Wilson Audio Floorstanding Loudspeakers

Sasha DAW Floor-standing Speaker
The Man Who Started it All

The original WATT began not as a response to a perceived market need. It was not the product of focus groups. Dave never intended it to be a commercial product at all. Dave Wilson designed the WATT in 1985 as a tool for himself. He was a recording engineer who needed a loudspeaker he could take with him to on location recording venues, a location monitor that spoke the same language as his revolutionary and revered WAMM reference monitor.

In other words, Dave was literally designing the loudspeaker he wanted to own. There was a certain freedom this approach afforded Dave. He was not governed by business-school notions of market need. Without these considerations, he was unrestricted to design and build a loudspeaker that specifically fit his desire for a loudspeaker that was completely without compromise, crass cynicism, or commercial concerns of any kind.

As a direct consequence of Dave’s pure intent and his idealistic approach, a masterpiece was born.

Two Originals

Later, the WATT was paired with a dedicated woofer module—the “Puppy.” The WATT/Puppy combo became Wilson Audio’s largest selling product. And the most successful loudspeaker priced over $10,000 in the history of audio. The reason was simple: it was a truly compact, full-range loudspeaker that could fit easily in most real-world listening rooms while still offering the bass speed and extension, the dynamics, and musicality associated with much larger systems.

When Sasha W/P debuted in 2009, it heralded a name change in recognition of the comprehensive redesign of the WATT/Puppy platform. The addition of W/P to the name was meant to signify the new loudspeaker was still part of an evolutionary chain that extended back to the original introduced in 1989.

With the Sasha W/P, the platform eschewed the modular, two speaker approach of the WATT/Puppy, and instead treated the loudspeaker as a single integrated design. Without this limitation, imposed by the fact that the WATT itself was designed as a standalone monitor, the Sasha’s performance established a new elevated standard for what was possible for hyper-performance, compact monitors.

When it came time to upgrade the Sasha, Daryl Wilson was sensitive to what his father accomplished. In the wake of Dave Wilson’s recent passing, Daryl was all the more motivated to ensure the Sasha would honor his father’s achievements, and yet look to the future for an even greater level of performance than was possible when Dave designed the original Sasha.

An All new Sasha

Daryl decided a fresh look at the Sasha was in order. He approached the Sasha as if it were an all-new loudspeaker, taking the elements that very clearly worked in its design and, at the same time, applying the myriad technologies generated by Wilson’s design team since the advent of the Series-2 nearly five years ago. The result is the largest upgrade in the history of the WATT/Puppy and Sasha platforms.

Led by Vern Credille, the team designed a new woofer for the Sasha. Based on the 8-inch driver found in the Alexia Series-2, the new woofer was redesigned for the specific needs of the Sasha. When Dave designed the original Puppy, speed and dynamic impact were priorities, as well as optimizing the bass extension. He found that two smaller drivers allowed him to optimize both. This strategy has been refined over the years. The latest Sasha represents the largest leap in bass performance since the platform’s inception, and resets the bar in the areas of transient honesty and impact, linearity, and timbral resolution.

To further augment bass performance, Daryl and his team redesigned the Sasha’s bass enclosure from the ground up. Thicker X- material panels further reduce (the already vanishing low) panel resonances. Enclosure volume was increased by 13.3%, which allows for greater bottom-octave authority and reduced distortion. The blades on the top of the module, where its companion midrange/tweeter rests, have been strategically redesigned with openings, which reduces cavity pressure in the space between the upper and lower modules. Finally, a new, ultra-low-turbulence port reduces already low unwanted wind-born noise.

For the design of the upper module, Daryl Wilson worked closely with Jarom Lance, one of Wilson mechanical engineers. Thicker panels throughout the module reduce resonance. An all-new pattern is cut into the inside of the enclosure, which mitigate internal reflections. Enclosure volume was increased by 10.2% for increased dynamic range and efficiency.

The midrange and tweeters are the same units used in the WAMM Master Chronosonic, and an all-new crossover blends the entire recipe together. Vern and Daryl worked to improve the frequency linearity of the platform. Already the industry leader in the areas of ultra-low distortion and vanishing noise levels, the team found ways to reduce both.

In the end, the new design is the highest resolution, lowest distortion, and most linear loudspeaker in the history of the WATT/Puppy platform. It is easier to place in a wider variety of rooms than its predecessors. Most importantly, the latest Sasha provides a remarkably direct conduit to the numinous beauty of music.

In recognition for the man who started it all, the Wilson team felt it appropriated to dedicate this most ambitious iteration of the Wilson compact loudspeaker in its history to the visionary who first imagined it thirty years ago. Thus, the designation “DAW,” Dave Andrew Wilson’s initials.

The Best Materials

The material to which a driver is mounted provides the “launch pad” for cone excursions. Years of empirical listening trials and materials testing, most recently with Wilson’s Laser Vibrometer, have shown that different materials provide optimum baffles for differ- ent drivers. Wilson’s proprietary composite, X-Material, is the ideal material for woofers and tweeters. The research surrounding the original Sasha led to the development of S-Material, designed specifically to increase midrange accuracy and beauty.

Wilson Audio remains at the cutting edge in the world of enclosure composite development. Using the most sophisticated test equipment, not least of which is the human ear, Wilson’s team have raised the bar again with the Sasha DAW. The team’s attention to detail and nuanced approach to enclosure design contributes substantially to Sasha’s unique blend of resolution, dynamic contrast, timbral accuracy, and musical beauty.

On Time

Since the original WAMM, designed in the early 1980s, all of Wilson’s loudspeakers accurately correct the individual drivers in the time domain. Like its bigger siblings, Sasha DAW is a modular design, which allows the drivers to be specifically aligned for each installation.

In the Sasha DAW, a beautiful and functional calibrated “ladder” facilitates extremely fine adjustment within the time domain. For each installation, the mid- range/tweeter module is adjusted in relation to the woofer drivers below, such that the four drivers are precisely aligned for that particular environment..

In the DAW, Wilson has enhanced the user interface of the group-delay mechanism, which now features a knurled knob, enabling the adjustment to be facilitated without tools. Additionally, the woofer baffle is now angled back, which more correctly integrates the bass drivers with the upper module in the time domain.

Standard Colors: 

• Galaxy Gray
• GT Silver
• Quartz
• Carbon

 - Upgrade & Pearl Colors on Request.

Alexia V Floor-standing Speaker
Form Follows Function

Wind-swept fields and towering arches served as points of inspiration for the more svelte lines and thoughtfully distilled design of Alexia V. Alexia V’s enclosures are crafted from many exotic and proprietary materials. Included in these handcrafted enclosures are: the latest versions of X- Material & S-Material, V-Material strategically nested throughout it’s form, carbon fiber, aerospace grade aluminium, austenitic stainless steel, and gold connections throughout the entire signal path. Each element has been carefully chosen and optimized for its distinctive role in extraordinary sound reproduction.

V-Material is nested in the top of the woofer and midrange enclosures for increased vibration mitigation and control. By using X- Material throughout all three modules, and methodically refining the internal bracing and panel thicknesses, Wilson Audio’s Engineers have enhanced enclosure damping to a new standard for this product category. Wilson’s research has found S- Material to be a superior material option for midrange driver coupling and provides an open and accurate sonic presentation.

Exhaustive research into Alexia’s time alignment capabilities yielded results that have lead to every driver being beVer aligned with each other and more on-axis with the listener. From your recordings you will experience more resolved micro-details and tighter time alignment accuracy at all listening positions.

Sculpted to blend with the new form, and increase structural integrity, the midrange enclosure alignment bridge beVer reinforces the module external frame and is a more massive construction using a combination of X-Material and aluminium. A delicate balance is formed within the lines of Alexia V. In some areas mass was increased while in others material was removed. The cutout that reduces unwanted pressure between the midrange and woofer enclosures found on the top of the Sasha DAW® woofer blades is now a part of Alexia V. The more aerodynamic looking tweeter module has been reshaped to comfortably house the larger Convergent Synergy CarbonTM tweeter.

Transducers

First introduced in the Alexx V, Wilson’s Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) Tweeter now finds a place in the Alexia V. This unique and complex carbon fiber rear-wave chamber is constructed entirely in-house on one of our many dedicated 3D printers. Listening to the results of this special tweeter, one can’t help but get lost in its ability to present an unprecedented level of ambient retrieval and exceptional harmonic expression.

The integration of the tweeter and midrange is an absolutely critical element to accurate sound reproduction. Originally, when Alexia Series 2 was introduced, it utilized the same cellulose fiber/carbon composite midrange unit as is found in the WAMM Master Chronosonic®. This midrange has served Alexia well over the years. After extensive experimentation and system refinements, the Alnico (Aluminium-Nickel-Cobalt) QuadraMagTM has been successfully incorporated into the design and selected as the main midrange for the Alexia V. First developed for the Chronosonic XVX®, the QuadraMag midrange provides a tonally rich and life-like sound

Signal Path

Each custom capacitor used in both Alexia V’s crossovers has been wound and finished at Wilson Audio’s in-house capacitor manufacturing department (Reliable Capacitors®). These unique capacitors are made to industry-leading tight tolerances. The AudioCapX-WATM capacitors, along with fine-tuning in the crossover topology, have contributed to a new standard in low-level loudspeaker resolution.

Modifications made in the crossover slightly improved the impedance measurement of 2.59 ohms at 84 Hz from 2.54 ohms. Alexia V’s sensitivity measurement has also improved by +1dB over that found in Alexia Series 2.

Wilson Audio’s bespoke binding posts create a cleaner signal path at its point of contact. Both banana plug and traditional spade connections can be used with this binding post. Additionally, the new spades, previously only found on the Chronosonic XVX and Alexx V, are optimized to couple precisely with the binding posts. New custom-built cables connecting everything inside Alexia V provide a balanced and beautiful sounding signal path.

V-Material is nested in the top of the woofer and midrange enclosures for increased vibration mitigation and control. By using X- Material throughout all three modules and methodically refining the internal bracing and panel thicknesses, Wilson Audio’s Engineers have enhanced enclosure damping to a new standard for this product category. Wilson’s research has found S- Material to be a superior material option for midrange driver coupling and provides an open and accurate sonic presentation.

Sculpted to blend with the new form and increase structural integrity, the midrange enclosure alignment bridge better reinforces the module's external frame and is a more massive construction using a combination of X-Material and aluminium. A delicate balance is formed within the lines of Alexia V.

In some areas, mass was increased, while in others, material was removed. The cutout that reduces unwanted pressure between the midrange and woofer enclosures found on the top of the Sasha DAW® woofer blades is now a part of Alexia V. The more aerodynamic-looking tweeter module has been reshaped to comfortably house the larger Convergent Synergy CarbonTM tweeter.

Excellence in All Things

Wilson Audio’s engineering team is always evaluating and refining major hardware components in the search for breakthroughs that serve the music. A few more of the upgrades found in Alexia V:

• Included with Alexia V is a complete set of Wilson Audio Acoustic DiodeTM. An all-new spike system launched with Alexx V, which has been completely upgraded from our standard spike system, and features a novel combination of austenitic stainless steel and V-Material. This coupling system was created by Wilson Audio’s Special Applications Engineering® (WASAE) division and has superlative vibration management that reveals far greater dynamic nuances across the entire frequency spectrum. These Acoustic Diodes come in two finish options - Natural Stainless Steel and Carbon Black.
• Resistor mounting hardware is now attached to carbon fiber and angled in such a way for a more beautiful presentation and ease to work with.
• The improved and aesthetically appealing external cable dressing solution.
• A new stylized alignment “staircase” block has been developed for ease of visibility during installation. - The woofer port has been improved to increase laminar flow.
• Mid enclosure internal volume was increased 6.4% to allow a more open-sounding midrange. The woofer enclosure internal volume is now 8.9% larger compared with Alexia Series 2, creating deeper low-frequency reproduction and faster transient settling.
• Refined internal midrange wave diffusers allow faster midrange settling.
• There is now an integrated Bubble level on the top of the woofer cabinet which makes levelling the loudspeaker much easier and more convenient.

Standard Colors:

• Galaxy Gray
• GT Silver
• Quartz
• Carbon

 - Upgrade & Pearl Colors on Request.

Wilson Gloss™  Colors

Wilson Audio’s commitment to quality begins with the sound of their loudspeakers, but hardly ends there. The physical beauty and craftsmanship of Wilson products have long set the benchmark for the industry. Now, Wilson Audio is excited to introduce an updated and expanded range of colors, which include new Premium Pearl options.

WilsonGloss is a multi-stage process, from a proprietary protective gel coat layer through base color to the final series of clear coats—all followed by meticulous hand polishing. The final finish is unrivaled—even by the world’s greatest automobile manufacturers. Wilson Audo= have updated the selection of upgrade colors, which are available at a modest surcharge. Wilson Audio Premium WilsonGloss includes five new colors, each in a special pearl finish, which involve additional paint steps. WilsonGloss Premium is the ultimate expression of sophistication and beauty.

When combined with a choice of six grille-cloth colors, it’s easier than ever to individually design your Wilson loudspeaker so that it will complement your décor, or express your pride of ownership. Along with standard black grilles, you can alternatively specify Slate Grey, Parchment Grey, Mocha, Blanco White, or Le Mans Blue at no additional cost. With hundreds and hundreds of combinations available, you have the ability to design a Wilson speaker unique to your taste and décor.

For the ultimate in individual expression, Wilson Audio offers Custom Sample Match WilsonGloss finishes. Through your Wilson Dealer, provide them with your wall color, favourite automotive paint, or just about any color sample and we can, for an additional cost, create your loudspeakers in a one-of-a-kind WilsonGloss finish. This service includes on-site storage of custom paint for a period of five years. Contact your Dealer for program requirements and pricing.

Sasha DAW

Alexia V