While I’ve never been easily seduced by the outward appearance of audio equipment, I do sometimes wish that gear could look as exciting as it sounds. In the case of my Wilson Sasha 2s, I admired their high-gloss, auto-grade finish and the architectural angles of the adjustable head unit, but my safe color choice -- what is, essentially, Toyota gray -- never impressed many visitors. So when I had unpacked and removed the protective plastic surrounding the Crimson Satin finish of the new Sasha V speakers, my wife’s reaction caught me off guard. Instead of the shoulder shrug I was expecting, she stood there a moment and said, “Wow. Very nice. Can I touch one?” And that was a question that I would hear repeatedly when visitors first encountered these speakers. Photographs don’t really capture how the satin finish absorbs and reflects light throughout the day, moving from an iridescent metallic matte red in the morning sun to a warm, ruby glow under evening lamps. I’ve never owned audio equipment that drew people in so quickly and inspired so much curiosity.

During the initial positioning process, with transport casters still attached, the Sasha V occupies a footprint very similar to that of Sasha 2. A closer examination of the measurements reveals that while the Sasha V’s 45 1/8" height is about an inch shorter than the Sasha 2's, the Sasha V is 38 pounds heavier (245 pounds) and an inch deeper (23 5/16") than the Sasha 2. The two speakers’ 14 1/2" width is identical.

As for specifications, there are a few notable distinctions between the two models. In terms of sensitivity, the Sasha 2 boasts a higher rating of 92dB compared to the Sasha V’s 88dB figure. However, this is at 1kHz, where the Sasha 2 has a bump in its response. The average overall sensitivity is essentially the same for both models. When it comes to nominal impedance, both speakers share a 4-ohm rating, but the Sasha 2 reaches a minimum impedance of 2.17 ohms at 90Hz, while the Sasha V hits a minimum of 2.36 ohms at 82Hz. Moreover, the Sasha 2 has a minimum amplifier power requirement of 20Wpc, whereas the Sasha V demands a slightly higher 25Wpc. These are slight differences indicative of a change in model, not in design philosophy.

What may account for some of the Sasha V's increased heft and new specs is a considerable array of technological innovations that have resulted in sound that defied my preconceptions of what box speakers of this size are capable of delivering -- and that’s after spending nearly a decade listening to Wilson’s outstanding Sasha 2. Clearly, Daryl Wilson, the company’s chief designer and CEO, has not been satisfied with merely riding the coattails of his late father, David, who co-founded the company with Daryl’s mother, Sheryl Lee, fifty years ago in the garage of their home. While David Wilson has been gone for nearly six years now, the Sasha V is solid evidence that his Daryl's desire to innovate, relentlessly pursue quality control and push the envelope of accurate sound reproduction are part of a value system that fuels the Wilson Audio philosophy.

First debuting in Wilson’s Chronosonic XVX, a new cabinet material, called V-Material, is used, along with the proprietary phenolic-based X-Material and epoxy-based composite S-Material that have been used in combination in the Sasha line since the debut of the Sasha 2. According to Wilson, V-Material is an advanced iteration of its vibration-and-absorption-focused X-Material and possesses a damping quality that is unique to any previous formulations. The precise ingredients of V-Material are a closely guarded secret, but Wilson would explain that it has been strategically placed in the critical interface between the Sasha V's upper module and the top of the woofer cabinet to further isolate the two units from polluting each other with spurious vibrations and resonances. X-Material is used throughout both modules to provide bracing and enclosure damping, whereas S-Material is used for midrange-driver coupling. All of these materials are combined with carbon fiber and austenitic stainless steel. It’s also worth noting that V-Material has been nested in the Sasha V’s now-standard Acoustic Diode footers, which, Wilson says, help to decouple the speakers from the floor, dramatically reducing energy transfer that can cause time smearing and shifts in tonality.

To ensure continuity throughout the speaker’s signal path, Wilson has chosen to debut its new in-house-formulated V-Cable in the Sasha V. This new cable passes signal from the input connector plate to the woofer crossover, upper-module crossover, and all drivers. Wilson Audio's knurled-grip hardware is specifically tailored to work seamlessly with the new V-Cable. According to Wilson, all of these small redesign features guarantee a better-sealed woofer cabinet and more effective management of cable slack, regardless of the alignment of the upper module.

All of Sasha V’s umbilicals are terminated with Wilson Audio spades, which are also present on all other V-series speakers. The time-alignment adjustments are facilitated by a new staircase alignment block. This is more accessible than the upper module on the Sasha 2, and it has a more streamlined two-position front-spike track, providing additional adjustment options for more precise time alignment. During setup, I noticed immediately how much less side-to-side clearance there was between the Sasha V’s head unit and bass cabinet. I suspect this tighter fit helps improve time alignment at this critical junction.

Another bit of technology that sets the Sasha V apart from all of its siblings are the capacitors used in its crossover -- an all-new copper-foil version of Wilson's proprietary AudioCapX-WA. When asked why this new capacitor wasn’t held back for introduction in a later flagship speaker, Wilson officials repeatedly cited what they call the company's “trickle forward” philosophy. Whenever a new technology is deemed ready, it will go into whatever product the company is currently designing, regardless of its status in the marketing hierarchy. According to Wilson, these copper capacitors set a new benchmark for high-frequency micro detail and significantly enhance low-level resolution, making the Sasha V more accurate than its predecessors in the Sasha line.

Wilson’s Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) tweeter, initially introduced in the Alexx V, showcases an in-house 3D-printed, carbon-fiber rear-wave chamber for improved performance over the tweeter found in the Sasha 2. Wilson calls this new chamber “cutting-edge” and claims that it ensures smoother linearity and enhances high-frequency harmonic expression. Wilson says one of the Sasha V design goals was to integrate more seamlessly the CSC tweeter with the midrange and woofers, resulting in a more musically engaging presentation.

The Sasha V incorporates Wilson Audio's 7" ALNiCo QuadraMag midrange, which made its debut in the Chronosonic XVX and is used in all other V-series speakers. With a magnet structure crafted from aluminum, nickel, and cobalt (AlNiCo), the QuadraMag was specifically designed to complement the CSC tweeter, resulting in better settling time and more realistic sound. Bass is provided by the same twin 8" paper-pulp-composite woofers originally introduced in the Sasha DAW. The bass cabinet has improved bracing and vibration damping.

No speakers should be evaluated without spending considerable time identifying their proper positions in the room. Wilson’s time-alignment-centric design requires a degree of attention I have not experienced with any other speaker. While the aforementioned structural innovations ensure that the Sasha V’s setup can be done more efficiently than was the case with my Sasha 2s, the word easy still does not apply. While Wilson’s Peter McGrath and David Ellington put the Sasha Vs through the much-written-about Wilson Audio Setup Procedure (WASP) in my room, a Wilson dealer will do this important work for owners. The company does provide videos and the carefully crafted nomograph (time-alignment charts) in the Sasha V's owner's manual to help make the process less daunting for someone not immersed in it.

While tuning the Sasha Vs in my challenging living room, McGrath referred to the dozens of 1/4" and 1/8" adjustments and cabinet leveling on my undulating suspended wooden floors as his effort to “cheat the devil.” In the case of my room, it was more like conquering many devils. For example, one speaker had to be readjusted after initial set up because my 70-year-old floors had flexed and caused it to settle out of the level position. In living rooms like mine, which has varying side-wall proximities, no acoustic treatments and a number of bass modes, the Sasha Vs will require even more meticulous attention to detail if they are to perform at their full potential. As I listened during the dialing-in process, it was clear that the differences between decent sound and exceptional sound can be measured in mere centimeters.

he Sasha V began speaking to me with their true voice after they’d been in use for a little over 250 hours. I was playing an original Sterling pressing of Paul Simon’s Hearts and Bones [Warner Brothers 23942-1] when I heard a surge in the percussive dynamics of the splashy opening cut “Allergies.” I could more distinctly hear Al DiMeola’s aggressive plectrum attacking his guitar strings during his brief, staccato solo. The smoothness of Simon’s middle-aged voice sounded richer and more sonorous than I’d heard it before. The entire album sounded alive in a way that drew me into unexplored aspects of this work. The Sasha V delivered the dynamic swings of each song so powerfully that I found myself jumping when the force of a drum fill hit my chest or the strike of a guitar chord rang out through the room. While I’ve always loved this album, the Sasha V made my list of favorite passages even longer. Recording after recording, I learned that dynamism is one of the hallmarks of the Sasha V’s sound. Whether it’s a result of the new copper-foil capacitors, improved materials, the new V-wire or a combination of all three innovations, I can't say. I only know that the Sasha V’s ability to deliver the full speed and impact of explosive musical passages continually startled me and my guests.

Along with improved dynamics, the Sasha V’s more energetic tweeter and extended midrange made passive listening difficult. Some average albums became more interesting, and listening to the great ones reminded me of reading my favorite books -- just one more chapter, one more page, and then I’ll go to bed. The addictive appeal of these speakers was on full display when I listened to an MQA stream of Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop’s Love Letter for Fire [Tidal MQA 24 bits/44kHz?]. The Sasha V elevated a very good recording to reference status. It was wonderful when played through the Sasha 2, but now the layers of Tucker Martine’s production were more easily heard. Beam and Hoop’s harmonies bristled with color and texture I’d not noticed before. I don’t know where or how the vocals were recorded, but through the Sasha V I heard a more convincing sense of space than I had during previous sessions. The echo trails lasted longer, and I was now able to hear the separation of the vocals more clearly, enabling me to fully appreciate how similar in texture the voices are. Many passages reminded me of the water-tight harmonies only heard when siblings collaborate.

In addition to the Sasha V's ability to convey more micro detail, it also revealed aspects of music that are more subjective but just as palpable. On Karen Souza’s cover of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” from her Essentials album [Tidal MQA 16 bits/44kHz], the Sasha Vs captured the slow, romantic delivery of her chesty contralto in a manner that’s reminiscent of how sensual and seductive this track sounds when delivered by a low-powered single-ended triode amp driving high-efficiency speakers. The Sasha V’s realistic presentation of the human voice, and the acoustic space in which it was recorded, makes vocal recordings feel like old friends communicating directly to me, drawing me more deeply into each performance. Put simply, the Sasha V managed to be both intellectually and musically engaging. I’ve only encountered a handful of speakers capable of achieving that.

Additionally, the bass on almost any track I auditioned sounded noticeably tighter and more textured when compared to that of the Sasha 2. This could be the result of increased cabinet volume, better damping, improved isolation courtesy of the V-Material in the new Wilson Acoustic Diodes, or all of these things. I only know that the Sasha V pressurized my room better than any speaker I’ve had in that space.

A byproduct of the Sasha V’s stunning ability to convey authentic-sounding instruments and voices is that it also does a better job of passing along the sonic traits of equipment up the chain than any speaker I’ve ever heard in my house. As a consequence, I’ve had to face up to the weaknesses and limitations of my audio system. I’m now even more aware of what might be missing, wondering how much better my system might sound if I owned a pair of ultra-powerful tube monoblocks, a top-of-the-line phono cartridge, and more stable floors -- measures that are currently out of my financial reach. I’ve also had to accept that these speakers will give me no warm, romantic hugs if those soft embraces are not already in the recordings. They won’t whisper sweet nothings in my ear, lulling me into believing that a metallic-sounding CD sounds warm and spongy. While the Sasha Vs don’t spotlight flaws, they do make it impossible for deficiencies to hide.

The upside of the Sasha V’s remarkable resolving powers are that tweaking can pay surprising dividends. This became especially apparent when I was encouraged by dCS’s John Giolas to revisit the filter, mapper and upsampling settings on the Bartók Apex DAC. While I was able to appreciate the effects of these changes when using my Sasha 2s, their impact was far more dramatic when heard through the Sasha Vs. The consequence of this is that I now swap settings more strategically, using one set for Airplay, another set for CDs and another for streaming. Additionally, I’ve always had difficulty identifying phase inversion on recordings. But with the Sasha V in place, I can more easily hear this error and quickly hit the handy phase-inversion switch on the Bartók Apex. The result is that a number of my favorite recordings are now more visceral and engaging.

n more than one occasion, visitors have referred to the Crimson Satin Sasha Vs as my “Lamborghini speakers.” While I’m no race-car driver, I do think that it’s fair to think of the Sasha V as a high-performance vehicle equipped with precision instruments that are designed to convey the most accurate and realistic sound reproduction possible. My listening sessions became longer and more engaged, the equipment and music becoming one more easily. Just as drivers talk about becoming one with the road, I regularly became lost in the music, forgetting where I began or how I got to my destination.

Regarding the price of such an experience, I’m always bemused when someone asks me whether speakers that cost as much as a luxury motorcycle, for instance, are worth the price. Given that I don’t hold a degree in macro or microeconomics, nor do I have any experience running a manufacturing business, my opinion about what constitutes a fair price should be taken with a huge grain of salt. But I do wonder why some people would be so outraged that a cutting-edge speaker that requires a team of experts to design and takes weeks to manufacture would be expensive. Rarely are these people outraged when they’re told that a high-performance motorcycle can cost $50,000. I suspect that most people who purchase Sasha Vs will be devoting significantly more time listening than they would touring the country on a Ducati. It all comes down to priorities.

For my priorities, as someone who reviews audio equipment and spends dozens of hours a week chasing after music of every kind, I’m always attracted to audio gear that tells the truth while bringing me closer to what the performers intended. That’s precisely what the Sasha V does.