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Three-way fl oorstanding loudspeaker
Made by: Wilson Audio Specialties, Utah, USA
Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd
Telephone: 0208 971 3909
LOUDSPEAKER Web: www.wilsonaudio.com; www.absolutesounds.com
Price: £21,498-£22,998
Wilson Audio SabrinaX
Five years on and Wilson Audio’s Sabrina earns its ‘X’ – an
overhaul that raises the bar for compact fl oorstanders
Review: Ken Kessler Lab: Paul Miller
ive years – that’s how long ago now the same as the Sasha DAW’s
the Sabrina was launched and fi ve [HFN Mar ’19], to provide a ‘tauter,
years seems about right before speedier bass’, I was told.
Fmaking a new version of any model Further confirming that the changes
as good as the original was – and remains are non-retrofittable, hardware revisions
[HFN Aug ’15]. Rightly, the upgrade is include a modified woofer port and the
comprehensive, not a mere facelift, which mid-port now replaced with a tuned
is reassuring if you’re wondering why a vent, to open up the sound – and this
£15k per pair model is now priced at is, for me, the most immediate and
£21,500-£23,000. As for the price span, impressive initial realisation you will
it covers three standard or three deluxe experience. But more about that later.
‘WilsonGloss’ paint finishes, which can
be co-ordinated with five grille colours. FINE TUNING
Our review sample is pictured here in the Wilson Audio devised new binding
‘upgraded’ gloss Ivory. posts with an increased contact area
The SabrinaX’s main change can be for better coupling – I used 4mm plugs
found in its name, as the enclosure is now on the Yter cables, but you can use
entirely composed of Wilson’s X-material, spade lugs or bare wire if you prefer.
the latest inert substance preferred by the As expected, the spikes are massive,
manufacturer over woods fully adjustable and
or conventional composites. ‘It was the most come with discs to
But that’s just one aspect prevent damage to
of the model change. CEO exhilarating, non-carpeted fl oors.
Daryl Wilson says that the You’ll find them in the
primary difference – sonic, in-the-room accessories kit with
of course – is the gain in the necessary tools.
refinement achieved ‘by piano sound’ In the base of the
incorporating what we’ve speaker the crossovers
learned since the launch of the original now include AudioCapX capacitors with
Sabrina’ [see PM’s boxout, p43]. access provided to specialised resistors
through a panel. These offer a modicum
SPEEDIER BASS of fine-tuning while also adding a
Heady stuff, for that means trickle-down measure of safety, because they are
benefits from the Chronosonic XVX and designed to blow before taking out a
Dave Wilson’s swan-song, the majestic driver, should a problem arise.
WAMM Master Chronosonic. The company For many of you, this will be the best
has never been shy of pursuing cost-no- bit, as it was also the raison d’être of
object solutions, but now we are entering the original Sabrina. Take an LP sleeve
an area best described as ‘unapologetic’. and put it in the floor. Add a three-inch
How so? Daryl, like his father Dave, strip along the back edge and you have
appreciates fine craftsmanship, whether the footprint of the SabrinaX. Yup, it’s
in a pen or a car or a watch or a suitcase, only as wide as an LP at the base and
and he ‘gets’ the luxury sector. barely deeper. Then, hold your hand 1m
To that end, ‘X’ means, in addition from the floor and you have the height.
to the all-X cabinet, improved bracing Yes, Wilson’s smallest fl oorstander
for better low frequency defi nition. The
new tweeter is the Convergent Synergy RIGHT: Stunningly-fi nished ‘X-Material’
MK5 from Wilson’s fl agship fl oorstanders, cabinet is supported on substantial spikes
boasting more extension ‘with better detail and hosts a 203mm refl ex-loaded paper-pulp
and airiness’. The 146mm mid is that of the woofer, 146mm doped-cone midrange and
original Sabrina, but the 203mm woofer is 25mm silk-dome tweeter
42 | www.hifi news.co.uk | DECEMBER 2020