BLOWN AWAY: $215,000 Wilson Audio, Dan D'Agostino, Spectral System
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Correction: Alexia V isn't Alexia "5," it's Alexia (the letter) V.
Adventures in Hi-FI at Innovative Audio NYC! innovative.nyc
The System:
Wilson Alexia V Speakers
Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD Preamp
Dan D'Agostino Momentum M400 MXV Amplifiers
Spectral SDR 4000sv CD Player
Transparent & Spectral-MIT Cables
Twitter: @AudiophiliacMan
Instagram: / steve.guttenberg
#Wilsonaudio #MadeinUS #hifi
There's an Audiophiliac/Steve Guttenberg imposter scamming my viewers, DON'T respond! I don't do giveaways or ask for money (except for my Patreon).
There's a vintage stereo store in Vancouver called innovative audio.
The imposter wrote that I won a "price." Lol Guess I'm buying more gear. 🤷Just hope their taste is as good as mine. 😁
Thats Pee Aye Tee Rr Eee Oh Nn & be sure to check out Josef Hi-Fi it’s all that’s wrong and right with a pure 2 Channel system that will leave you with goose bumps. And as he describes it. I hate you so much you beautiful garbage angel. Lol. Steve that’s no good I received and thought UH OH this is not Steve and tada here is your message. Good luck catching the culprit. I found 86hz tone for about 4 hours straight a nice start for the appropriate discipline.
I'm blown away how often people are blown away in UA-cam Land.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Totally Scruff. These guys call $500 Kef speakers "End Game" and are blown away in every new video.. It's a laugh. Mentioning Rock bands is another trick to get clicks. Don't be mistaken. This is marketing 100% and bears little truth.
Thanks mikey
Steve, you've done it again. Two great record recommendations, and a lot of enthusiasm for what is, I'm sure, a fine sounding system. Thanks, brother! ♥👍👍
Your description is so true. I had the pleasure recently to listen to their WAMM Master Chronosonic speakers. I never thought such clarity was possible till I heard these. When you taste the finest wine, you may regret the experience because you compare all others to the finest. And they never come close to that experience. Steve does not exaggerate his description in this video. This system is the Ferrari of speakers and you will know it in the first few seconds. I felt like the musicians were in the room with us when I heard it. Thanks Steve, for such a great review!
I bought a pair of Spendor speakers from him in Brooklyn Heights back in the day. Good to see we’re both still alive and kickin.
I was at the same Brooklyn Heights store when Dave Wilson flew in to set up the first pair of Wilson's Innovative ever had. I believe it was a pair of 3/2's but I can't be sure. It was so long ago. I bought my first real HiFi system from them which included a SOTA vacuum table during that period.
I do like these kind of crazy systems. Like with a Pagani, I'll never have one, but it's fun to hear about this kind of gear.
Completely agree. But never say never!
@@bigblueocean I will keep hope alive!😉
This system isn't at the Pagani level, more like an NSX, but your point is well taken. It's a shame that some people resent hyper expensive gear.
@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt Yes, I just meant that I'll never have a Pagani but I think they're very cool and I like hearing about them. I can't imagine what a 2 million or more stereo would be like, haha.
Live at the Sands is my go to Sinatra album. That voice. That band! Frank and the Basie band were having so fun which easily translates in the recording. Thanks, Steve.
Amen! I had a Good Fellas Moment with this CD. I might as well of had a small round table with a white tablecloth in my listening room. 😍
I have been a big Innovative fan since I met Elliot when he worked out of a small place in Brooklyn in the late 70’s. His business took off from there and the rest is history.
Today, its always a joy to visit Innovative whenever I go to the city. They have the goods at all price points. No slackers there.
This $200K system is way above my pay grade but its a pleasure hearing about it. I’m sure hearing it in person was a total joy.
D’Agostino gear looks great but I’d probably go for Spectral.
Thanks Steve for another great video!!
Hearing you mention that Savage Aural Hotbed was part of your listening session caught me off guard. I have a friend who is a member, and hearing that their album was on your list to check out speakers is super cool. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of that!
Steve, you are the Music Guru! I had a Good Fellas Moment while listening to Frank Sinatra-Live at the Sands. The interaction between Frank and the crowd is so good I might as well of had a small round table with a white tablecloth in my listening room which consists of a Luxman 509x, D-10X, and Sopra No 3's. 😍
I really do miss the brick and mortar stores. Here in the SF Bay Area we used to have so many. I used the be able to spend a weekend driving from store to store. I fell in love with my Thiel speakers back in the 90's on Spectral gear. I drove to another Thiel dealer to see what they'd sound like on something different, sadly that store had them hooked to McIntosh. I bought them, and found I really needed to upgrade my electronics in a huge way. I'm glad there's some holdouts that can demonstrate systems to aspire to. And, if that store can get you 90% of the way there for 90% less...
I was fortunate enough to have attended one of those listening sessions last week at Innovative Audio. Peter played a variety of recordings. The one I found most immersive and satisfying was a classical piano recording engineered by Peter himself. At Peter's request we listened to that one with all the lights in that room turned off. Given that the musician was a personal friend of Peter's and that he'd died not long after the recording, it was a highly emotional and immersive experience. That was last Saturday. I haven't listened to my own system since. Thank you Peter for that experience. Thank you Elliot for being such a gracious host.
I could never afford these or the system they are connected to, but man, I'd sure love to hear them for an afternoon playing music I love in a well treated room...More power to those who not only can afford such a system, but also appreciate it. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
when you think about it back in the nineties it was Wilson/Krell and now it's the same just a different name for the amps when he went on his own way. I heard a Wilson/Nagra set up many years ago when I lived in Vancouver with a successful musician friend of mine ( grammy and Ivor Novello multiple winner) and he loved it so much he bought it there and then. Previously he had not thought high end HiFi mattered that much!
I remember the first time I heard Wilson Watt Puppies in a dealer show room in the early 90's. Blown away was an understatement. Other than being very young, that was the first time as an adult I had heard 3-D sound. Amazing.
Man, Steve… you weren’t kidding about that James Brown recording. Hot damn!
An occasional look at aspirational products is great. Thanks.
I'll never forget listening to the Watt/Puppies at a Audio Show back in the day. The best sound I've ever heard!
Thanks for this great video and the album recommendations!
One advantage (for me) of planars is that they compete on a different playing field.
Maggies and Quads may not do everything that expensive speakers like Wilsons and Magicos can do but I’d say the reverse is true as well.
For me, it starts in the bass region. No bass, no bueno. It has to have the foundation of music. That said, I would love to hear Maggie's current offerings. Those from years ago sounded hollow and lifeless.
Outstanding music selections! Well done.
I think the DIY speaker guys could gain a lot of understanding and direction by looking closely at these kinds of speakers. They are really just a regular direct radiating, bass reflex 3 way with subwoofers, just built with incredibly high quality. Dome tweeters and cone drivers. No horns, no ribbons, no dome mids, no multi driver midrange arrays. No open baffles, no rear firing tweeters, no up or down firing drivers. Just a basic concept with a highly advanced execution.
Thanks Steve. I've always got time for systems like this, even though I'll honestly never be able to afford them. They're like spaceships to me. Fascinating and exciting, but I'll never own one. :^D
I had them back in the 90's(watt 3 & puppy 2's). They were incredible.
Must be truly unusual speakers if they sound that good in this room and placement
Hi Steve - Great episode! I recapped my tube amplifiers and speaker crossovers with their capacitors. Made a real difference. About as close to this set-up as I am likely to get!🤣
Spectral, D'Agostino, Wilson, optimized by Mr. McGrath in a good room ...
Hell yeah, I bet it did sound good!
The Sasha DAW are very impressive as well. Their sense of scale is truly incredible. I think those are probably the 'sweet spot' in the Wilson Audio lineup.
As pricy as they are, the Alexia really is given the cost of moving up from there and its cost increment over the Sasha DAW.
@@VideoArchiveGuy It's a shame the only room I heard the Alexia V's in was relatively small. I wasn't able to have a proper comparison between it in the Sasha DAWs.
@@zach2954 Yes, the Alexia V needs a little room to breathe - not as much as the Alexx V of course, but some.
Though most rooms that sound good with a Sasha DAW will have no issues with an Alexia V unless they are really on the edge of being too small for the Sasha.
No one reviews with your enthusiasm, Steve!
Good stuff, awesome combo, I’ve heard diff combo of Wilson & D’Aug, before! Excellent change up! Like to see GOOD equipment from all price ranges!
Frank Sinatra at the Sands is just an amazing recording
Looking forward to Peter coming out West, in a couple of weeks, to present these new speakers. Always a treat to hear his personal recordings. A bit surprised the Spectral preamp and mono blocks weren’t deployed in your demo, since the CD player was featured. I can tell through the video’s lingering shots, that someone was enamored with Dan’s amps…at least the visual. Can’t argue with that. Makes for a prettier video, if not sonically 🔊
Thanks for letting us know the music you use! Definitely adding Frank and James to my collection😀🎶
guys and gals, don't gloss over Steve's music recommendations! -everything from James Brown to XTC
in this review! love it.
Damn it, Steve!
I’ve convinced myself that because of “ modern technology and materials “ that my system was really good.
Then you go and do this to me.
😂
I'm sure it is really good. It's your system. Trust me, it gets really good, then you hear something else and if it's doable, then it gets even better 😉
You’ve not said anything about Spectral. Their website is 3 years out of date. Their dealers have diminished. They don’t respond to emails and often never answer their phone. What a strange strange company. Is this company still in existence or are they coming to an end?
If I were a rich man.....
I would never be rich because I would spend all my money on stereo equipment 😂
I'd buy McIntosh
Thanks, I'm buying this today.
You are right about james brown that music I never pay attension to untill i went back to listern to it.
You nailed it.
Innovative is my jam , Elliot my man
Thanks for reminding me why I’ve never test driven a Ferrari. I appreciate the James Brown referral.
Thanx for the James Brown albun recomendation!🙏
I saw this exact system about 4-5 weeks ago in Seattle at Definitive Audio. This was after I'd been in the kids room listening to Sonus Faber bookshelves. The salesman took me to this room. After a while, I was just laughing. The Sonus Faber's were fantastic, but this was not a fair fight. This system was insane. And he let me listen to Dopesmoker on it - not the twee crap you get as an audio show.
Heavy metal content with distorted instruments on a speaker like this? Highly revealing speakers are perhaps meant to bring out the delicacy and tonality of instruments like bells, marimbas, cymbals, strings, piano, etc. Sure they can play heavy metal, but I think a bit of a waste, lol. All you are hearing is the crude inferior Marshall amps, speakers the heavy metal was recorded from.
@@weeooh1 I beg to differ. Just to set things straight, dopesmoker is not heavy metal and there is not a marshall in sight on this classic recording. Guitar speakers are a science in its own way. Just like with hifi you have countless variations of drivers to choose for your speaker cabinet. Everything from crap to gold standard and high end most of all depending on your taste. The speaker is the most significant eq in the signal chain of a guitar signal. Changing the speaker on the same recording can make the guitar sound totally different. They all deliver a very unique presentation of the amplified sound. Also most guitar speakers add distortion to the sound when pushed.
To capture the true tone of any distorted guitar rig is demanding. It is not unusual to use several different mics. When done right it will capture all the overtones sag, pre and power amp distortion, cone cry and more. As a listener to get the detais of a great recording no mater what musical genre you need decent tools to reproduce it.
Dopesmoker is not the best recording but there is plenty of detail to pick up on if you lend your ear to the details.
@@weeooh1 talk about snobbery
@@weeooh1 Dopesmoker and the many albums like it are about feeling the sonic pulverization those albeit cheap (compared to hifi) marshall/orange amplifiers and cabinets are capable of delivering. Its not everyones musical preference, but the experience of hearing and feeling every bit of such a monstrous tone will shake anyone to their core. It dosent matter that the instruments were cheaper than HiFi. Those guitar rigs are purpose built for extremely high SPL and earth shattering mids/lows. Albums like Dopesmoker attempt to bring you closer to that wall of cabinets and given the studio engineering was done well, these albums can be a blast to hear on exotic high end systems because you want high SPL without distortion. Trying to play stoner rock very loud will easily cause clipping and distortion on most systems due to the heavy focus on stupid loud mids/lows. Speaker quality isnt even really a matter of question in the genre. Just because the guitar cabinet speakers arent the same quality used in HiFI, dosent mean you dont want to capture what those particular speakers do. Youd still want to hear exactly what those speakers are doing when you play the recording back, just like any instrument. And thats how the guitar, amplifier and cabinet are treated generally. As one instrument.
@@averyvasquez8153 I’ll agree it’s not the greatest recording, but they blew a huge part of the advance on custom “Green” amps. You could tell the difference on this system
It reminds me of how I became an Audiophile!!! Hearing that kind of resolution!!! I Love IT! I’ve been Patreon supporter of yours for years!! Please cover more of the small Made in USA companies that you already do a better job than most, but there are definitely more! 😎😉
I heard these a couple weeks ago at Definitive Audio in Bellevue, Washington and have to agree completely with how fantastic these speakers sound. Just a minor nit, Steve - the V in the model is the letter V, not the roman numeral for 5 (previous model was the Alexia 2). The V is for a new material they used.
Correct
Thanks for the mention Brett. Pop in again and let's play your soundtrack on the system.
Masterpiece Wilson . Now i know it. There are speakers like that
Drums and Wires-good choice, one of my favorite as well.
I'll take two of each. Thanks Steve. Greg
Steve thank you for showcasing such a wonderful system. Theirs a collective effort to shame expensive gear by a few UA-camrs, and the people that can afford to buy them.
Mr. Guttenberg, I would have expected you to be more critical of that kind of monstrous, ultra-expensive transistor sound system. Oh well...
Great video, Steve. The only problem with having heard the Wilson’s is the sound system in heaven might be
disappointing.
Steve , I'm pleased you enjoyed this mega expensive system but it was only a few months back you seem to make a big point of saying" $100,000 systems leave you cold " . Have you changed your mind on this ?
Spot on! This conflicting information is confusing.
$215k for real? No way.. I mean those cables alone are 50k. More likely $300k or above.
Thanks for STEVE!
No viewer system of the day. This is the system of the day.
It's nice to see times to times Dreams stuff
A system for trust fund babies or oligarchs. How adorable.
...or people that educated themselves early on in life so they would be prepared as adults to earn a good living. Sorry you missed out on that.
@@Mark-lq3sb If you think that most "educated" people who "earn a good living" can afford a $215k system, you are seriously deluded. But you keep on being a good litle bootlicker, defending insanely priced systems. Maybe Innovative Audio will give you a pat on the head or a cookie!
@@Mark-lq3sb Thinking that educated people who earn a good living can afford a $215k system displays your lack of education.
You forgot Congress folk that have been at the trough long enough.
@@mikrophonie5633 Geez, do I have to spell it out for you?
Ok, how about I use the words above average? Good enough for you now?
Yes Steve, you bought the AGI preamp from innovative audio as I did back in the day, worst purchase I ever made, switched it out for used Dayton Wright . I did buy some IMF TLS 50 Transmission line speakers which I loved.
I loved my IMF speakers, some THE best I have ever owned!!!
Jeffrey Epstein's viewer system of the day?
Thank you! I am curious about Wilson’s in multi channel systems. I know they make 2 center channel speakers the Watch and the Mezzo. But no one seems to talk about what equipment to power a Wilson multi channel sound system. Is that something you would address?
I’m looking forward to attending a roadshow with Peter presenting in a few weeks. What surprised me a bit was that the system wasn’t set up for all Spectral gear.
Also interestingly for Frank fans is that the arrangements for the Basie band were done by young Quincy Jones. What a talent
I would like to see this system and mine up against each other but both behind curtains and see which sounds better. My point being when people listen expensive gear they automatically think , oh my god, best thing I've ever heard.
Note: The cabinets literally look like the housing for my $300 juicer. The first thing I noticed.
Did it weigh 800lbs?
@@techsamurai11 No, just looks like cheap plastic, take another look
🎉
I've always likened them to angry robot coffins. Ugliest things on the planet, but what they lack in aesthetic appeal they make up for in sound.
@@Darrylizer1 🤣🤣
You don't know what you are missing until you hear it.
There are so many great XTC albums.....
I've recently re-discovered the greatness of XTC. Check out Rick Beato's analysis of Mayor of Simpleton.
i can't believe the price of these audio gears !!!!!.
the cost is insane. hundreds of thousands of $$$$$$. how can you guys afford it without a single hiccup ??!!!!!!!!!!.
been saving for SabrinaX for the longest time, and not even half way to pull the trigger 😔!.
i also liked it a lot but the price is a bit of my limit, i also doubt of some speakers that look good but sound worse but this were really loud and at the same time smooth
I love Drums and Wires! I have the original pressing. Oh heli....Oh heli..
You liked the Spectra? I see info but no price on the web. Mentions it has a DAC. Do I need that if I already have a Rossini APEX dac with separate master clock? I have NAD cd player now and it is not that good versus my other gear.
The Spectral is just a CD player, the same as a transport connected to your Rossini APEX/Clock.
Those Puppies where awesome, heard them several times over the years, some of the Audio guys still own them.
Just proves again nothing beats CD.
Yup and they're so inexpensive 😉
Proves? Might have been better with vinyl.
Surprised to see how close the speakers are to the sidewall, doesn’t seem to fit the WASP (Wilson Audio Speaker Placement) approach. No treatment on the front wall either.
❤ the comment about the BS of “diminishing returns” 😅 If you can afford it, and make the right choices, you will get vastly better sound. There are no diminishing returns.
The whole system is $215k? I though that D'Agostino gear alone would be more than that.
Steve, excellent review as always, question…what would you recommend the Alexia’s should be set apart? Minimum you would allow for ideal dynamics etc..
Damn ur so lucky! Pretty sure I couldn't event get into the showroom, let alone get a demo of those sweet Wilsons!
It's funny, but when I heard these Wilson speakers in demos twice in the last six months with similar D'Agostino components in one system and VTL/Nagra in the other and while they sound good, I have to admit I was underwhelmed. These sound no better than $20k-$30k models from Sonus faber, Focal, or Bowers. The comparative $60k Sonus faber Il Cremonese actually sound far better and don't look like arcade game consoles in my living room. Now the XVX I heard (way more money) were better because there was more volume of the quality sound, but I don't think the difference is 5X. Once you get to a certain point the quality is there, its just more of it the higher in the range you go.
Thanks for James Brown
Funkilicious
Someone once said they stick the Wilsons out in the corners because they don't do a soundstage wider than the speakers. True?
Wow, 260lbs each. Yeah, had the same in your face feeling with Vandersteen's Carbon at the Munich High End. Best speaker for Jazz 2022. Louie Armstrong was there! Heard the Wilson's they were popular and in many rooms with different front end and all sounded fabulous. Wish I had the money and the space. Well more the space than the money. lol.
How much space was used between the back of the speakers and the front wall? What was the distance from the centerline of the speakers to the side walls? What was the room size?
You realize that the wall behind the speakers is natural stone and definitely a bright room. So how can these speakers possibly sound good? Even a $500k spkr is only as good as the room. If you want precision and clarity you can't beat active studio monitors and for considerably less.
Steve, given the nature of the recordings you used here (mainly live recordings with lots of untapped spatial information), how would this system have sounded with the addition of the BACCH system you recently featured?
Lucky me, don't know how it's possible but my magic system in my room sounds complete. Not just to me but to everyone I demo it too. After listening to a variety of songs at an appropriate volume I ask a simple question, what's missing? Clarity, sound stage, volume, and bass, are all amazing. I recently listened to a $200,000 Macintoch system and was not nearly as impressed. I think the biggest difference for you Steve is the listening space. Your home system is capable of a much greater experience but severely limited by the apartment. I know for a fact for ME that I am NOT kidding myself that that system would show me the truth. My system has a $13,000 retail, paid a good deal less.
Steve, thanks for the JB album intro. You may want to check out some of the Maceo Parker live albums. Same energy, better sound quality.
As an audiophile, not sure if it’s more fun owning great gear, talking about it, or reading about it?
steve talk about gear for collect some money for his hairdresser! 😛
What about listening to it?
A dream system.
HI Steve, I always enjoy your videos but I find sometimes difficult to take note of your music advices, it could be helpful to have their references in the info box. Thanks! 😊
I am pretty sure it wasn’t the merit of the alexia’s alone …. But good to know they sound good an really high end electronics 😅
Love that Sinatra @ the Sands album, especially when he is joined by Dean Martin (and especially on vinyl). Wish you could have also listened to that turntable, or was it not hooked up?
TechDAS AirForce III, beautiful table.
$215,000 Wilson Audio, what a waste of money!
I bet you can get a set of speakers for 10% of the price and sound just as good.
The recording of the music is more important than the speakers.
Glad you have deep pockets!
I would rather buy a house for that money.
You're funny! Do you tour comedy clubs?
@@Mark-lq3sb Nope, I just hate all the snake oil.
So much ignorance displayed in so little words : it's a shame you can't monetize your talent, you'd be able to buy yourself a decent rig...
@@johnwatrous3058
Have no fear, the snakes will not bother those that choose to ignore.
OK, put your money where your mouth is and tell us which system would provide equivalent performance at 10% the cost of the Alexia V.
Hi thanks for the always excellent review I guess it should be a 4 way speaker as the two lower woofers are different ? one bigger than the other
It seems to me that Wilson Audio for their upper level speakers prefer to separate the head with mid and high from the bass box I find this extremely interesting technically
Kind regards, gino
It's nice to see that some companies cater to rich sociopaths.
So you just learned about the existence of high end stuff? At the risk of spoiling the surprise, you'll find expensive stuff in all sorts of fields : cars, watches, clothes, jewelry, houses, etc. Ain't that crazy? I didn't know all that stuff was geared towards rich sociopaths, but if you say it is, it must be true, right?
@@yantrussart6584 I am pretty sure a fair number of customers would fall into that category, likewise I’m sure there are a few reasonably decent ones. One finds this in high end watches especially, Trump with his VC, Rolex and such, his buddy Putin, the high end Swiss watch industry turns a blind eye to whom they sell to, but then, look at their history in other areas!
The fact is that a lot of ultra wealthy people earn their money in less than ethical ways and use the systems legal loopholes to stay just this side of the law, how many lawsuits is Trump fighting right now and how many has he fought and lost in the past?
And yet it’s highly likely his many drones will vote him in again just as many other despots get in power again, money buys pretty much anything these days and the more ordinary people turn a blind eye the longer this will be!
Still, the high end companies will do alright with it so that’s all that matters eh!
Politics again please
@@ianmedium TDS makes it into an audio review. More viral than Covid - 19!
@@ianmedium so if ultra high end audio is so closely linked to sociopathic behaviours, may I ask why you are watching this video : are you a bit sociopathy curious yourself, or did you see it as a good opportunity to grace strangers with some virtue signaling bs?
😂..it’s does my soul good knowing that this system , beautiful women , art and pizza exist ☺️
That is such a great comment. Thank you.
@@jamescease4280 Thanks , have a great weekend 🍻
Btw, I’m an IEM guy these days …senior living and downsizing 😋
May I ask what brand is the base traps in the corner behind the speakers ?
Steve,
Do you know any speaker repairmen in NY? I have a pair of Klipsch RFII's that where damaged when my daughters jacked up my amp and turned the power on. They sound extremely distant, and only play for a few seconds and then shut my amp off.
Thanks!
Steve, you didn't tell us what you really think.
Budget speakers for some, I will buy a house for others .
No doubting there remarkable sounding speakers .
As long as I'm married, this system is out of reach.
lol I bought my Wilsons after my divorce 😀
@@mikebracco890 you must have been verrrrry rich before it
@@twntwrs nah, just love music