acceptable to both of us.
I was very interested but had to needed to address two issues. First, I don’t make large expenditures without passing them by my wife. (That actually went rather well) Second, would the X2’s work in my two channel room which is only about 19’ X 14.5’. I have larger rooms where they would perform better but then I would be worrying about watching the volume during the evening when my wife is reading or watching TV. Larry assured me that he had installed these speakers in rooms smaller than mine. I also had a couple of discussions with Jerron at Wilson. Jerron mentioned that X2’s had been installed in smaller rooms including one of a well known reviewer. Having the ability to adjust both mid range drivers and the tweeter enclosure allows these units to be placed in some rooms where other large speakers might have issues.
Installation : Next Post
Background
Over the years I have always maintained a decent two channel rig . When I was married the GAS Ampzilla. Nakamichi 610 pre and Dahlquist DQ-10’s were my staple for some time Over the years many, many different brands found their way in and out of my set-up. Back in the days before Audiogon like many others I was always taking a bath on the trade or resale of those units. When I started looking at the prices of gear on A-gon I noticed that two brands seemed to both hold their value and also have a loyal following. So I decided to build my system around McIntosh and B&W. I was happy with my decision as I swapped Mac gear until I had their top amps, pre, CD player etc. The 802D’s didn’t last quite as long.
My job required extensive travel. I was responsible for some of our manufacturing operations in China, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. I often used Singapore as my weekend waypoint. It was there I was first exposed to MBL speakers. I was smitten. I purchased a pair of 111e’s and was very happy.
Six years ago I decided to take early retirement. Spending three weeks out of every month in Asia living out of hotels was getting to be a bit much. Prior to retiring I never considered auditioning or purchasing some of the better gear when it would sit unused most of the time I was away. Upon retiring I immediately moved up to the 1.2ks, then the C1000 and upgraded to the MBL 111f’s.
As I developed my relations with Larry at Paragon over the past 10+ years I would spend time auditioning the latest Wilson offerings. Watt Puppy 7’s, WP 8’s, Sasha, Maxx 3 etc. To be honest none of those products interested me or could get me to move from the 111f’s. The first Wilson product that made me stand up and take notice were the XLF’s. Unfortunately I was not in the market for a $200k speaker.
Then one day Larry called and asked me to come in. Knowing I liked the XLF’s and understanding that the only a speaker that presented a large soundstage and still worked within the confines of my of my two channel room would get me out of my MBL’s. Larry suggested the X2’s. He had a pair of factory recertified X2 Series 2 at Wilson and wanted to see if we could agree on a deal acceptable to both of us.
I was very interested but had to needed to address two issues. First, I don’t make large expenditures without passing them by my wife. (That actually went rather well) Second, would the X2’s work in my two channel room which is only about 19’ X 14.5’. I have larger rooms where they would perform better but then I would be worrying about watching the volume during the evening when my wife is reading or watching TV. Larry assured me that he had installed these speakers in rooms smaller than mine. I also had a couple of discussions with Jerron at Wilson. Jerron mentioned that X2’s had been installed in smaller rooms including one of a well known reviewer. Having the ability to adjust both mid range drivers and the tweeter enclosure allows these units to be placed in some rooms where other large speakers might have issues.
Installation : Next Post