Comparing Wilson Audio to Focal to B&W

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

Had the opportunity to hear the Alexia mk2 today at the Chester Grp AV / Hi-Fi show and liked what I heard, in spite of the less than ideal room acoustics.

To my ears they sound very similar to the mk1 in the mid and treble with perhaps a slightly warmer overall presentation, but I would like to compare side-by-side to verify.

Re comparisons with the latest B&W 800 / 802 D3, I think that the Alexia's better manage to integrate all of the drivers in terms of time and phase which perhaps explains the more expressive and nuanced mid band and treble. However, I do like the B&W's overall tonal balance and purity so if it was me who was making the choice I might actually go with the B&W's even before looking at the price difference.

That said, the last vestige of performance that the Alexia's extract is most appreciated (imho) when the rest of the system (including the room itself) is of the highest order, which allows the ear-brain to focus on inaccuracies that it would otherwise deem less important, which includes things like time domain distortions.

I'll say it in less words: I am having a very difficult time leaving my house since acquiring the Alexia v1's!

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

..

To my ears they sound very similar to the mk1 in the mid and treble with perhaps a slightly warmer overall presentation, but I would like to compare side-by-side to verify...

Interesting considering how very different the tweeters and the mid enclosures are. The first things most who have heard Alexia 2 have noticed is how quiet the 2 is, how the speaker scales, especially in the mid and top, and the purity and openness to the top (WAMM tweeter).

It's unfortunate that the room wouldn't allow those things, among others, to be readily obvious. Hopefully you'll get a chance to hear Alexia 2 in better conditions at some point.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

I'll say it in less words: I am having a very difficult time leaving my house since acquiring the Alexia v1's!

Marc as you well know the Alexias are magnificent. There are good reasons Alexia sold so well for it's entire lifetime - and its price is increasing on the used market!

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by metaphacts

Marc as you well know the Alexias are magnificent. There are good reasons Alexia sold so well for it's entire lifetime - and it's price is increasing on the used market!

Bill, I somehow thought that they were a "big Sasha" until I got them in the house. They are a big step up in all respects. A non audiophile friend came over last night and was shocked. He had heard my Sasha's before, but he wasn't prepared for Alexia!

[joey_v]

Originally Posted by metaphacts

Marc as you well know the Alexias are magnificent. There are good reasons Alexia sold so well for it's entire lifetime - and it's price is increasing on the used market!

I've been following Alexia on the used market, I would not say it is increasing. Sellers can charge what they want, but what they'll sell for is another story. The sales price for Alexias, I believe, remain in the same ballpark and trajectory.

Fantastic speaker, no less.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by joey_v

I've been following Alexia on the used market, I would not say it is increasing. Sellers can charge what they want, but what they'll sell for is another story. The sales price for Alexias, I believe, remain in the same ballpark and trajectory.

Fantastic speaker, no less.

Joey the selling price has been increasing. The asking price you see is based on Wilson Audio adding a MAP to the product when we discontinued it. What that means is that a dealer cannot advertise an Alexia online, new or used, below MAP where Wilson offers a factory warranty. What the Wilson dealer sells the speaker for as you stated is completely up to them.

What you may not know is that Wilson dealers offer Certified Authentic loudspeakers. This is not a limited sales program, but an ongoing and permanent aspect of the way we do business. The simple goal is to offer the used buyer a new Wilson buying experience, from the time they cross the dealer threshold up to and including installation, owner experience, and real trade in toward other Wilson speakers (if and when they move up). Like a new buyer, the used buyer just wants to be treated fairly.

There are 3 main categories

Certified Authentic Untitled - A speaker that has never been sold. Full Warranty

Certified Authentic Factory Tested - A used speaker taken on trade by a dealer and in turn traded in to Wilson. It goes through a 100+ point process including the test battery done when new, refresh of critical parts where needed, resistors replaced, final factory polishing, and refrisking. The warranty is either the remainder of the 5 year warranty or 3 years, whichever is longer unless the speaker is over 10 years old. Then the warranty is two years..

Certified Authentic Pre-Owned - A used speaker taken on trade by a dealer. It goes through a 100+ point process including a basic test process, refresh of critical parts where needed, resistors replaced, dealer polishing, and refrisking. The warranty is either the remainder of the 5 year warranty or 3 years, whichever is longer unless the speaker is over 10 years old. Then the warranty is two years.

Certified Authentic piggybacks on Wilson's Trade-In Program, again ongoing and permanent. There are more Wilson Loudspeakers in the field that are used than are new. Why not insure that those speakers and their current and future owners have an opportunity to benefit from and become a part of the Wilson family? The key to making all this work is that the values we offer to dealers and the values they offer to their customers are based on real world values, not wishful thinking.

Lastly, since the announcement of Alexia 2, many people have traded in their Alexia 1. We have also retrieved reviewer and show samples from around the world. The number of Certified Authentic Alexias sold in the last quarter exceeds our best Alexia 1 sales in years. Right now we have a large backorder for speakers we may never get on trade. Dealers who will be taking Alexia 1s on trade are advertising and selling them before they have them in hand to sell. If the price was actually falling, we would see pressure from dealers to alter trade in values (most trades are kept by dealers and sold as Certified Authentic Pre-Owned). We have seen no such pressure. In fact one dealer sold an Certified Authentic Untitled pair yesterday well above MAP.

Now if you want to buy a used Wilson from someone other than a Wilson dealer, the price will likely be lower and as you can see from above, with good reason.

Ask Marc about his Certified Authentic experience.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

Bill, I somehow thought that they were a "big Sasha" until I got them in the house. They are a big step up in all respects. A non audiophile friend came over last night and was shocked. He had heard my Sasha's before, but he wasn't prepared for Alexia!

Alexia is the first speaker in the line with complete time alignment synchronicity adjustment. As good as Sasha is, it does not allow for that. As you say "..a big step up in all respects."

[BuffaloBill]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

I'll say it in less words: I am having a very difficult time leaving my house since acquiring the Alexia v1's!

What is the frequency range of the mid-range driver?

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBill

What is the frequency range of the mid-range driver?

I don't know. Why does it matter? The speaker should be assessed as a whole.

[BuffaloBill]

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving

Why does it matter?

Helps to know how much IMD is generated by the critical mid-range driver.