Vous l’avez reconnue, c’est la Wilson Audio Alexia 2 qui a obtenu le prix BEST OF 2017 chez Part Time Audiophile.
Pour les autres produits, on notera aussi les produits que nous aimons: le pré phono Zesto Tessera, le préampli phono Audio Research Reference 3 Phono. Le préampli Nagra HD Preamp est aussi dans la liste, l’amplificateur casque TRYST de chez Modwright est aussi très bien noté.
Voici les notes des reviewers sur les Alexia 2:
PTA Product of the Year
Wilson Audio Alexia Series 2 speakers
It’s not very often that a Series 2 wins our top honours – usually it’s a fresh, ground-up assault on the SOTA. But this year’s Product of the Year actually is a little of both. The Wilson Audio Alexia Series 2 is more than a tweak job, it emerged after a complete re-examination of every aspect of the original design. And it wowed many of our staff members.
The Alexia 2 was the clear winner among the staff, but other components receiving votes included the Rockport Cygnus speakers, PS Audio DirectStream DAC with RedCloud upgrade, BorderPatrol DAC SE, Audio Research Reference Phono 3, Pass Labs X60.8 monoblock amplifiers and Wilson Audio Alexx speakers.
Stancavage: According to Wilson sales manager Bill Peugh, the enhancements to the original Alexia were “mainly a bunch of little things … that added up to a big improvement.” The changes to the sleek floorstander, which falls in the middle of Wilson’s roster, include a slightly larger, more inert enclosure and the same silk tweeter used in the $685,000 WAMM Master Chronosonic. The company also improved time alignment of all four drivers (the high-frequency unit, as well as two woofers and a midrange). Accurate, effortless and captivating.
Scoggins: A gorgeous, open midrange and rock-solid bass emerge from this speaker along with the trademark Wilson imaging magic. Built to sublime precision in Wilson’s equally remarkable and sprawling Provo, Utah, factory, this is a lifetime investment of the highest quality.
Samji: For the past five years, I have been blessed to have a pair of Alexia loudspeakers in my family room. I was caught off guard when I first discovered the pictures of the Alexia Series 2 on Wilson’s Facebook page in May 2017. How could Wilson improve on a speaker that already was so close to perfect in my mind?
Daryl Wilson had big dreams for the Alexia. Early on, he made a long list of the things he wanted to improve on. Just coming off the successful development of the Alexx, he was on a roll. For Series 2, Daryl and his team at Wilson focused on improving 29 aspects of the speaker. Full details of that work is documented here.
The differences are not subtle, especially in the midrange and dynamics. When my good friend Gary was over, we described the low-frequency potency as almost violent, but in a good way. The Alexia is no longer a big Sasha with DNA from the Alexandria XLF. The Alexia Series 2 is now a little brother to Alexx and is almost the same age. Maybe a little smaller, possibly a little more efficient and the kid you need to watch out for, since he is going to run you over … and you’re going to love it. (Samji bought a pair; review forthcoming). «
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