Audio News
According to Advance Audio, which distributes Wilson Audio in Australia, everyone who assumed that Wilson Audio’s Alexx would replace the venerable MAXX on the basis that it was Wilson’s latest entry into the large speaker segment, just below the Alexandria, should think again. ‘ The Alexx is an altogether more complex and sophisticated loudspeaker, incorporating Wilson’s latest thinking on loudspeaker design in the areas of time-domain geometry, driver configuration, and driver development,’ said Nigel Ng, of Advance Audio. ‘ The Alexx is the latest beneficiary of Wilson’s ongoing analysis of low-resonance cabinet strategies via laser micrometer and draws from the Alexia and the Sabrina, as well as from the WAMM.’
The Alexx uses a different version of the MTM driver geometry it’s used in past models. The Alexx splits the midrange between two different drivers, each covering only a portion of the midrange. The upper portion is covered by Wilson’s long-time 146mm-diameter paperconed driver as first used in the Alexandria XLF. The lower portion is handled by the same 178mm-diameter driver used in the Sabrina. ‘ This means that not only are the frequencies covered by the two drivers are expanded, but also that the two together cover a broader portion of the vital midrange,’ Ng told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine, ‘ but it also allows each of the drivers to be optimised for the portion of the mid-band best suited to its unique strengths.’
Wilson Audio’s Alexx and WAMM models were developed concurrently and share many technologies. The two bass drivers in the Alexx were first developed for the WAMM project, which in turn evolved from the bass drivers in the Alexia. ‘ Both the new bass drivers used in the Alexx incorporate all of Wilson’s latest current thinking on accurate low-frequency music reproduction,’ said Ng, ‘ raising the bar for bottom octave speed, authority, and musicality.’ In common with the Alexandria, the new Alexx features Wilson’s ‘Cross-Load Flow’ (XLF) porting arrangement whereby the bass reflex port can be situated either at the front or rear of the bass enclosure, which Wilson says enables individual owners to better-integrate the port’s output with their listening room. ‘ In bass-lossy rooms, best response is usually found with the port located on the rear of the enclosure,’ says Ng, ‘ whereas in bass-heavy rooms, the best response is usually with the port at the front.’
The Alexx uses the latest version of Wilson Audio’s Convergent Synergy Tweeter, but because of the dual-midrange arrangement, it’s been crossed-over slightly higher than usual. Wilson specs the frequency response of the Alexx at 20Hz–31kHz ±3dB, the sensitivity at 91dBSPL (1W/1m/1kHz) and the nominal impedance at 4 . Available now, the speakers sell for $179,995 per pair and can be auditioned anytime at Audio Connection, in Sydney. To book a listening session, contact Audio Connection.
For more information about the Wilson Audio Alexx (or the even-newer Yvette) please contact Australian distributor Advance Audio on (02) 9561 0799 or visit the website at www.advanceaudio.com.au