ilson Audio introduced the Alexia in 2012 as a brand-new speaker for listeners who had room for the company's Sasha W/P but wanted one of the larger models. The new Alexia Series 2 ($57,900/pair) retains the Sasha-like footprint while improving on its predecessor's cabinet construction, time-domain accuracy and tweeter technology. The Alexia 2's cabinet features a trio of proprietary composite materials, each used for its sonic characteristics in particular locations within the overall design. W-Material is used in the modules’ spike-support areas to reduce unwanted energy at mechanical interface points. The third generation of Wilson's X-Material is used in the Alexia's bass cabinet and tweeter module, where its extreme rigidity and damping properties yield the greatest results. Finally, S-Material is used in the Alexia 2's midrange module, for which its damping and musical traits are optimized. In addition, the bracing schemes for the bass and midrange modules have been further refined, and the speaker's vent positions have changed. Time-domain accuracy has always been an emphasis for Wilson Audio. With the Alexia Series 2, Wilson has implemented a more advanced mechanism for adjustment of the tweeter module, allowing twice the number of increments and even greater alignment precision. Additionally, the woofer baffle is now angled, which more correctly integrates the bass with the upper frequencies. The Alexia 2 uses the Mark V version of Wilson Audio's Convergent Synergy silk-dome tweeter -- the same tweeter used in the company's statement speaker, the WAMM Master Chronosonic. This driver beat out others using exotic dome materials in the most crucial aspects: musical accuracy and naturalness. Finally, the Alexia 2 is more amplifier-friendly than its
predecessor, ameliorating the effects of a dip in impedance to below 2 ohms. The new
Alexia is an easier load for the partnering amplifier while maintaining above-average
sensitivity. |
