New "Special Applications" Speaker from Wilson Audio
ilson Audio refers to the new Alida ($12,900/pair) as a "special applications" speaker, arguing that it follows a long line of such products beginning with the original WATT recording location monitor. We see it as being more in keeping with the Duette, which was designed for use near room boundaries. This applies to the two-way Alida as well. Designed to offer many of the sonic benefits of Wilson Audio's floorstanding speakers, the Alida mounts on the wall with an adjustable mounting system that allows up to 30 degrees of rotation. The Alida uses special versions of Wilson Audio's 6" doped-paper midrange-woofer along with the 1" silk-dome Convergent Synergy tweeter, which first saw use in the Alexandria XLF. The cabinet, designed with the help of laser vibrometry, is CNC machined from Wilson's proprietary materials, leading to an enclosure that "reduce[s] the resonant signature. . .to vanishing levels." The Alida uses the same "anti-jitter" crossover technology as Wilson's floorstanding models. Most of all, the Alida is said to re-create a credible
soundstage along with the "dynamic agility, tonal expressiveness and musical
beauty" for which Wilson Audio speakers are known -- all without taking up any floor
space. It may become the ultimate speaker for use with flat-screen televisions. |
