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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
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