Audiophilepure

https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/wilson_audio_alexia_v.htm

is Alexia V the last word — the best speaker I have ever heard? Of course not. There are much more expensive and larger speakers that have impressed me in certain ways that no others have come close to matching. When I heard the WAMM in David Wilson’s house, it had a high-frequency delicacy and lucidity that nothing else has equaled. And more recently, I visited the Göbel factory/showroom where their 1200-pound Divin Majestic produced bass density, resolution, and dynamics that I have not heard in any other system. However, those speakers cost seven to nine times the price of Alexia V, and they would not fit in my home or the homes of most audiophiles.

I have paid close attention to Wilson Audio speakers over the years. I fell in love with Yvette and was sorely tempted by Sasha DAW. However, the Alexia V is now the sweet spot of the Wilson lineup, with its breathtaking dynamics, improved sensitivity, and acute tonal accuracy. Combined with these attributes, its adjustability makes it possible to fit this fairly large speaker into a somewhat modestly sized room. Most of all, the Alexia V has rekindled my love affair with records. I’ve spent the last couple of months playing treasures I acquired over the years that only now are revealing their hidden beauty. The Alexia V stands out among a select few audio products I have reviewed over the years. This is a pair of speakers that will not be leaving anytime soon

https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-801-d4-signature-loudspeaker

Both voices are richly characterised, and there’s tight, rich and weighty bass, as indeed there is on the cover of The Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s A Sin’. Here I’ll admit to preferring the version on the PSB’s recent Smash compilation [Parlophone 5054197296215], and the replacement of Elton John’s mannered vocals with Neil Tennant’s. The voice is just as affected, but much less of a drag on the rhythmic drive of the track, which still sings through the oddly ‘brickwalled’ production.

There’s no such problem with the mystical, deeply moving sound of Paul Simon’s Seven Psalms [Sony/Owl Records 19658779112]. Via these speakers it’s going to grab and hold you throughout its more than 30-minute running time, the seamless music punctuated with temple bells and bowls seemingly hanging in three dimensions in the soundstage. The imaging is wonderful, and the effect hypnotic.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/kef-r3-meta-loudspeaker

The R3 Meta’s rated 87dB sensitivity and 4ohm nominal impedance might suggest a tougher-than-typical drive, but I found it worked happily with Audiolab’s similarly priced 9000A integrated [HFN Aug ’23], and had superb results with Primare’s beefier, Class D A35.2 power amp [HFN Dec ’19]. Ramp up the level and KEF’s latest standmount rewards with a dynamic, full-range performance.

Some well-worn demo tracks, including Dire Straits’ ‘Telegraph Road’ [Love Over Gold; Vertigo 800 088-2], Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ [Honky Chateau; Mercury 528 162-2], and the York remix of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Ommadawn’ [Tubular Beats; Ear Music; 44kHz/16-bit] reinforced my belief that KEF has achieved something rather special here. This is a well-priced speaker with high-end aspirations and a sound to match.