Time Machine: Wilson Audio's Chronosonic XVX
ilson Audio's new Chronosonic XVX ($329,000 per pair) bears physical resemblance to the company's, and the late Dave Wilson's, magnum opus, the WAMM Master Chronosonic (WAMM MC). It also incorporates some of the technology developed for the WAMM MC, the new speaker's designer, Daryl Wilson, using the older speaker as a starting point for the product that replaces the long-running Alexandria in Wilson Audio's product line. Yet "More than in any other previous loudspeaker," the company admits, "Wilson will introduce more technology, features, and manufacturing processes in the Chronosonic XVX." The foremost holdover from the WAMM MC is the mechanism for adjusting the orientation of the speaker's four independent upper modules. Whereas other Wilson Audio designs feature a predefined number of steps for adjusting the speaker in the time domain, the Chronosonic XVX allows infinite fine adjustment in increments as small as 2ms. The entire "gantry" that supports the upper modules is constructed from Wilson Audio's proprietary X-Material, which is reinforced with ultra-high-grade machined aluminum. Much of the Chronosonic XVX's cabinet is X-Material, although Wilson's S-Material and M-Material are used where their resonant signatures are advantageous to that of X-Material. Integral to the gantry is a new lighting system that aids critical setup of the Chronosonic XVX's time-domain array. The use of two midrange drivers, which was pioneered with the WAMM MC, is also used for the Chronosonic XVX, although a brand-new Wilson-designed QuadraMag 4" midrange driver makes it debut. Also new is the Mk 5 version of Wilson Audio's Convergent Synergy 1" silk-dome tweeter and a pair of newly designed bass drivers -- 10 1/2" and 12 1/2", in Wilson Audio's preferred arrangement. As with other large Wilson Audio speakers, the bass port of the Chronosonic XVX can fire to the front or rear, allowing for optimal setup of the speakers in a wide range of rooms. About the new speaker, Wilson Audio says, "The
format of the flagship loudspeaker fits Daryl Wilson's attitudes and convictions
perfectly." The Chronosonic XVX will begin shipping to Wilson Audio dealers and
distributors in October. |
