Wilson Audio Sabrina - Obsidian Black

Did the development of the Sabrina mark a departure? Did they set out to design a full-range
speaker that has the essence of the Wilson sound, at a significantly lower price? If so, Wilson has succeeded spectacularly in producing a speaker that, while of relatively modest size, indeed has all the hallmarks of the Wilson sound: wide frequency range, high resolution, real bass, a striking absence of cabinet colorations, and a particular adeptness in communicating the dynamic contrasts of live music.

Who will buy the Sabrina? Adrian Low, the owner of Audio Excellence, told me that a number of his customers who own larger Wilson speakers have moved to smaller homes and found that their Wilsons are now too big for them. Downsizing to the much smaller Sabrina would involve few or no compromises in sound quality. Another group of potential buyers are audiophiles who have long admired Wilson speakers but never been able to afford them. Finally, there are those who didn't consider themselves to be in the speaker market at all but who, on hearing the Sabrinas, said, "I've got to have these speakers!"

I'm inclining toward membership in that last group myself.

Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25.4mm) doped-silk dome tweeter, 5.7" (146.1mm) paper–pulp-cone midrange unit, 7.9" (203.2mm) paper–pulp-cone woofer. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 2.53 ohms minimum at 139Hz. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m at 1kHz. Frequency response: 31Hz–21kHz, ±3dB, Room Average Response. Minimum amplification: 50Wpc.
Dimensions: 37.6" (964.8mm) H (38.9"/998mm H with spikes) by 11.9" (304.8mm) W by 15" (385.5mm) D. Weight: 93.8 lbs (42.64kg) net each; 221.5 lbs (100.7kg) shipping per pair.
Finishes: Desert Silver, Galaxy Gray, Obsidian Black, standard; Biarritz White, Titan Red, add $1000/pair.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 0375, 0376 (listening), 0485 (measuring).
Price: $15,900/pair.