The Alexia's are HERE!

[rockitman]

Cable? You mean the ones I have that don't have boxes attached??

yes...life is like a box of chocolates....

 

[NorthStar]

-- Forrest Gump

 

[Bruce B]

Update on the speakers.... been listening to Stevie Wonder and Beach Boys... all I can say is bass bass bass.... all over the place! They didn't kick this much last night. The bottom end has opened up and couldn't ask for any more down there.

 

[Bruce B]

yes...life is like a box of chocolates....

Hey, I contacted Brad a few weeks ago and told him I'd be taking delivery of the Alexia's, but I get no response. Guess he's a busy man!

 

[rockitman]

Hey, I contacted Brad a few weeks ago and told him I'd be taking delivery of the Alexia's, but I get no response. Guess he's a busy man!

well I will let you know how the boxes work out for me. Valhalla for speaker wire is a poor choice for SS amps. As such, my 4 meter run is going up on the block. High inductance cable means weak mid bass and way too forward (not bright) treble. My Siltech LS-188 G6 cable is back in holding me over until the MA-X SHD arrives. After removing Nordost, the mid bass came back and the treble extension took a step back where it is suppose to be.

 

[Bruce B]

well I will let you know how the boxes work out for me. Valhalla for speaker wire is a poor choice for SS amps. As such, my 4 meter run is going up on the block. High inductance cable means weak mid bass and way too forward (not bright) treble. My Siltech LS-188 G6 cable is back in holding me over until the MA-X SHD arrives. After removing Nordost, the mid bass came back and the treble extension took a step back where it is suppose to be.

Sounds like a plan. I used Transparent Reference XL back in the day, but when I built the studio, everything changed to JPS. I haven't experimented with cables too much in the studio. I do use Mogami Gold Neglex and Canare on occasion.
I'd love to get some big boxes in here to see what they could do.

Christian... you owe it to yourself to listen to these silk domes in a properly treated room.

 

[jap]

Bruce,

Great thread.

I don't understand why other members of our "friendly community of enthusiasts" would want to post negative comments about your new speakers.

Looking forward to your comments after Peter does his magic and the spikes are installed.

 

[jazdoc]

Hey Bruce,

I've got a new pair of Found-Music cables I just started breaking in but I'm already mighty impressed. I'd be glad to bring them by for an audition.

 

[Bruce B]

Bruce,

Great thread.

I don't understand why other members of our "friendly community of enthusiasts" would want to post negative comments about your new speakers.

Thanks... haven't heard if anyone else on WBF has Alexia's or not. Hopefully I'm the first and can share my experience with others.

Successful businesses are very polarizing. Magico, Apple, Wilson and others have haters and zealots. There doesn't seem to be many in-betweens. I've got thick skin and can roll with the punches. Unfortunately this business also has a lot of politics and the business has become too PC....

 

[Bruce B]

Hey Bruce,

I've got a new pair of Found-Music cables I just started breaking in but I'm already mighty impressed. I'd be glad to bring them by for an audition.

Would love to hear them. Once I get them dialed in and can get my reference back, I was going to have an informal "open house" to show my appreciation to eveyone that has supported me over the years.

 

[DaveyF]

Bruce, congrats on the new speakers. The new silk dome tweets in the Wilson's are superb and IMO long, long overdue. I was listening to my speakers tonight and I cannot believe how great silk domes are. Any current Wilson owner who has the old Focal tweets needs to get a listen to the new tweets as fast as they can. Problem is there would be a flood on the market with the old designs

BTW, I don't agree with Christian, the silk domes work like a charm with Nordost, why- because Nordost is very fast and highly detailed..a perfect match for a silk dome speaker, IMHO. Not such a good match for the old tweet, which has again IMHO, a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. (like Christian is complaining of, but he is laying the blame at the cables, when IMO it needs to be at the old Focal tweet:b)

 

[microstrip]

Bruce, congrats on the new speakers. The new silk dome tweets in the Wilson's are superb and IMO long, long overdue. I was listening to my speakers tonight and I cannot believe how great silk domes are. Any current Wilson owner who has the old Focal tweets needs to get a listen to the new tweets as fast as they can. Problem is there would be a flood on the market with the old designs

BTW, I don't agree with Christian, the silk domes work like a charm with Nordost, why- because Nordost is very fast and highly detailed..a perfect match for a silk dome speaker, IMHO. Not such a good match for the old tweet, which has again IMHO, a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. (like Christian is complaining of, but he is laying the blame at the cables, when IMO it needs to be at the old Focal tweet:b)

Dave,

The new Wilson speakers risk to create the generic myth of silk dome tweeters being better per se. Silk dome tweeters have existed since long and we have great silk dome tweeters, average and poor ones since decades. IMHO the new tweeters of the Wilsons and the Aida have a different tonal balance, that allows us to explore new synergies and easily get a better overall system. But used with appropriate cables, electronics and rooms the old speakers still sound excellent. When comparing the Alexia's with the Sasha's people focus on the new tweeter, but they forget it is a completely new speaker, with all new units and a new crossover.

I agree with you, that when wrongly matched the old tweeter could have a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. This only meant that you needed a better cook (and may be better additional ingredients) to prepare the meal. I have listened times enough to the X2 sounding great to understand why many people will keep their old speakers and forget about the new one. Yes, once you get used to some of these new soft dome tweeters you will not want to go back. But IMHO we should avoid crude generalizations stating that silk domes sound better than other types of tweeters.

 

[FrantzM]

Dave,

The new Wilson speakers risk to create the generic myth of silk dome tweeters being better per se. Silk dome tweeters have existed since long and we have great silk dome tweeters, average and poor ones since decades. IMHO the new tweeters of the Wilsons and the Aida have a different tonal balance, that allows us to explore new synergies and easily get a better overall system. But used with appropriate cables, electronics and rooms the old speakers still sound excellent. When comparing the Alexia's with the Sasha's people focus on the new tweeter, but they forget it is a completely new speaker, with all new units and a new crossover.

I agree with you, that when wrongly matched the old tweeter could have a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. This only meant that you needed a better cook (and may be better additional ingredients) to prepare the meal. I have listened times enough to the X2 sounding great to understand why many people will keep their old speakers and forget about the new one. Yes, once you get used to some of these new soft dome tweeters you will not want to go back. But IMHO we should avoid crude generalizations stating that silk domes sound better than other types of tweeters.

One of the rare times I find myself in agreement with you.

 

[rockitman]

BTW, I don't agree with Christian, the silk domes work like a charm with Nordost, why- because Nordost is very fast and highly detailed..a perfect match for a silk dome speaker, IMHO. Not such a good match for the old tweet, which has again IMHO, a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. (like Christian is complaining of, but he is laying the blame at the cables, when IMO it needs to be at the old Focal tweet:b)

The tweeter has nothing to do with why Nordost are a poor match for my Wilson/Pass combo. The hi inductance of the ribbon speaker cable is. By the way, my titanium dome tweeters sound great. With my temporary Siltech speaker wire, the tweeters are not forward at all. Once again, here on WBF we have someone proclaiming Wilson X-2's as faulty because they don't have a silk dome...I find it amusing, especially when they don't even own the speakers.

 

[Bruce B]

You'll have to remember the Alexia is a new design from the ground up. Not only new tweeter, but the same mid-range as the XLF and new woofers. As the video shows, the crossover was painstakenly tweeked to closely match the XLF as possible.

Did a quick measurement last night and there is a gentle downward tilt of the highend of about 5-6dB from 1k - 20k

Damn these are sounding good!

 

[Steve Williams]

there is a gentle downward tilt of the highend of about 5-6dB from 1k - 20k

great. That's what you want (or at least I do) as studies have shown this to be better than flat right across. IIRC most (if not all) Wilson speakers have this

 

[rbbert]

Is that an anechoic type measurement? I thought one of the justifications for that type of response is that it results in a flatter in room response (since most home listening rooms are "bright")?

 

[rockitman]

You'll have to remember the Alexia is a new design from the ground up. Not only new tweeter, but the same mid-range as the XLF and new woofers. As the video shows, the crossover was painstakenly tweeked to closely match the XLF as possible.

Did a quick measurement last night and there is a gentle downward tilt of the highend of about 5-6dB from 1k - 20k

Damn these are sounding good!

I would love to hear them. The only issue I have is they are too damn small. One get's used to 650lb, 72" behemoth's, except when you have to move. Getting back to the forward wilson titanium dome, keep in mind with the X-2, in a about 10 min's resistors can be switched out to vary the tweeter output + or - 2 db. Same goes for the midrange so that they can be adjusted simultanously or independently. I would love the XLF. Just don't want to spend $130k plus my X-2 trade. I am happy where I am at and I expect a new level of performance once my MIT Oracle's arrive.

 

[Steve Williams]

My X2's finally get installed today

 

[DaveyF]

Dave,

The new Wilson speakers risk to create the generic myth of silk dome tweeters being better per se. Silk dome tweeters have existed since long and we have great silk dome tweeters, average and poor ones since decades. IMHO the new tweeters of the Wilsons and the Aida have a different tonal balance, that allows us to explore new synergies and easily get a better overall system. But used with appropriate cables, electronics and rooms the old speakers still sound excellent. When comparing the Alexia's with the Sasha's people focus on the new tweeter, but they forget it is a completely new speaker, with all new units and a new crossover.

I agree with you, that when wrongly matched the old tweeter could have a tendency to stridency and a forward sound. This only meant that you needed a better cook (and may be better additional ingredients) to prepare the meal. I have listened times enough to the X2 sounding great to understand why many people will keep their old speakers and forget about the new one. Yes, once you get used to some of these new soft dome tweeters you will not want to go back. But IMHO we should avoid crude generalizations stating that silk domes sound better than other types of tweeters.

Micro, IF you read my post you will see that I say IMO the silk dome sounds better than the Focal tweet used by Wilson forever. That's NOT a crude generalization as far as I am concerned...that's a fact as far as I'm concerned.All of the silk domes that I have ever heard, and I have heard probably all of them including the new one used by WIlson, are better to MY ears. BTW, attempting to justify a particular design isn't necessarily beneficial either, IMO. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, and I have said this on the web many times, there are numerous types of tweeters that are far far superior to the old Focal tweet that Wilson used to use. OTOH, I suppose you could suggest that DW himself finally moved away from the damn thing for no good reason

At Christian: IF you think that your titanium domes sound great, then that's great and I'm happy for you. Yes, I don't own the speakers ( and what has that got do with anything?? ) BUT I have heard them on numerous occasions and they are not "faulty", however I have always really disliked that tweet and it's the reason why I would never consider any Wilson speakers in the past.. That's to my ears, obviously YMMV.