WILSON AUDIO Alexia Series 2 Assembly instructions

Ta b l e o f Co n T e n T s 1
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Contents
se C T i o n 1 — Wa s P s eTuP���������������������������������������������� 5
Section 1.1—WASP ...................................................... 6
Zone of Neutrality: Left and Right Channel ........................ 6
Speaker Placement Versus Listening Position .................... 10
Speaker Orientation ......................................................... 11
se C T i o n 2 — u n C r aT i n g T h e a l e x i a ��������������������������� 15
Section 2.1—Uncrating the Alexia Series 2 ................... 16
Initial Check ................................................................... 16
Uncrating the Woofer Module ......................................... 16
Uncrating the Upper Array ............................................... 17
Section 2.2—Crate Content Checklist .......................... 19
se C T i o n 3 — a ssembling a l e x i a ������������������������������� 23
Section 3.1—Initial Assembly ...................................... 24
Preparation ................................................................... 24
Upper Array Assembly ..................................................... 24
Table of Contents

2al e x i a se r i e s 2 in s Ta l l aT i o n a n d Ca r e g u i d e
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Section 3.2—Alexia Propagation Delay Adjustment ........ 25
Room Setup ....................................................................... 25
Alignment Procedure ........................................................ 26
Section 3.3—Mounting the Upper Array ......................... 29
Materials Required ........................................................... 29
Install the Upper Array As Follows ................................... 30
Section 3.4—Tweeter Module Propagation Delay ............ 31
Section 3.5—Umbilical Connections .............................. 31
se C T i o n 4 — f i n a l s eTuP���������������������������������������������� 35
Section 4.1—Spiking the Alexia Series 2 ....................... 36
Spike Assembly .................................................................. 36
Installation Procedure ...................................................... 37
Section 4.2—Leveling the Alexia Series 2 ...................... 38
Section 4.3—Removing the Protective Film ................... 40
Section 4.4—Resistors ................................................. 41
Midrange and Tweeter Resistors ........................................ 42

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Woofer Damping Resistor ................................................ 42
se C T i o n 5 — s P e C i f i C aT i o n s ��������������������������������������� 45
Section 5.1—Specifications: ....................................... 46
Section 5.2—Graphical Dimensions ............................. 47
Section 5.3 —Alexia Series 2 Phase Curve .................... 48
Section 5.4—Alexia Series 2 Impedance Curve .............. 49
se C T i o n 6 — T i m e a lignmenT C h a r T s ����������������������� 51
Section 6.1—Time Alignment Charts ............................ 52
se C T i o n 7 — W a r r a n T y ����������������������������������������������� 55
Section 7.1—Warranty Details ................................... 56
Limited Warranty ............................................................ 56
Conditions ..................................................................... 56
Remedy ........................................................................... 57
Warranty Limited to Original Purchaser .......................... 58
Demonstration Equipment ................................................ 58
Miscellaneous ................................................................ 59

seC T i o n 1—WasP seTuP
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6al e x i a se r i e s 2 in s Ta l l aT i o n a n d Ca r e g u i d e
Section 1.1—WASP
An instructional video outlining the Wilson Audio Setup Procedure (WASP)
can be found here: wilsonaudio.com/WASP.The proper positioning of your
new Alexia Series 2 within your room is critical in order to extract its formida-
ble performance envelope. When carefully followed, the WASP has proven to be
the most effective method for setting up Wilson loudspeakers. Your authorized
Wilson dealer is trained in this process, and is the best resource for you to ensure
your loudspeakers are set up properly.
Viewing the video is the best way to learn how to properly employ WASP,
but we have also included an outline of it here.
Zone of Neutrality: Left and Right Channel
The “Zone of Neutrality” is an area in your room where the speakers will
sound most natural. This location is where the speakers interact the least with
adjacent room boundaries. It is important to have a clear working space while
determining the Zone of Neutrality.
The following is a simple method to locate the Zone of Neutrality within
your listening environment:
1. Stand against the wall BEHIND the location where you intend
to position your loudspeakers. Speaking in a moderately loud
voice and at a constant volume, project your voice out into
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the room. Your voice will have an overly heavy, “chesty” quality
because of your proximity to the rear wall.
2. While speaking, slowly move out into the room, progressing in
a direction parallel to the sidewall. It is helpful to have anoth-
er listener seated in the listening position to assist you during
this process. Listen to how your voice “frees up” from the added
bass energy imparted by the rear wall boundary. Also notice
that your voice is quite spatially diffuse (to your assistant, your
voice will sound spatially large and difficult to localize) as you
begin to ease away from the rear wall.
3. At some point during your progression forward into the room,
you will observe a sonic transition in your voice; it will sound
more tonally correct and less spatially diffuse (your assistant
can now precisely localize the exact origin of your voice). When
you hear this transition, you have entered the inner edge of
the Zone of Neutrality. Place a piece of tape on the floor to
mark this location. Although it will vary from room to room, in
most rooms the zone begins between two and a half to three
feet from the rear wall.
4. Continue to walk slowly away from the rear wall. After some
distance, usually one to two feet past the first piece of tape,
you will begin to hear your voice lose focus and appear to

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When carefully followed, the WASP has proven
to be the most effective method for setting up
Wilson loudspeakers.

seC T i o n 1 �1 —Wa s P 9
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reflect (echo) in front of you. This is caused by the return of the
room’s boundary contribution; your voice is now interacting
with the opposite wall. At the point where you begin to hear
the reflected sound of your voice, you have reached the outer
edge of the Zone of Neutrality. Place a piece of tape on the
floor and mark this location. The distance between the “inner”
and “outer” edge tape marks is usually between eight inches
(for small, interactive rooms) and three feet (for large, more
neutral rooms).
5. Now position yourself against the side wall perpendicular to
the intended speaker location. Stand between the two tape
marks. Using the same procedure as above, begin moving into
the room toward the opposite sidewall, progressing between
the two pieces of tape. As above, listen for the point in the
room where your voice transitions from bass-heavy and diffuse
to neutral. Mark this point with tape. Continue your progres-
sion until there is an obvious interaction with the opposite
wall in front of you and mark this point with tape. The four
pieces of tape now form a rectangle that establishes the Zone
of Neutrality for the loudspeaker to be installed on that side of
the room. Using the four marks as your guide, tape an outline
to define the boundaries of the rectangle.

10 al e x i a s e r i e s 2 i n s Ta l l aT i o n a n d Ca r e gu i d e
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6. Repeat this process for each speaker location individually.
These are your Zones of Neutrality, one for each channel.
Theoretically, the Zone of Neutrality for any room runs like a path, paral-
lel to the walls all around the room. Adjacent to very large windows and open
doors, the outer edge of the Zone of Neutrality moves closer to the wall and be-
comes wider. If you were to extend the inner and outer boundaries of the Zone
for the sidewalls and the front wall (behind the speakers), they would intersect.
Speaker Placement Versus Listening Position
The location of your listening position is as important as the careful setup
of your Wilson Audio loudspeakers. The listening position should ideally be no
more than 1.1 to 1.25 times the distance between the tweeters on each speaker.
Therefore, in a long, rectangular room of 12’ x 18’, if the speaker tweeters are
going to be 9’ apart, you should be sitting 9’11’’ to 11’3’’ from the speaker. This
would be more than halfway down the long axis of the room.
Many people place the speakers on one end and sit at the other end of
the room. This approach will not yield the finest sound. Carefully consider your
listening position. Our experience has shown that any listening position that
places your head closer than 14” from a wall will diminish the sonic results of
your listening due to the deleterious effects of boundary interaction.

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Speaker Orientation
Speaker placement and orientation are two of the most important considerations in obtain-
ing superior sound. The first thing you need to do is eliminate the sidewalls as a sonic influence
in your system. Speakers placed too close to the sidewalls will suffer from a strong primary reflec-
tion. This can cause out-of-phase cancellations, or comb filtering, which will cancel some frequen-
cies and change the tonal balance of the music. Adhering to the Wilson Audio Setup Procedure
outlined in the previous section is the best method with which to position your loudspeakers.
A very important aspect of speaker placement is how far from the back wall to place the

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speakers. The closer a loudspeaker is to the back wall, the more pronounced the low bass energy
and centering of the image will be. However, this comes at a definite reduction in stage size and
bloom as well as a deterioration of upper bass quality. You must find the proper balance of these
two factors, but remember, if you are partial to bass response or air and bloom, do not overcom-
pensate your adjustments to maximize these effects. Overcompensated systems are sometimes
pleasing in the short-term, but long-term satisfaction is always achieved through proper balance.
To make correct in-home set up of the Alexia Series 2 possible without test equipment, Wilson
Audio has measured the correct geometric time domain alignment for different distance/ear height

seC T i o n 1 �1 —Wa s P 13
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combinations. By measuring the distance from the speaker to your ear (mea-
sured from the bottom/front of the woofer to directly below the ear canal) when
seated in the listening position, as well as height of the listener’s ear (the dis-
tance from the floor to the center of the ear canal), you will be able to align the
system for your listening position.

seC T i o n 2—un C r aT i n g T h e al e x i a
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Note: You will have two Upper Array enclosures as well as two Woofer Mod-
ule enclosures to unpack. The two modules for each of the channels will need
to be separated into right and left channels. Clear out two spaces, one for
your left and one for your right channels. Place the ODD numbered modules
in the LEFT channel section and the EVEN in the RIGHT channel position.
Section 2.1—Uncrating the Alexia Series 2
Note: To avoid damaging the Alexia’s painted surface. Please remove any
jewelry such as rings, watches, necklaces, and bracelets during this process.
Initial Check
The Alexia Series 2 is shipped in three wooden crates. Upon receiving
these crates, please check their condition. If any of the crates are damaged,
please report it to the shipping company immediately for insurance verification.
The following items are recommended for this procedure:
• Electric Screwdriver
• Phillips head drive bit
• Masking tape (for use in speaker setup)
Uncrating the Woofer Module
A minimum of two strong adults is required to set up the Alexia Series 2.
Locate the two largest crates labeled “Alexia Lower.” These contain the woofer

seC T i o n 2 � 1— u n C r aT i n g T h e a l e x i a s e r i e s 2 17
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enclosures and are the first components of the system to unpack.
1. With the crate lid facing up, unscrew the wood screws securing
the lid. Remove the lid.
2. Carefully rotate the crate upright so that the Woofer Module
is now vertical. With the Woofer Module’s bottom toward the
floor, reach in and gently roll the Woofer Module out of the
crate, carefully, so as not to hit the Woofer Module on the crate
and scratch the paint.
3. Place the Woofer Module with an odd serial number on the left
side of the room and the Woofer Module with an even serial
number on the right side of the room.
Note: These two woofer enclosures are very heavy and care should be taken
to prevent injury. Roll the Woofer Module with drivers facing forward for
the best stability.
Uncrating the Upper Array
The Upper Arrays are contained in a single crate. Unpack the modules
using the following procedure:
4. With the crate lid facing up, unscrew the wood screws securing
the lid. Remove the lid.
5. The Upper Array crate contains this Installment and Care Guide,
the toolkit, and the spike kit. Remove these.

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You will be using tools and parts in this kit
throughout the installation process. Keep the
Alexia Series 2 toolkit at hand.

seC T i o n 2 � 2 — Cr aT e Co n T e n T Ch e C k l i s T 19
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6. Make sure the thumb bolt that secures the Tweeter is tight
before moving.
7. When removing the Upper Arrays, take care so as not to hit the
modules on the crate and scratch the paint. Using the small
shelf on the rear of the module, tilt it so there is access to the
bottom side. Slide the other hand under the Upper Array for
support, and carefully lift the enclosure out of the crate.
8. The cloth grilles are attached to the modules. Detach the
grilles from the module and remove the protective plastic cov-
ering the grill.
9. Place the Upper Array with an odd serial number on the left
side of the room and the Upper Array with an even serial num-
ber on the right side of the room.
Section 2.2—Crate Content Checklist
Now that you have unpacked your Alexia Series 2s, you can inventory all
the additional items in the crates.
Owners Manual
Product Brochure
Warranty Registration Form
Polishing Cloth
(8x) ½”-13 Spike with Nut

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Stage the Alexia Series 2 Spike kit in a convenient
location for use during the final installation.