Reportedly, the difference in the case of the Alexx V, where there’s significantly more cable in play, is big enough to warrant resetting the speaker balance. The other big difference with the Alexx V is that the arrangement is inverted, the glands being on the back of the modules with spades linking to the crossover terminals on the bass cabinet. It’s not a mod I’ve done with Alexx, but reports suggest that you can extract as much as a foot of extra cable from the lower midrange module! That – and the dressing of the excess cable – has a profound impact on performance, sonically equivalent to a step change in listening distance. I’m told that the conical sealing elements on the Alexx V in question were also adjustable on the cables, obviating the need for any additional sealing measures, so you’ll need to adapt your response to a given situation. With the DAWs I was happy to take the gains as they were, with no tweaking of speaker position or head-unit angle, although I suspect this will depend on individual systems and circumstances.
But the best thing of all? This tweak is free and completely reversible. If you don’t hear a difference or don’t like the difference you hear, all you need to do is remove any sealant you’ve used on the glands, reinsert the cables and tighten down the nuts. As always, you should proceed with caution, especially if the cables on your speakers are arranged/anchored differently. But the mods to my speakers are definitely staying put, allowing me to tidy up the sealant around the glands and latterly tape the nuts in place, to stop them rattling too.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, I’m sure that Wilson will be looking at the cable loom on current and future production, but for speakers already in the field, this is a step that’s seriously worth investigating.
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