Celebrating Two Years With Wilson

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
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
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
WilsonDelivery.jpg WilsonDelivery2.jpg Installation

Here are some photos of the installation of the X2's in my 2- channel room.

On the 28th of August 2012 a semi pulled up to drop off 7 crates weighing in at ~1800lbs. The took up a bit of space in my garage.
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
When Larry found out that the speakers were delivered ahead of schedule he moved my install up two days to the 29th. Early on the morning of the 29th three of his staff arrived to get the crates from the garage down a grassy slope and into my lower level where the 2-channel room is located. The MBL's were packed up and the Alexandria install began.

WilsonInstall-2.jpg WilsonInstall-1.jpg

As I noted these were factory re-certified and arrived with the protective coating in place. See the photo below.

WilsonInstall-3.jpg
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
These next few photos show the mid-range and tweeter units being added.

WilsonInstall-5.jpg WilsonInstall-6.jpg WilsonInstall-7.jpg WilsonInstall-8.jpg
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
After running the Wilson set-up procedure and sampling several tracks the units were spiked in place. Here is a photo as they were set-up on that date.

WilsonInstall-12.jpg WilsonInstall-13.jpg
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
It took time to get used to the new speakers especially when they presentation was so different from the MBL's. The MBL's always sounded like you were at the event. The sound seems to come from everywhere. With the X2's the first thing I noticed was how stable the presentation was. Less smearing, more accurate but again less like you were there sounding.

As I listened to the Alexandria's for the next two and and half months I came to appreciate the accuracy and effortless manner in which the presented whatever I threw at them. Now in a listening space the size of mine there is no need to crank up the volume as it is very easy to overload the room.

I did bring up to Larry that I felt I was missing some width to the sound stage. So on the afternoon of one of his fall events at his store, Larry brought Jerron from Wilson to my house to have a listen. He liked what he heard but was willing to make a couple of adjustments to see if he could get me a bit more of what I was looking for. Voilà! I was now getting the width and depth I was hoping for.
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
My system continues to evolve and I have a few more changes planned in the near future.

I made the mistake of asking Larry if I could audition Transparent Opus speaker cable in my set-up. Well they never went back. The seem to work magic between the X2's and my Momentum amps.

So unless something unforeseen arises the three pieces of gear that are permanent fixtures in my system the Alexandria X2's, the D'Agostino Momentum's and the Transparent Opus speaker cable.

I will try and post some updated pictures shortly.
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,006
512
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
Cool set up!

That's about the same size as Steve's room, isn't it?
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
It took time to get used to the new speakers especially when they presentation was so different from the MBL's. The MBL's always sounded like you were at the event. The sound seems to come from everywhere. With the X2's the first thing I noticed was how stable the presentation was. Less smearing, more accurate but again less like you were there sounding.

As I listened to the Alexandria's for the next two and and half months I came to appreciate the accuracy and effortless manner in which the presented whatever I threw at them. Now in a listening space the size of mine there is no need to crank up the volume as it is very easy to overload the room.

I did bring up to Larry that I felt I was missing some width to the sound stage. So on the afternoon of one of his fall events at his store, Larry brought Jerron from Wilson to my house to have a listen. He liked what he heard but was willing to make a couple of adjustments to see if he could get me a bit more of what I was looking for. Voilà! I was now getting the width and depth I was hoping for.

I found that a 1/4" toe out of the speakers resulted in an extra 8-9" beyond each ear so yes a very small incremental change with the speakers can cause a much bigger sound stage as you discovered
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,411
2,509
1,448

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
774
1,700
Mass
Thanks for the story, I enjoyed reading it.

I can't tell from the photos - are your speakers on the short or long wall?
 

joeinid

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2011
1,543
12
400
NY
Beautiful set up Jim. You've done a great job pulling it all together.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
Great documentation of what I know was an exciting day!
 

XV-1

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2010
3,591
2,573
1,860
Sydney
nice story and super system.

I noticed the Alexandria's look like they have the Scanspeak relevator tweeter as the back firing ambient one. Brilliant tweeter and some would say better than the Focal tweeter.

I wonder why it was never used as the front firing tweeter?

I really wish the Maxx 3's had the back firing tweeter.
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
Thanks for the story, I enjoyed reading it.

I can't tell from the photos - are your speakers on the short or long wall?

Yes, they are on the short wall.
 

still-one

VIP/Donor
Aug 6, 2012
1,633
150
1,220
Milford, Michigan
Cool set up!

That's about the same size as Steve's room, isn't it?

Bruce
As Steve has commented his room is slightly larger. Steve also did a great deal more work upfront to insure that the SQ in his room was optimized for a room of these proportions.
 

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