Mar./Apr. 2003Volume 2 Issue 2

Recent and Upcoming Events

The X-2 Alexandria:

Incomparable Sound Surrounded by Absolute BeautyBy John Giolas

Feb. 20 - 21, 2003Atlanta Home Theater

Atlanta, GADealer Training

with Peter McGrath

Feb. 27, 2003Don’s Hi-FiAmarillo, TX

System 7 Eventwith John Giolas

March 10 - 11, 2003Soundex

Willowgrove, PADealer Training

with Peter McGrath

March 13 - 14, 200325 th Anniversary

Audio Centre, St. Lau-rent, Quebec

Dealer Training and Cli-ent Receptions

with Peter McGrath

March 24 - 25, 2003Audio Visions

Tampa, FLTraining with

Peter McGrath

“Bellissima! Bellissima! Bellissima!” exclaimed Enzo Natali, owner of Audio Natali, Italy, when he viewed the architectural prototype of Wilson Audio’s new flagship speaker at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Born of an unsurpassed knowledge base amassed from four decades of intensive research and experience, Wilson proudly introduces our latest creation: the X-2 Alexandria. Over 25 years ago, David Wilson discovered the importance of the time domain relationship between drivers in multiple driver loudspeakers. This phenomenon is a type of group delay. Improperly aligned drivers in loudspeaker design cause group delay distortion. Group delay distortion deleteriously affects tonal correctness, transient speed, spatial resolution, and many other important qualities of music reproduction. It was through trial and error experimentation, as well as laboratory testing, that David created, established, and patented a test procedure to measure group delay distortion in multi-driver loudspeakers systems. This testing procedure has allowed David to create loudspeakers employing proper group delay alignment. The initial product from Wilson to bear the fruit of this research and development was the WAMM. The WAMM was the first loudspeaker to employ precisely adjustable modules as a solution to establish group delay alignment of the drivers in a wide range of installations. David’s design accounted for the varying room sizes, seating heights, listening distances, etc., in which the WAMMs were installed, thus allowing him to configure a WAMM with driver to listener group delay alignment for each installation. The WAMM quickly established itself as the most musically accurate transducer in the history of audio. With the WAMM, David asked and answered technical and musical questions that, to this day, are not addressed as thoroughly in any other design. The down side with the WAMM, however,

“There has to be a heart in there somewhere!” -Salih Zeki Bilgin, SF-RKD Electronik, Istanbul Turkey, as he saw the Alexandria prototype at CES 2003.

(See “Alexandria” on Page 2)

was that its solution to group delay required David himself, armed with his proprietary set-up method along with customized test equipment, to set-up every pair of WAMMs. The X-1 Grand SLAMM loudspeaker was developed by Wilson Audio to exploit the tremendous advantage of adjustable group delay technology in a package a trained dealer could properly set-up. With the Grand SLAMM, the group delay “math” was done in advance by Wilson Audio’s engineers and reproduced in a

Page 2

table in the X-1 owner’s manual. For the first time, the install technician, through simple measurements of the listening environment, could adjust the Grand SLAMM’s modules achieving proper time-domain accuracy for each individual installation. This was a remarkable achievement. The X-1 was singularly ambitious and complete in many other ways. It was the first loudspeaker to use “X” material in the construction of its cabinets. In conjunction with mineral filled acrylic (used previously in the WATT), the X-1 redefined the standard for low coloration cabinet design. The X-1 Grand SLAMM set and maintained sales records as the most successful ultra-high-end speaker in history. The X-1 is not only enjoyed by music and film lovers across the world, but also it has been used extensively as an evaluative tool by many manufacturers in the design of electronics, cables, and other products. In the nine years since the introduction of X-1, Wilson Audio has not rested on its laurels. With the X-2 Alexandria, David and his team once again redefine the boundaries of loudspeaker greatness. X-2 is an all-new, ultra-high performance loudspeaker incorporating the latest in driver technology, cabinet

material, and group delay optimization. The Alexandria will not replace the X-1 Grand SLAMM, which will remain in the line with an upgrade to follow for that platform in mid 2004. Instead, the Alexandria is an even greater, more ambitious expression of the cumulative knowledge of Wilson’s speaker building history. All aspects of music and soundtrack reproduction are advanced with Alexandria over any previous design. The X-2 Alexandria is the highest performing production loudspeaker to emerge from Wilson Audio. The X-2 Alexandria occupies a very similar footprint and is nearly identical in height to the X-1. Its modular design is also recognizable from its roots in the X-1. While there are superficial similarities between the X-1 and X-2, the X-2, in fact, employs an entirely new architectural approach. Group delay adjustment in the Alexandria is radically more advanced than in X-1. The X-2 provides the most correctly positioned launch points for the system drivers. With the X-2, group delay adjustments are consistent, repeatable, and achieved via an ergonomic interface. Set-up, therefore, is more easily accomplished than with the X-1. Greater adjustment flexibility means that the Alexandria will more easily integrate

sonically into small rooms. The mechanical grounding of the individual modules and overall structural rigidity is greatly improved in the X-2. The Alexandria employs the latest and most advanced cabinet materials. New strategies in the assembly of these materials result in the most sonically inert series of cabinets yet produced for a loudspeaker. While Alexandria uses a similar driver compliment and arrangement vis a vis X-1, new drivers have been painstakingly developed for Alexandria. A newly developed front-firing port, along with increased driver surface area, results in greater impact, speed, and proper bass weight. The result of all these changes and advances is that Alexandria defines new boundaries in every performance category for both music reproduction and film soundtrack. Lastly, Alexandria is the most ambitious embodiment of our philosophy that a great form (one with enduring beauty) follows a corresponding function. X-2’s striking, sculpted shape is protected by two separate design patents. The X-2 Alexandria will be available in the second quarter of 2003.

Alexandria (Cont. from page 1)

Wilson Audio Brings Out the Color With a splash, Wilson Audio introduced color grilles at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas in January 2003. Previously, customers’ grille choice was limited to black. Now, clients may select from eight colors to either complement or

contrast the WilsonGloss™ finish on any Wilson speaker. Dealers may order grille cloth samples in Lemans Blue, Titanio, Silverado Gray, White, Black, Slate Gray, Uintah Gray, and Parchment Gray. Wilson Audio is in the process of cre-ating a hands-on display kit featuring both

grille cloth samples and WilsonGloss™ paint samples. This kit should be available to dealers by early June 2003. Color brochures are currently available. These brochures depict grille cloth colors,

WilsonGloss™ standard colors, and up-grade colors. Dealers may also order the new “Color” poster. The poster features several

new grille colors displayed on WATTs which

are painted in a variety of WilsonGloss™ colors. The photo-quality posters measure 20 x 24 inches and are intended for framing.

“I had been using WATT/Puppy starting from WATT 3/Puppy 2, to System 6 as my reference speaker system, but I had never experienced this much live atmosphere with such clarity and vitality and with such superior sound quality. . . The sound atmosphere had no artificial-ity but gave such natural, touchable sound. You could feel the vocal sound. You could sense the detail of the acoustic guitar, and the sound quality of the whistling sounds was completely clear, deep, rich and intense. . . . Listening to Hybrid’s SACD The Dialogue (Audio Lab Octavia), you can hear the performers to the tips of their fingers as if you were attending the performance. . .You feel every part of the performance, and it is thrilling.”

About System 7 -Translated from“Exciting Components: Natural Touchable Sound Image Becomes Possible in Clear Space”

by Takahito MiuraStereo Sound, Date?

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CES: “Best Symphony Hall Experience” by Dave Glackin- see at www.positive-feedback.com/Issue 5/toc5.htm

“The bigger Halcro/Wilson room recreated the Best Symphony Hall Experience I’ve heard in my 25 years of listening to high-end audio. This is an award I’ve never given before, because I’ve never had this ex-perience at this level in any show before. And that’s really saying something. I’ve always been aware of the gap between the live classical concert ex-perience and the audio experience, and this system goes further in closing the gap between the live classical concert experience than anything I have ever heard. The sound was large-scale, dynamic and effortless. Most ear-catching were the phenomenal bass drum and tympani low-level taps and high-level whacks that were tight and fast, and that pro-duced pressure pulses traveling through

niscent of the live experience. The system also reproduced the most realistic organ that I have ever heard. It was like sitting 15 feet in front of the pipes, with them all laid out in front of you going full

tilt. True, some said that Peter McGrath was “cheating” because he was playing master tapes from his Nagra -D. . . . But be that as it may, I have heard a lot of music on a lot of systems in the last 25 years, and have never heard anything quite like this. This was a surround system, config-ured with two Wilson MAXX speakers in the front and two Wilson Sophia speakers in the rear, all powered by Halcro amps (two dm68s were up front, with the cen-ter-channel speaker off). It was a very large room at T.H.E. SHOW, which undoubtedly contributed to the sense of realism. Gordon Holt has been telling us for years that surround sound is the way to go for high-end audio. . . . Bravo to Halcro, Wilson and Peter

Peter McGrath and his Nagra D.

Wilson Products in the News

During CES, John Atkinson presents David Wilson the 2002 Editor’s Choice Award for the Sophia. In the December 2002 Stereophile, Atkinson wrote, “While it is easy to think of loudspeakers that surpass the Sophia’s per-formance in individual areas, there are very few that do so across the board.”

Soundstage! Hall of Fame Award

“The Hall of Fame award goes to a product that has achieved ‘classic’ status, and this certainly applies to the Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy, now in its series 7 iteration.” -see www.sounstage-live.com Accepting the award in the Wilson Audio suite at the Mirage are David (left), Sheryl Lee, and, (appropriately) Daryl Wilson. The original WATT (Wilson Audio Tiny Tot) speaker was named after a preschool Daryl attended. Wilson Audio celebrates its 30th year during 2003. The WATT/Puppy has been a mainstay in the Wilson speaker line since 1986.

Stereophile 2002 Editor’s Choice Award: Sophia

CES 2003 Page 4

Long hours and lots of work make CES productive and successful as is reflected in the satisfied smiles of Peter McGrath, David Wilson, John Giolas, and Jerron Marchant.

2002 Performance Award Recipients

Number One U.S. DealerL. A. Audio Video, Los Angeles, CA

Top Five U. S. DealersInnovative Audio, New York, New York

Soundex, Willowgrove, PASound Components, Coral Gables, FLGoodwins High End, Waltham, MA

Best New U.S. DealerGoodwin’s High End, Waltham, MA

Number One International DistributorTaiyo, Tokyo, Japan

Top Five International DistributorsKopho Sound, Seoul, Korea

High End Research, SingaporeThe Sound Chamber, Central, Hong Kong

Majestic Audio, Taipei City, Taiwan

Number One International DealerAudio Centre, St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada

Outstanding AchievementAtlanta Home Theater, LLC, Atlanta, GA

Audible Difference, Palo Alto, CAEsoteric Audio, Scottsdale, AZ

Nuts About Hi Fi, Silverdale, WA

Wilson colors catch the spotlight as David and Sheryl Lee introduce a variety

of grille colors to complement each WilsonGloss™ finish.

Standing amidst a myriad of boxes, Jerron Marchant, John Giolas, and David Wilson begin the formidable task of creating class from chaos.