Loudspeakers

Everywhere, from the alphabet to Roman numerals, V comes before X, so you might expect Wilson Audio’s Sabrina V to be a lesser version of the SabrinaX model [HFN Dec ’20], which was an upgrade of the original Sabrina [HFN Aug ’15]. Not so: the Sabrina V is a redesigned and rethought version of the X, with changed and improved components, sharpened up styling, and a significant price increase.

While the SabrinaX started from just under £21,500, the new Sabrina V’s ticket is heftier still, starting at £32,998. This brings the Sabrina V up against a range of mightily impressive rivals – especially when you consider that this is the company’s smallest and most affordable floorstanding model, a very long way short of flagship designs such as the Chronosonic XVX, which are comfortably in ‘POA’ territory. Fortunately – to these eyes at least – the Sabrina V, while definitely distinctive, is a lot more conventional than the sci-fi ‘Mechatron meets Transformers’ look of those top models.

Trooping the Colour

Instead, the Sabrina V’s tapered pyramid style is a little taller, more elegant and subjectively less ‘boxy’ than that of the SabrinaX. Standard ‘WilsonGloss’ colours are Galaxy Grey, Quartz and Carbon, with ‘Upgrade’ options (+5%) of Ivory, Diamond Black and Crimson Satin. There are a further 11 pearlescent colourways – from Saffron to Blue Orchid – and then a choice of custom colours from the RAL/PANTONE, etc, automotive lists at extra cost. Our Sabrina V review pair was finished in a custom Rubellite Red Metallic (a Maybach colour!) which looks like a very dark hue of cranberry and aubergine.

Under all this colour, the speaker enclosures are built using a combination of Wilson’s proprietary composite materials – mineral-loaded polymers of varying density, stiffness and damping properties. The Sabrina V still uses X-Material for the outer cabinet panels, but combines this with the slightly softer H-Material, which is said to offer better damping properties for the baffle. Meanwhile, the company’s V-Material is used for the base of the cabinet, into which the supplied spikes can be bolted (of which more later).

Sound synergy

The drivers here have all been upgraded and are now shared across various models in the Wilson range [see boxout] The tweeter is the company’s Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) design, with a lightly doped silk dome, while the midrange is a 7in/178mm unit with paper-pulp cone and AlNiCo (Aluminium/Nickel/Cobalt) QuadraMag ‘motor’, designed for ‘warmth and linearity in the all-important vocal/instrumental band’.

This midrange driver is mounted in its own enclosure, with a dedicated resistive vent, while the 8in/200mm paper-composite bass unit has also been developed not just for its light weight but also speed and agility, these last qualities being especially evident when listening to the Sabrina V.

The three-way crossover, mounted into the base of the cabinet, is another Wilson speciality, using in-house-made components, and point-to-point wiring rather than a default PCB. Notable here are the in-house ‘Reliable Capacitors’ (Rel-Caps) used in all the company’s loudspeakers, and particularly the copper-wound AudioCapX-WA capacitors, claimed to realise improved low-level resolution and tonal subtlety. Additionally, Wilson’s familiar mid/treble protection and tuning resistors are now mounted into a port at the cabinet rear, framed by a machined aluminium panel decorated with the Sabrina V logo.

Coming back to those feet, while the standard spikes supplied are of extremely high quality, their large-diameter threads are designed to make it easy for the user to substitute Wilson’s ‘Acoustic Diode’ feet if required. These use a section of V-Material between the thread bolted into the speaker cabinet and the spike itself, with the aim of dissipating unwanted energy from the speaker while stopping any vibrations from the floor going back up into the cabinet. They’re yours for £4500 for a set of eight.

V for victory
Used on the end of the dCS Varèse streamer/DAC [HFN Feb ’25] and Constellation Audio Revelation 2 [HFN Jan ’25] system in the HFN Listening Room, the Sabrina Vs proved that, despite their relatively compact dimensions – oh, all right then, they’re not huge, anyway – they can deliver a big, bold, room-filling sound without trading away any detail or definition.

From the outset, the Sabrina Vs impressed with the latest Rachel Podger/Brecon Baroque release, Just Biber [Channel Classics CCS48525] where the sound was warm and generous, but with a truly human scale. There was fine listen-in detail rather than elements being over-emphasised, and speed and attack in the playing, along with excellent tonality in the strings and continuo. The soundstaging was open and clean, relaxed but totally involving, while the tone of Podger’s violin proved nothing short of glorious.

Shoot to thrill

With larger musical forces, in this case the Vienna Philharmonic under Tugan Sokhiev on the Summer Night Concert release [Sony 19802935402, 96kHz/24-bit], the Sabrina Vs delivered a vivid sense of the weight of the orchestra, again with that unforced instrumental separation. There was also a delicious growl in the basses on the ‘Morning’ section of Grieg’s Peer Gynt. Notable too was the drive and rhythmic acuity on Strauss’s ‘Wiener Blut’ waltz which ends the programme, the dynamics thrilling as the piece builds, but with an easygoing swing and flow to the music.

A complete change to the new remix of Jethro Tull’s ‘Locomotive Breath’, from Still Living In The Past [Chrysalis 5021732368409], found the bass remaining tight, fast and extended, with excellent slam in the rhythm. The vocal here is a little recessed, but the sound was open and transparent with Steven Wilson’s 2016 remix of ‘Living In The Past’, and Ian Anderson’s flute had excellent breathiness, as one might hope.

There are times when the Sabrina Vs’ hefty bass can almost be their undoing; they just about keep under control the over-heavy lows of the extended remix of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ [Forbidden Fruit (The Age Of Consent Remixed); London Records LMS1725439], even though the mix always seems to be doing its damnedest to submerge Jimmy Somerville’s voice. And the speakers’ revealing nature proved well-suited to the live version of ‘Firth Of Fifth’ from Steve Hackett’s The Lamb Stands Up Live At The Royal Albert Hall [Inside Out Music IOM748], even if the big, spacious sound is pretty much bereft of audience ambience, save the odd polite smattering of applause. This is one of those super-precise live recordings, and while the Sabrina Vs bring out all the skill of the mix, there’s not much they can do to inject any atmosphere.

Change to another live performance from a former member of Genesis, in this case Peter Gabriel’s ‘In Your Eyes’ from In The Big Room [Real World download], and the speakers bring out the propulsive power of the rhythm section, with crisp percussion, deep bass and great backing vocals behind Gabriel’s distinctive voice. And yes, it sounds live!

Playing it cool

Give the Sabrina Vs a chill-down with the gentle beats of Azimuth’s ‘Last Summer In Rio’ [Marca Passo; Far Out Recordings download], and they reward with a gorgeously rich and detailed sound. Here the bass and drums were crisp, tight and powerful, with the guitars and keys soaring eloquently above them – ideal listening during the heatwave at the time of writing.

The speedy, extended sound of the Sabrina Vs dovetailed well with the vocals and harmonies of the Eurythmics’ ‘There Must Be An Angel’, from the 2018 edition of Be Yourself Tonight [Sony Music download], where Dave Stewart’s multilayered scoring underpins Annie Lennox’s wonderful voice. And their ability to reveal fine production elevated the ‘Mamunia’/‘No Words’/‘Picasso’s Last Words’ sequence from the 50th Anniversary release of Wings’ Band On The Run album [MPL/Apple/Capitol 5543565].

It’s all wonderfully understated musicianship, and the Sabrina Vs, fed from the high-end dCS and Constellation hardware, made it so effortless and yet captivating right through to the distant reprise of ‘Jet’ and those lush strings.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

The Sabrina Vs may not quite scale the heights of the brand’s massive flagship models, but they do still offer that same ability to communicate music that’s both new and familiar with ear-opening insight and total ease. They are also more domestically acceptable, and more affordable. Well, sort of... Just be careful with those colours: with so much choice on offer there’s a fine line between classy and truly garish!

Sound Quality: 90%