Loudspeakers

In a virtual sea of loudspeakers, how does one make heads or tails of the seemingly infinite choices?

We have selected one brand, and only one brand, of loudspeaker: Wilson Benesch. Why? Because, quite simply, they are the finest we have ever heard.

Wilson Benesch speakers are the result of innovative research in both acoustics and materials engineering. Their designs have literally revolutionized the industry in driver and cabinet construction.

The lavishly praised "Tactic" driver is exclusive to Wilson Benesch loudspeakers. Designed in house, it is claimed to be the most distortion free driver on Earth. Despite the driver's relatively modest size, it is capable of deep, tight bass response.

Wilson Benesch uses aluminum, along with a carbon fibre and fiberglass composite to construct their cabinets. The ACT loudspeaker, for example, is made entirely out of metal and carbon fibre, with wood veneer applied to the top and sides to complement the sleek carbon fibre side panels. No MDF or wood is used anywhere, except as a finishing touch on the exterior. Carbon fibre is an extremely expensive material and it is challenging and costly to fabricate and manipulate. But the sonic benefits are simply staggering. Wilson Benesch cabinets are remarkably free of colorations and resonance.

Arc

The Arc may be Wilson Benesch's "entry level" model, but make no mistake: this is one amazingly good loudspeaker. One of our customers remarked, "This speaker has no business sounding so good for only $5,450 per pair." Consider that the Arc uses the same tweeter and midrange driver found in the flagship Chimera, and it becomes clear why they are such a bargain at a mere fraction of the price.

The Arc proves that looks can be deceiving, for this little stand mounted, two way monitor sounds big, full, and rich with deep, powerful bass that simply defies all logic. How can such a little speaker sound so big? At the risk of repeating ourselves, we'd like to emphasize that the use of aluminum and carbon fibre, instead of more conventional materials like MDF, makes for a more rigid cabinet that doesn't "resonate off" bass the way so many other cabinets do. Similarly the Tactic driver used is so rigid, that it produces deep bass typically associated with much larger drivers, but none of the distortion commonly attributed to them. The Arc is coherent, dynamic, effortless, and eminently musical. It is also highly efficient and can be driven easily by more modestly powered amplifiers, both tube and solid state.

The Arc's cabinet is ported on the underside. Twin ports provide a unique cabinet loading for the mid/woofer. One of the many benefits to this rather unusual porting mechanism, is that room placement is made substantially easier. Unlike rear ported speakers, the Arc's will not boom or overwhelm a room with bass because their ports are far less interactive with adjacent walls. For smaller rooms where space is at a premium, the Arc will prove vastly less troublesome than most floorstanding loudspeakers, and substantially more full range than most monitors. The Arc is an elegant design, both visually and sonically, and an unprecedented value.

Curve

Priced at $9,950/pr the Curve falls between the Arc and Discovery. The Curve provides an alternative to those stand mounted designs, boasting a more conventional cabinet of modest volume. Believe it or not, the Curve is actually shorter than the Arc. Compact it may be, but the Curve packs quite a whallop. Remarkably dynamic, uncolored, and full range, the Curve is a revelation in sound.

The Curve compares favorably to the more expensive loudspeakers in the Wilson Benesch line, offering the same holographic imaging, dynamic range, midrange purity, and natural tonality which have made the brand famous. They are not able to play as loud as their bigger brothers, nor can they produce the same depth of bass. For larger rooms, or listeners whose musical programmes require deeper bass extension, the Discovery or ACT may be a better choice. For many listeners however, the Curve is the optimal ratio of price to performance.

Using the same tweeter, and two of the same mid-woofer drivers the design mimics the more expensive ACT. Occupying less space, and costing roughly half as much, the Curve provides a taste of the ACT's performance and much of its aesthetic beauty. Available in a variety of beautiful wood veneers, the Curve is as much a piece of fine British furniture as it is a state of the art loudspeaker.

This is not another wood box stuffed with generic drivers. Proprietary materials, and engineering - both of which are the result of years of R&D - have resulted in what is arguably the best value in loudspeakers today.

The structural elements are all drawn from engineering materials more commonly seen in advanced engineering systems and include advanced composite structures, steel, Neodymium Iron Boron Motors and unique polymer diaphragms. The structural integrity of the Curve is another benchmark and provides a clarity and precision that would be impossible to achieve with conventional loudspeaker materials technology.

More than a pretty face, the Curve is genuine "trickle down" technology at its best. This is the Wilson Benesch loudspeaker for which many have eagerly been waiting.

Discovery

The Discovery is surely one of the most innovative designs ever to grace the loudspeaker industry. One could surmise as much at first glance, but upon further investigation it becomes even more apparent that the gents in Sheffield are exceedingly clever chaps. What they have done, essentially, is taken the Chimera, and "smooshed" (for lack of a better word) three quarters of the speaker into a considerably smaller stand mounted enclosure by mounting one of the Chimera's woofers on the underside of the cabinet. The result is a clever "2.5-way" design featuring the same tweeter and midrange as the Chimera, and one of its iso-baric woofers comprised of two Tactic drivers facing each other in a "clamshell" arrangement. The benefit is double the surface area, providing the depth and volume of bass only achieved from larger drivers, but the speed and articulation only possible from a smaller driver capable of starting and stopping on a dime. Like the Arc, the Discovery has two downward firing ports which facilitates easy room placement and even bass response in smaller rooms with tighter spaces.

Wilson Benesch describes the Discovery as a "Micro Floorstander" which is a curiously appropriate label. It is not a true monitor, in that the stand is physically part of the cabinet and cannot be detached. But this is merely one of the numerous advantages of the Discovery's design. With the footprint of a larger stand mounted monitor, the Discovery provides a level of performance few have ever experienced from a loudspeaker system. At $11,450 for the pair, the Discovery's will embarrass competing manufacturers' speakers costing upwards of $20,000 with aplomb.

What is it about the Discovery's that so many audio enthusiasts find completely irresistible? For one thing, these speakers truly, literally, and with no exaggeration: disappear. Play your favorite piece of music, close your eyes (heck don't even bother) and these speakers simply up and vanish. It is nothing short of remarkable, really. We defy you to point to the loudspeakers with your eyes closed. Sound emanates and oozes throughout the room. You can pinpoint individual instruments, but never the loudspeakers. They provide no clue as to their location. The Discovery's simply leave no trace of themselves, and impart no coloration. Aside from this marvelous disappearing act, the Discovery's midrange is the finest we have ever heard - period. Utterly palpable, intimate, and mouth watering it is simply the most natural sounding midrange you will encounter. These speakers will bring the listener to tears on female vocals. Try a tenor saxophone on for size, or Mahler's first symphony. These speakers transport you right into the performance space by removing all of midrange congestion we are so accustomed to hearing with conventional loudspeakers. That congestion is a major cue to our brains that we are hearing a reproduction and not a live musical event. So one can only imagine how removing it would be a nice improvement!

The bass is also deeper than on the Arc's. In general it is a fuller sound, with more "oomph" (a highly technical term) and presence, more heft and impact, and more lower frequency dynamics. Despite the added drivers, the Discovery's are equally coherent to their little brothers, and are similarly efficient. It is advisable to run a little more power into the Discovery's than the Arc's, but they do not require enormous amounts of power as do many other speakers in their price range, and most tube amplifiers are capable of driving the Discovery's without difficulty.

A.C.T.

The A.C.T. is the most outwardly conventional looking speaker Wilson Benesch makes. But ironically, under its somewhat traditional styling lies what is quite possibly the most sophisticated loudspeaker cabinet ever constructed. "There is no debate, this is quite simply the stiffest structure ever seen in any stand alone loudspeaker system," boasts the designer. Weighing in at a hair over 163 pounds (each!) these speakers mean business. Extensive use of metal and carbon fibre composites translates to rigidity, mass, and superb sound.

The A.C.T. makes several improvements to the formidable Discovery. Most obvious is the extended bass response. The A.C.T. provides deeper bass, and more of it. Not overpowering, "thumpy" bass, but rather more of the same tightly controlled, articulate, warm, tonally rich bass the Discovery provides. A standup bass has just the right amount of "wood" to it, for example. Bass dynamics are improved too. When an orchestral "hit" occurs, the A.C.T.'s can really fill throw you back into your chair and pack the appropriate sonic wallop of a live 108 piece orchestra playing full tilt boogie. And along the same lines, the maximum sound level achievable is markedly higher. You can really play unbelievably loud with the A.C.T.'s and yet it somehow never sounds loud. No strain, no pressure, no fatigue... just more music. Shostakovich would, no doubt, approve.

Sonically the A.C.T. is essentially a "more, better" version of the Discovery. At $17,250 per pair they represent just the right price performance ratio insofar as a comparison with the Discovery's is concerned. Everything the Discovery does, the A.C.T. does, a little more, and a little better. And aesthetically, the A.C.T. is downright gorgeous. The quality of the wood finish is what one would expect from an English bespoke furniture maker. Available in a variety of attractive finishes, including custom woods, the A.C.T. mixes traditional and modern: beautiful cherry, oak, or maple adjacent to carbon-fibre and fiberglass. This speaker manages to look elegant, stately, and somehow incredibly "cool" at the same time.

While the A.C.T. is a bigger loudspeaker than the Discovery, in the Wilson Benesch tradition it is ported on the underside of the cabinet. Room placement is not a problem with these speakers. They do not need an enormous room, but they will certainly fill one with sound. We generally recommend driving the A.C.T.'s with a more powerful amplifier than the Discovery's or Arc's. While they require more power than their little brothers, they are not overly power-hungry, and tubes are certainly still an option with these speakers. But because you will find yourself playing louder than you have in the past, you will want to have a larger amp behind them regardless of whether your preference is tube or solid state amplification.

Chimera

The Chiemra excels in every area. Pure mids and sweet highs, supported by deep, powerful, tight, warm, bass. Imagine a soundstage that seemingly goes on forever in all dimensions, one that pushes the walls of your room out of the way and simply fills the listening space with unfettered, impossibly dynamic sound. These speakers simply dazzle on classical music. Provided the proper recording, they evoke the same emotional response as a live orchestral performance. And despite their towering stature, they disappear impressively on jazz and vocal recordings as well. Should you feel inclined to be juvenile (a practice we encourage) and crank Pink Floyd, The Who, Led Zeppelin, or your artist of choice, you will be similarly wowed.

Wilson Benesch has constructed the Chimera in two parts: the top portion of the cabinet is essentially a modified Discovery - instead of a "clamshell" iso-baric woofer, there is only a single "ABR" driver to provide seamless transition from the midrange driver to woofers in the lower cabinet. The woofer section features two iso-baric drivers (total of four woofers). The two parts are separate, isolated cabinets and each is tuned and vented independently. The cabinet is cleverly loaded to produce gripping bass response. Lots of carbon fibre is used on this speaker: even the top cap for the monitor section is made of carbon fibre.

The Chimera's are not for everyone. For one thing they cost a cool $33,000 per pair but for another they need a little breathing room. While they do not require an enormous room, they will sound their best in a larger room. The optimal listening distance is a little farther back than for the rest of the Wilson Benesch speakers, most of which can be used in nearfield applications quite successfully. But provided a sufficiently large room the Chimera's are enormously satisfying. As for amplification, we generally prefer to drive the Chimera's with an appropriately powerful tube or solid state amplifier. Given the larger room, increased number of drivers, and exceptional performance characteristics of these speakers, the Chimera's deserve high quality amplification supported by electronics of appropriate performance.

For more information, including specifications, visit Wilson Benesch's web site: www.wilson-benesch.com