AXPONA 2016 Show Report -- Audio Expo North America
Wilson Audio Alexia Floorstanding Speakers
Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Monoblock Amplifiers

   Am going to cut to the chase right up front and say this is the best i've ever heard Wilson Audio speakers sound at a show. Wilson Audio's Alexia floorstanders were paired with the powerful Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression monoblock amplifiers ($58,000 and $40,000 respectively) and this could be that magic pairing made in heaven for music lovers worldwide!

All longtime audiophiles are very familiar with Dan D'Agostino, who is one of the high-end audio industry's top amplification engineers. Sure we all know he started Krell many years ago, yet has since moved forward with Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems. Could go on and on about the stunning looks and highly powerful amplification, or the ultra-quiet phonostage, plus my love for his upcoming Streamer that is soon to reach the market, which i've been desiring ever since first seeing it about a year ago. But there's something else that brings joy to my heart.

As a high-end audio journalist, you tend to learn far more than a designer's industry accomplishments. Dan and i share many of the same life joys including exotic sports cars, fine Swiss mechanical timepieces, and at AXPONA Dan was kind enough to provide some insight into Scuba diving. Having recently moved to Florida, and thus changing from the usual Patek Philippe to Rolex Submariner as my daily beater, Dan shared with me some excellent advice about Scuba gear plus some tips on great places to dive. Seems Dan is well versed in many facets of life, as you'd expect from a genius.

Getting back to the gear, Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression mono amplifier is their largest and most powerful to date as it produces 800 watts into 8 Ohms, doubling to 1600 watts into 4 Ohms and doubling yet again to a remarkable 3200 watts into 2 Ohms! So how does it achieve this fantastic feat? Well, you use 84 output transistors, a 4000 VA power supply transformer and 400,000 microfarads of power supply storage capacitance.

Oh, and then there is the striking visuals with the centrally-located Breguet-style power meter with a 270-degree needle swing. It is driven by a high-speed ballistic circuit that enhances the meter's responsiveness. Then they flank it all with a visually pleasing venturi heatsink design that was premiered first on Momentum amplifiers. Each heatsink is milled from a single 48.5-pound block of aluminum billet. Overall weight of each mono is 150 lbs, so please have a friend help you set it up into position... unless you’re wearing a Rolex 'Hulk' green Submariner timepiece, as then you may be strong enough to... Sure i could go on (and on) yet am sure you get the idea and yes the Progression monoblock is available in silver or black finish. 

Wilson Audio is another legendary high-end audio brand, which began life with the original WATT/Puppy two-piece floorstanding speaker. Every Wilson Audio loudspeaker is time-aligned and many offer a way to adjust the tweeter/midrange driver section so it works best at your chosen listening position. Aspherical Propagation Delay you ask? Wilson Audio's Alexia provides a way to easily time align the drivers for "literally hundreds of potential listening positions, as well as rotate the drivers on their polar axes to optimize the dispersion characteristics of the midrange and tweeter for the chosen listening spot".

A pair of cone woofers, 8" and 10", are mated to a 7" cone midrange and 1" dome tweeter. Sensitivity is a good 90dB/W/m yet be aware that it present a demanding 4 Ohms (minimum 2 Ohms) load so you'll need a great power amp. This is where the magic of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems' Progression monoblock amplifiers come into play.

As for this systems sound, it was fast, clean, highly detailed without being aurally annoying or 'grinding' to my ears. Bravo! Imaging and soundscaping was top-notch, as one expects from a properly setup system that is time and phase aligned. Sure the big dynamics were easily produced, yet so were those small micro details and subtle shadings. Harmonics were natural and complimentary. Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems' Progression monoblock amplifiers as mated with Wilson Audio's Alexia have earned Enjoy the Music.com's AXPONA 2016 Top 10 Award for offering one of the most impressive sounding, ultra-high quality music reproduction systems at the show.

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