Wilson Audio Sabrina V

The Wilson Audio Sabrina is a ‘handle with care’ product for the brand. While it is not one of the company’s flagship pieces, the Sabrina floorstander is among its most popular designs. It also serves as the entry point for many music enthusiasts into the Wilson Audio ecosystem. Therefore, moving from the SabrinaX (which we tested in Issue 192) to the Wilson Audio Sabrina V floorstanding loudspeaker is arguably one of the most significant changes the brand has introduced in years. 

The Sabrina V has a substantial workload because of its design and position in the catalogue. While more premium Wilson Audio loudspeakers expect compatible high-quality partner products, the Sabrina V needs to be more flexible. The Sabrina V is never partnering with a NAD 3020 from the early 1980s. However, there’s no assurance it will match expected partner amplifiers (such as the D’Agostino Audio Pendulum tested in Issue 248). Its design also omits the adjustable midrange and tweeter pods found in larger Wilson Audio models. While this may reduce installation time, it limits the ‘dial-in’ adjustments the dealer can make within the listener’s room. Nevertheless, it’s not simply a ‘plonk down and play’ loudspeaker.

Tapered pyramid

Instead, the Sabrina V maintains the ‘tapered pyramid’ style of its predecessors. However, the Sabrina V is about an inch taller than the SabrinaX, and its lines are somehow more refined. This makes the SabrinaX appear slightly stubby and box-like. This is an interesting development because, before the Sabrina V, no one would have described the SabrinaX as ‘stubby’. But it showcases clever industrial design. That design not only changes the appearance but also provokes an ‘oh yeah…’ reaction to the previous model’s look. That said, the SabrinaX still looks good, but the Sabrina V is even more of a ‘looker’.

From SabrinaX, the Wilson Audio Sabrina V extensively uses X-Material, a proprietary high-pressure composite of mineral, polymer, carbon, and paper. However, whereas the predecessor employed X-Material for the entire enclosure and its internal cross-bracing, in Wilson Audio’s tradition of naming products after the custom composite used in the front baffle, the Sabrina V’s prow is crafted from… H-Material! 

Short for ‘Homogeneous Material’, H-Material is a consistent, high-density composite of organic and phenolic compounds. This is slightly softer than X-Material but retains its stiffness. Tests have shown that it produces a more musical midrange compared to its predecessor.

V for Victory

V-Material is not for enclosure construction. The proprietary medium is for vibration absorption, where a good cabinet substance would be vibration-transmitting. V-Material’s absorbent properties make it ideal for interfaces. However, Sabrina V still gets its suffix from the V-Material in the design. Sabrina V only uses V-Material inserts in the base of the loudspeaker. Wilson Audio calls these inserts ‘V-MCD’ or ‘V-Material Compact Discs’ (no relation). 

The use of V-Material has been a key element in the latest range of Wilson loudspeakers. This explains the ‘V’ suffix in the Alexx V (tested in Issue 218), Alexia V, Sasha V, and now Sabrina V. It was first employed between the enclosures in the Chronosonic XVX. In other models in the range, V-Material appears at the interface points connecting the drive unit modules to points and spikes within the adjustable alignment system. Those interfaces are in the floor/speaker/spike interface with an integrated loudspeaker system like Sabrina V.

This use of V-Material also allows the user to replace the already impressive spikes with Wilson’s ‘Acoustic Diode’ feet. As the ‘diode’ part of the name suggests, this £4,500 upgrade attaches to the V-MCD. It helps dissipate unwanted energy from the speaker while preventing any vibrations or feedback from the floor from reaching the cabinet. 

A coat of many colours

That enclosure is available in a wide range of colours. It features four standard ‘WilsonGloss’ colours (Galaxy Grey, Quartz, Carbon, and ‘Gregio Medio’… which I initially thought was a white wine). There are also three ‘Upgrade’ options (Ivory, Diamond Black, and Crimson Satin). Additionally, there are 19 ‘Premium and Custom’ choices and 11 Pearlescent options. You can also choose from seven grille options (including ‘none’) and have the hardware in black or natural finish.

I find that a curated selection of standard and premium colours is probably a better option than the ‘if it’s in the RAL catalogue, we can do it’ approach. Loudspeakers finished in the ‘Harvest Gold’ of a 1970s Austin Allegro will never attract a good resale price. In reality, most people tend to choose from a fairly limited palette.    

Driving home

The Sabrina V features a new set of drive units, specifically ones that are new to the Sabrina design. Wilson Audio replaced the Mk5 tweeter from the Chronosonic XVX. It now sports the newer company’s Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) design, which has a lightly doped silk dome. This tweeter was developed as part of the Alexx V project.

It’s complemented by a 7in/178mm midrange unit with a paper-pulp cone and AlNiCo (Aluminium/Nickel/Cobalt) QuadraMag motor. This is a trickle-down technology derived from the Sabrina V. The midrange driver is housed in its own enclosure, with a dedicated resistive vent. Eagle-eyed Wilson Audio enthusiasts will notice this is the only driver to increase in size. The previous model featured a 145mm midrange driver.

Next, the 8-inch/200mm paper-composite bass unit has also been added from the Wilson Audio line-up, this time from the Chronosonic XVX, and is now used in all the current floorstanding loudspeakers (except the WAMM Master Chronosonic). 

This may be a significant aspect of Wilson Audio’s brilliance. Some firms stick with the same drive units for years or even decades, while others appear to change drivers simply for variety. Here, a common theme emerges, and Sabrina V embodies the culmination of all the advancements incorporated into Wilson Audio loudspeakers over several years. Anyone who dismisses this as ‘parts bin development’ simply doesn’t appreciate the consistency it delivers.

Using new drivers – especially a larger midrange – requires a complete reworking of the crossover. Most of the circuit is in the base of the cabinet, using in-house components and featuring point-to-point wiring instead of a printed circuit board. Like its predecessor, those in-house components include the copper-wound AudioCapX-WA capacitors, now joined by the ‘Reliable Capacitors’ (Rel-Caps) used in all the company’s loudspeakers. 

Resistance is… useful

The reason I said ‘most’ of the crossover is mounted in the bass of the cabinet is that the loudspeaker now features tuning resistors mounted on the rear baffle, just above the reflex port. A set of Rel-Caps (2x 1.6Ω, in series) are used in the mid and tweeter. These act as a protection circuit and can be used by an installer to fine-tune the Sabrina V to a room. This resistor panel has been a fixture in most Wilson Audio speakers for some time, but this is the first time it’s been featured in the Sabrina.

However, most listeners will never require any fine-tuning. The provided manual guides the owner through the Wilson Audio Setup Procedure (WASP), which helps find the point where the loudspeakers interact the least with room boundaries. Nevertheless, I would argue that unless there is a very strong reason to do it yourself, this should be part of the dealer installation process. 

They will likely move loudspeakers and the listening chair to find the perfect position for both, following this surprisingly precise setup method. While not everyone who enjoys a pair of Wilson Audio speakers sticks to the WASP plan, it works… and to improve on it either requires the obsessive-compulsiveness that makes daily life almost impossible or the word ‘improvement’ gets the air-quotes treatment.

Crucial toe-in

Two things are worth noting about the setup. First, toe-in becomes crucial (and, paradoxically, with less toe-in than expected). Next, expect it to take longer than you anticipated. It’s worth it!

As is common today, it’s difficult to determine run-in times, as the loudspeakers had been played loudly and frequently before I arrived. Wilson Audio offers no firm recommendations on this matter in its literature, but the usual 100 hours of run-in is often mentioned. Fortunately, Wilson Audio loudspeakers do not undergo significant changes, so you don’t need to re-check the setup after hours of use.

Similarly, as mentioned earlier, there is considerable flexibility in choosing the equipment to power the Sabrina V. It requires high-quality (and some quantity of) amplification and matching gear; just as you wouldn’t run your new Mercedes E-Class on second-hand tyres, you probably wouldn’t pair the Sabrina V with a faulty 45-year-old power amplifier with worn-out capacitors. However, as long as the amplifier has a sufficiently ‘stiff’ power supply to handle its 2.23Ω minimum load at 121Hz, you’re all set.

Very Wilson

The Sabrina V produces some classic Wilson Audio sounds. It features that signature lively and direct treble, a strong sense of scale and deep, powerful bass. There is a broad dynamic range, combined with a fast-paced musical presentation and a constant sense of being in the midst of the musical performance. 

That distinctive sound is paradoxically both like and unlike the classic BBC tone. It resembles that timeless style in that it sometimes produces a tone that is more vibrant than the original. Piano through an LS3/5a often sounds better than an actual piano! Here, the Sabrina V quickly masters ‘Blackbird’ by Lady Blackbird [Black Acid Soul, Epic]. It makes Marley Monroe’s voice sound richer and more intimate than usual. This encourages the listener to engage with the lyrics, rather than simply letting them wash over.

Where the Sabrina V and BBC designs differ is in their level of musical excitement. The Wilson Audio Sabrina V is not an ‘excitable’ sounding loudspeaker, but if there’s even a hint of musical entertainment on the record, it will bring it to the forefront. Music is an enjoyable experience, even when it isn’t; ‘Laura’ by Bat For Lashes [The Haunted Man, Parlophone] is brooding and moody, but the expressiveness of the Sabrina V made Natasha Khan’s vocals all the more direct and plaintive. 

Listening balance

There’s a delicate balance between listening attentively and listening for enjoyment. The Sabrina V manages to cover both aspects remarkably well. On ‘Entr’acte’ [Caroline Shaw/Attacca Quartet, Orange, Nonesuch], there is a back-and-forth exchange between bowed and plucked sounds from the string quartet. It might be the subject of excessive analysis, or it can simply flow over the listener. Neither approach is correct. However, Sabrina V’s ability to follow these changes and draw you deeper into the piece’s flow is impossible to ignore.

And then there’s Björk’s frankly wild ‘Hollow (16bit remix)’ from her 2012 remix album Bastards [One Little Indian]. From the panpipes (or maybe someone blowing over beer bottles… anything’s possible on Björk’s home planet) to the dubstep-inspired deep bass tones and the fiercely shiny high end, Sabrina V excelled at every part of this wild ride of a track. And it played it loud, too!

The small room challenge

It’s easy to mistake the Wilson Audio Sabrina V for a simplified design suitable for small to medium rooms. Think of it instead as a compact Chronosonic XVX for smaller spaces. It shares the same tonality, presentation, and commanding, room-filling presence. It doesn’t reach the frequency extremes. However, in a small room, where a larger speaker would dominate and overwhelm the space, that’s a good thing. The loudspeaker’s detail, bandwidth, and headroom are only limited when directly compared with a loudspeaker costing ten times as much. However, if you focus on what remains rather than what you lose, the family resemblance between them is quite striking.

Wilson Audio’s Sabrina V acts as a perfect introduction to serious high-end loudspeakers and highlights what Wilson Audio excels at. It’s dynamic, exhilarating, expressive, and capable of filling a room with sound. It can also play loud enough to rattle the fillings of your ancestors or quietly enough for midnight listening. Whether this is the stepping stone to super-high-end audio or your first and only high-end design, the Wilson Audio Sabrina V stands tall. And even taller with those Acoustic Diode upgrades! 

Find out more about what went into the making of the Sabrina V here.

Technical specifications

• Type: Floorstanding reflex-ported loudspeaker
• Drive units: 1x 25mm doped silk fabric tweeter, 1x 178mm paper pulp composite midrange, 1x 203mm paper pulp woofer
• Enclosure type: Sealed (tweeter), rear-ported (midrange)
• Frequency Response: 27Hz-24kHz ±3dB Room Average Response
• Nominal Impedance: 4Ω
• Minimum Impedance: 2.23Ω at 121Hz
• Sensitivity: 87dB at 1W/1m/1kHz
• Minimum Amplifier Power: 50W
• Finish: Four standard WilsonGloss and three Upgrade finishes, with 19 Premium and Custom and 11 Pearlescent finishes made to order. Seven grille and two hardware options. 
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 30.5x99x39cm (without spikes)
• Weight: 55.79kg per channel
• Price: from £32,998 per pair

Manufacturer

Wilson Audio

wilsonaudio.com

UK distributor

Absolute Sounds

absolutesounds.com

+44(0)208 971 3909

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