Wilson Audion, CH Precision and TechDAS

A minimum impedance of just 1.9 ohms between 242Hz and 270Hz is exactly the kind of measurement that separates a serious amplifier from a merely powerful-looking one, and it's what the CH Precision M1.1 in this build has to contend with driving the Wilson Audio Alexx V, the six-decade-old company's second-largest current model. Hifiverse's own verdict on the pairing, "outstanding scene rendering," points to what happens when that current demand is properly met.

The system at a glance

Six components spanning an American flagship loudspeaker, Swiss reference electronics and a Japanese air-bearing turntable, with the Alexx V alone weighing over 200kg per side across four separate enclosures. This is a serious reference build for a listener who wants Wilson's time-aligned, adjustable-module engineering paired with electronics capable of controlling its demanding low-impedance load.

Why these components work together

The Alexx V is rated at 92dB sensitivity into a nominal 4-ohm load, but independent measurement found its actual impedance dipping to 1.9 ohms in the midbass region, a reactive load that can trip amplifiers lacking real current reserves even when their headline power figures look impressive on paper. The CH Precision M1.1 answers directly - 200 watts into 8 ohms from a fully discrete circuit topology run in pure Class A, backed by a 2,200VA transformer and a 250,000-microfarad capacitor bank, a power-supply reserve specifically engineered to sustain current delivery into this kind of demanding dip without the amplifier's own power section becoming the limiting factor. Wilson's engineering on the Alexx V is itself built around adjustability - four independently mounted enclosures, including dedicated 10.5-inch and 12.5-inch woofers originally developed for the flagship WAMM Master Chronosonic, let the upper modules be repositioned relative to the bass section to fine-tune time alignment for a specific room, a level of in-room adjustability that rewards electronics precise enough to reveal the difference proper alignment actually makes. The TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable, with a total moment of inertia of 734 kg per square centimetre thanks to its dual composite platter, gives the system an analogue source built to a comparably serious mechanical standard.

How it sounds

Hifiverse's own assessment, "a well-balanced system with outstanding scene rendering," reflects precisely what happens when an amplifier with genuine current reserves meets a loudspeaker engineered for adjustable time alignment - the Alexx V's independently positioned modules can actually deliver the micro-detail and settling speed Wilson designed them for, rather than being undermined by an amplifier straining against the speaker's demanding low-impedance dips.