I just received my new Alexia Series 2 a couple of weeks ago. I know some consider Wilson speakers to be ugly but my wife and I just love how these look in our large rusticly appointed living room and the fit and finish (titanium brown with extra flake) are second to none. They replaced a pair of Martin Logan Renaissance 15A electrostats and so these speakers look small in comparison. Straight out of the crates and driven by my Soulution 511 amp, the Alexias were sounding thin and bright. The bass was not there...yet. These speakers began to open up after the first 24 hours and even more after 100 hours. It was clear, even at this early juncture, these were higher resolution speakers than my Martin Logan electrostats. Just loads and loads of detail layers. Electrostats are known for their speed and transparency yet the Alexias appear just as fast if not more transparent. The curved Martin Logan dipoles create this giant image and an enhanced sense of ambience to the sound, however, it is at the compromise of image focus and detail clarity. The Alexias create a much more defined soundstage, an incredibly palpable image, and superior detail articulation. And this superior detail articulation applies across the spectrum, from the bass to the all important midrange and to the treble. Despite the active class D-powered subs used in the Martin Logan Renaissance, the bass response of the Alexias are superior and much more satisfying. They extend lower, are much better defined, and actually have more slam although this has as much to do with the Soulution 511 which has a damping factor of 10,000 and peak transient capabilities up to 3,000 watts. The Alexias also impart better textural information, from the raspiness of an organ to the raspiness of Rod Stewart's voice, these do delicacy and nuance incredibly well, even at low volumes.
I will want to try other amps to see if there is something I prefer more than the Soulution and I am particularly interested in the Luxman M-900u or possibly something from T+A. I know I don't want a class A oven. I am also not a fan of tubes with the Alexias as the control is not there. I was not that impressed with a pair of Merrill Veritas monoblocks. Dynamics were there but they were flat sounding. I purchased the Soulution in anticipation of buying a pair of Magicos since so many have suggested they pair perfectly. Unfortunately, I found the S5 Mk2 to have an overly sterile quality in my room. Tight and clean and resolving but lacking in emotion. Also, bass heft was lacking. The M3 had more of the midrange and treble sweetness I was looking for but even less bass. In my large room, there was no way to use the M3s without subwoofers and so this was a nonstarter. Thus far, the Alexia 2s are nailing it.