High-end speaker brand Wilson Audio has redesigned its smallest floorstanding speaker. The Sabrina V is a new take on the original Sabrina, which was the brand's most compact and (relatively) accessible floorstander. And it offers drive units from its larger, reference-level speakers, among other improvements.
One of the main improvements is a new material for the front baffle. H-Material is similar to Wilson Audio's inflexible X-Material (used in the SabrinaX), but a little softer, which makes it more musical in the midrange.
But Wilson Audio hasn't jettisoned X-Material completely. The Sabrina V uses it in its outer panels and structural reinforcement to give the enclosure more mechanical stiffness, while also enhancing vibration control, sharpening spatial imaging and lowering the acoustic noise floor.
Just like Wilson Audio's Acoustic Diode design, the Sabrina V has the firm's V-Material in the bottom of its enclosure where the spike diode interfaces. Upgraded isolation technology and better vibration control mean even less noise from the cabinet, so you can focus on the music.
It also takes its driver technologies from other Wilson Audio speakers. The Alexx V's Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) tweeter promises an "astonishingly natural high-frequency response", while the Chronosonic XVX's midrange driver promises "greater depth and dimensionality".
Meanwhile, the same 8-inch woofer seen in the Sasha V and The WATT/Puppy should deliver a bass that's "articulate, textured and intimately tied to the rhythm of the music."
Its crossover contains Wilson Audio's uniquely wound AudioCapX-WA capacitors, which are created using the brand's custom machines and finished by hand. They promise "exceptional low-level resolution and tonal subtleties" that rivals supposedly lose.
There's also a new copper version of that capacitor – first seen in the Sasha V model – with a copper end-spray, that should improve high-frequency micro-detail and spatial clarity.
A new woofer capacitor that's "structurally aligned" with the brand's midrange capacitors should make for a seamless transition from low to mid frequencies.
Every aspect of the speaker's build has been engineered to improve the sound. The rear bass port and midrange vent have been refined to reveal deeper, more natural low frequencies, while new rear-panel resistor access makes it easier to service and tune.
The Wilson Audio Sabrina V cost £32,998 (around $44,500 / AU$65,500) per pair, and go on sale on 3rd July.
MORE:
Read our Wilson Audio SabrinaX review
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