Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

"When he finished, the SabrinaX's were less than ¼" from where they started, but they sounded noticeably better. Actually, the difference was beyond noticeable. They sounded a lot better. They didn't sound like completely new speakers, just much better versions of the ones I had set up."

"True to his word, Hugh got me deeper, tighter bass, and "you know, more bass."

_

From a 1/4 inch change. That is daunting.

Any smart people who can explain such a big bass difference from a 1/4 inch change in position in the listening room? Especially that degree of change!

I am awestruck.

I know JA can't reasonably travel to the reviewers room, but with the pair he used, I would love to see the frequency response curve differences over that 1/4 inch change!

When your lower priced speaker is $18,500 then it is easier to not wait for trickle down.
For the manufactures that have lower priced speakers in $1000 range then it is a much smaller trickle of technology by that point.

Thank you Anton! I'm still laughing!!!

The thing that gets me about the 1/4" change--or even call it a 1" change or a 2" change that other reviewers cite--this distance is rounding error for the location of the listener's head, even if his chair never moves.

Nevertheless, great review of a great pair of speakers. Thanks!

The transformation that occurs with a 1/4" change is caused by the interaction of sound waves generated by the speaker with room boundaries and openings, objects in the room, and reflective surfaces. And since every speaker design is different, optimal positioning changes from speaker to speaker as well as from room to room. Optimal positioning for the listener changes as well.

As someone who has covered countless shows for Stereophile, and hopes to cover many more, I've often visited rooms where exhibitors show me where the speakers were initially placed and where they ended up. They also discuss how long it took to get the speakers to their optimal position. The smartest of the lot also direct me to the best place to sit, or answer my query about same. Some may say, for example, "Don't sit in the last row, because the bass is much too strong there," while others may say, "I suggest you sit in the center seat in the second row, because that where I aimed the speakers."

The difference in sound between exhibits where speakers and listeners are carefully positioned, and those where exhibitors do not take the time or have the time to devote to optimal positioning is marked.

Has Wilson ever made a speaker that *didn't* get reviewed (promoted) by Stereophile?

The rear firing port will make the speakers sensitive to wall Boundaries and yes 1/4 “ movement of loudspeakers do make a difference in a revealing system , midfi not so much ..

Regards

What makes a system more or less "revealing?" Are there any measurements that are associated with, uhm, revealingness?

Do you think you could reliably distinguish between the two positions if you had the lights turned off?

Mr. Damkroger has excellent taste in music used in this review, especially the Kubelik which is a great recording. Just like a one or two MM tonearm height adjustment can make a huge difference in turntable sound so too can 1/4 inch movement. While 2 mm may seem like a small amount the difference within can prove immense in dialing in the proper point where everything snaps into place. I fail to see why this wouldn’t apply to speaker placement.

While 2 mm may seem like a small amount the difference within can prove immense in dialing in the proper point where everything snaps into place. I fail to see why this wouldn’t apply to speaker placement.

I don't accept this analogy from a small mechanical device with fixed parameters to a large acoustical device.

I do hope that Wilson make the best sounding loudspeakers in the world. They are expensive and pug ugly,
Was a quarter of the review print taken up with the "so crucial" positioning?
Surely, at this point, the selfish "B's" who can afford Wilson should be purchasing headphones?
As this is my opinion, I would be grateful if reviewing staff wouldn't respond with the most FB/Twitter vile comments such as I have seen in the last few months, when Wilson reviews have been posted.
I do think that Stereophile is the best resource of its genre.

LOL this is one of the dumbest things I've ever read in Stereophile

"there was more of everything", "it sounded better", "but bigger"... than what? Than the last time you heard that recording?

So Wilson comes out with a Sabrina four and change years ago and a bunch of people shelled out 16-or-so thousand for them. If you hate Wilson none of this mattered but, for the other half, the Sabrina was met positively by both consumers and reviewers. There was a story behind the speaker. Partly it was likely to appeal to the boomer contingent moving out of their 8000+ sq ft homes. What is the point of the SabrinaX? How is it different than the Sabrina? I see the port is different? Is it meant to compliment or replace the Sabrina?

Having owned Wilsons I've heard the whole mythology around the toe-in. I can't say the toe-in mattered more or less than, say, compared to Focals I've owned. If I was going to consider these speakers I'd be annoyed if .25in mattered that much, as if that was even possible with a speaker like this.

With all due respect to the reviewer, fluffy write-ups like this is why I ditched TAS years ago. They lack specificity and solid critical comparison, especially given there's a glowing review of the Sabrinas from 2016.

Some of the commentators are ridiculing the reviewer because he wrote that he heard a clearly audible change in sound when the speakers were moved a 1/4 inch. I have no doubt that he is correct. I used to work at a Wilson dealer and spent a lot of time listening to most of the range: from the Duette up to multi-module models. It was a wonderful perk to the job. John Giolas and Peter McGrath made regular visits to the store and spent a lot of time teaching the staff how to correctly voice a speaker. They repeatedly demonstrated small increments in placement changing the sound of speakers. Wilson designs their products a certain way and that's the reality, love them or hate them. Check out a manual for one of their multi-module models. The upper ones can be adjusted for many degrees of angle. This requires expensive and exact machine tooling. Why does Wilson go to all this trouble? Because it's necessary to get the best out of the design. The major criticism from customers was that Wilson speakers have a one listener "sweet spot". Compared to a KEF, Tannoy or Fyne, there's some truth to that. But many audiophiles listen on their own so no matter for them. For the record, I don't own Wilson but they are untouchable in some important areas.

Brian must have the coolest listening room, ever!

I have that salt lamp, but want the candle, mask, horse, and perfect aquarium!

That is a strikingly good pic.

I've heard most of the speakers I've desired to hear so far. There are two that have eluded me ...Magico, and Wilson. I just hope to be able to hear a pair...any pair before I leave this world. I live in audio purgatory.

I'm fortunate to live near a dealer (Sound Environment in Omaha, Nebraska) that features both Wilson Audio and Rockport Technologies loudspeakers. Their amplification and source lines (D'Agostino, Gryphon, dCS, Aurender, etc.) are up to the challenge.

For several years the Rockport Atria was my pick for the best sounding floorstander at a price that was very high, but not ridiculous. Then came the first iteration of the Wilson Sabrina that sounded utterly superb and considerably less expensive. Both loudspeakers are great all-arounders, and the prospective owner has much to ponder in their different emphases out on the edges of the performance envelope.

I've yet to audition the SabrinaX, but based on this review I suspect it will challenge the newest Atria. I look forward to testing my suspicion.

As for placement, the crew at Sound Environment invests vast amounts of time getting it right in their purpose-built rooms. In a home environment, with so many audio-hindering variables, placement has always struck me as a crap shoot. The primary reason I have never purchased an extreme high-end loudspeaker is that I have never lived in a place where I could fully take advantage.

And, as I joked at Sound Environment, they made the mistake selling me the Joseph Audio Pulsar almost 10 years ago. That stand-mounted 2-way, augmented with a mid-range REL subwoofer, is so very good that it turned the curve of diminishing returns almost vertical.

I even like looking at the "felt" patterns speaker manufacturers use around their drivers.

You KNOW they've tried round, square, star, etc....it's fascinating how they end up with the final products. The pattern Wilson uses is interesting and pretty...which would be cool to to see measurements with and without, of course!!!

I can go back to the time of the Acoustic Research AR 9 and AR 90 era with their "acoustic blankets" being part of the equation. I am trying to recall who was doing it before that time (late 1970s.) I am sure there were others before but can't quickly recall.

There was a very popular line that hit in the 80's or 90's that seemed to be based on felting their baffles. Ah, yes, Lipinski! And they sounded pretty good.

Jim
as my user name is my real name, I assume that passes your test?
Looking at my comments again, pug ugly is unfair. I'm sure the fit and finish of Wilson audio equipment is up with the best, and as to appearance I must accept that not everyone believes the young Sophia Loren, to be the most beautiful woman ever! (Can't imagine why not.)
Forgive me for sticking by the rest of my post.

Editors JA and JA1: The March 2021 issue has reviews of the SabrinaX and Sony SA-Z1 desktop system. While radically different speaker designs and intended for radically different 'application space/locations', I am puzzled by JA's comments on the waterfall/cumulative spectral decay plots for these two pieces of kit. For the Sony, JA comments the decay "is relatively clean in the midrange, but a little hashy in the treble". But no comment is made for the same or greater (to my eyes) amount of hash and delayed energy in both the midrange and treble for the SabrinaX. For the SabrinaX only the correlation of step response ripples to a delayed energy ridge "just below 3kHz" is mentioned. What am I missing? This seems inconsistent, as is the ridge due to computer monitor interference stated at just below 16kHz (SabrinaX) and just below 17kHz (Sony SA-Z1). Does the monitor's scanning frequency vary or interact differently with different loudspeaker systems? BTW 1/4 inch variation in speaker placement can have audible effects, but the degree of perceived change is likely a room dependent variable, just as the influence of room dimensions affects frequency balance in the bass/mid-bass. I hope my comment does not come across as too negative, I thoroughly enjoy Stereophile and its reviewers! Stay safe and well!

Maybe it's time we start seeing a spec for how far apart each reviewer's ears are.

I can see where that might lead:

Audiophile A: Of course you think that speaker placement is optimum, you're stinking ears are 4 inches too far apart.

Audiophile B: Don't be so "narrow" minded.

___

Adding further drift: I think when speakers are placed properly, it becomes easier to walk around the room and maintain the sensation of room/speaker lock, even off axis.

You may be right, I may be crazy, but I think this.

Although the reviewer details the changes Wilson has made to the original Sabrina, there's no comparison at all of how the new and old models sound. Of course, no reviewer can have experienced or have on hand every other speaker with which to compare the one under review. But in the case of the SabrinaX, I'd have thought a comparison with the original Sabrina, with which many readers may be at least somewhat familiar and which presumably is the benchmark against which the new one should be measured, would be especially pertinent and helpful. Personally, I'd been looking forward to a review of the SabrinaX for just that reason, and find this review unhelpful.

If I was to describe what I hear as "The soundstage was huge, well beyond anything I'd heard before. It stretched to waaaaay outside the speakers", I would give "Invert Polarity" a try... The "anechoic" response (Measurements Fig 3) is horrendous with 8 dB spanned dips and bumps in the 2-5 Khz region and the absence of any published anechoic responses at 0 30 45 ° for Wilson speakers lets me presume they are hiding horrors, whatever their costs and Wilson's marketing clout. Here we have a reviewer to whom I'll give credit he actually hears the effect of a quarter inch move while obsessing, elsewhere we have an audiophile oriented website's founder proudly claiming that he uses Digital Room Correction to "enjoy" best his Wilson speakers with an absurd flat within 2 dB up to 20 000 Hz frequency response : I definitely suspect anechoic responses at 0 30 45 ° for Wilson speakers would show horrors. BTW such anechoic responses at 0 30 45 ° for any speaker reviewed would be welcome

When a company, or individual, strives to take a product or accomplishment out to that nth degree and explore what may seem impossible possibilities, that is the drive which has become the hallmark of "Made in the USA", and is what all of us are trying to embrace. In high performance auto racing the teams that pay attention to the smallest details realize the win, or finish near the top and separates them from the "also rans".

Through the years I have experienced exceptional sound so few times when a speaker is truly locked in with the room. It was not knowing that part being the reason for it which proved so vexing to me over the years. Once you experience that sound you never forget it and the chase is on. As speaker-room interactions become more understood, the solutions to overcome those limitations become more involved and exacting.

My last set of speakers, which the dealer set up, were great speakers. They became exceptional only when I discovered, by happenstance 2-years later, tilting them forward by a fraction of an inch locked everything into place giving me exactly what I had been searching for. In the meantime, I have tried so many other components with these speakers trying to capture exactly what I had accomplished - that magic. Yes, with any speaker music can be played back and enjoyed. It's when the set-up has been dialed-in so precisely that the experience of a well-made live recording can truly be realized. The sounds of the room reflection and refraction the microphones were able to pick up only then can fully convey that feeling of being a part of that event. That slight adjustment of my speakers took place only after I had ordered a pair of SabrinaX speakers many weeks earlier.

When the dealer delivered the SabrinaX's a few days ago, they admitted having learned so much on speaker placement and room interactions since the last time. I witnessed that knowledge firsthand; seeing and hearing the results of each painstaking adjustment. The end result is an absolutely arresting musical experience. And that with a vintage 40-year old amplifier. They will return in another month to adjust and more finely tune the placement to my hearing once I have time to get better acquainted.

No matter how little, or how much, of your long green you have spent, or plan on spending for speakers, take the time necessary to properly (re)position them. More so if your listening room is multi-purpose or less than ideal. Those fractions of an inch might just yield a rich experience waiting to be unlocked for those patient enough to do so.

I wish I had known about this years ago and wasn't so dismissive of it when I did know. I didn't believe it, nor invest the time to try it. It would have saved me a small mint chasing the seeming madness this audiophile pursuit can result in.

Take the time and start off with the speakers. Then kick back, relax, and float downstream.

Best regards to all.

Next time the dealer come, ask them to perform a measurement and check how it fits Dr Floyd Toole's recommendation : "If you measure such a curve in your room, you can take credit for selecting excellent loudspeakers. If not, it is likely that your loudspeakers have frequency response or directivity irregularities. Equalization can address frequency response issues, but cannot fix directivity issues. Consider getting better loudspeakers." (The curve is my avatar) Of course, DSP equalisation is probably required below #300 Hz and the bass response should be extended and you should have at hand a mean (Tone control, family of DSP...) to tune the bass response below and above the curve, depending on the source