Wilson Benesch writes: “Wilson Benesch launch its new Reference Loudspeaker line at the Munich HIGH END 2022. Industry leading High-End Audio design and manufacturer Wilson Benesch launched its new ‘Fibonacci Series’ reference loudspeaker line in Munich last weekend.
Almost 3-years to the day since the last edition of the industry’s leading HIGH END Audio exhibit, Wilson Benesch Wilson Benesch presented three models from the line in three separate rooms.
The Omnium loudspeaker was presented in the main listening room in C114 Atrium 3.1. The Eminence was presented courtesy of WADAX with Audio Research amplification in room E207 – Atrium 4.1. With Discovery 3Zero showing in a third room.
The new Fibonacci Series features signature Wilson Benesch technologies such as the Tactic 3.0 Drive Unit and the Fibonacci Tweeter, the new Fibonacci Series introduces sustainable biocomposite materials technology into the high-end audio industry.
Luke Milnes, International Sales & Marketing Manager added:
“Wilson Benesch pioneered the first carbon fibre composite loudspeaker enclosure in the industry more than 30-years ago with its A.C.T. Monocoque – a dual-skin carbon fibre monocoque with a Nomex core damping structure at its centre. Until now the A.C.T. Monocoque has set the bar in terms of stiffness and damping in the audio industry. The A.C.T. 3Zero Monocoque data shows that we have now exceeded the previous generation carbon fibre monocoque, setting a new State- of-the-Art. But the significance of this development reaches well beyond pure performance. In 2022 it is also a statement about responsible product design.
In terms of product lifecycle a Wilson Benesch loudspeaker is exemplary – we still service and repair the first loudspeakers that we built-in 1991. In many instances, our products are passed through generations much like a family heirloom. So in this respect, the carbon footprint of a Wilson Benesch loudspeaker is extremely low. However, introducing naturally sourced, sustainable and renewable materials into our product designs and reducing the energy that is required to manufacture our products are vital steps for manufacturers globally and a move towards a circular green economy. The outcomes of SSUCHY are further reaching than the high-end audio industry. Through collaborative development with other industrial centres of excellence, Universities and SME’s Wilson Benesch has contributed to the development of high-performance bio-composite materials that are now being seen in automotive, architectural and other high- performance product and engineering applications – in terms of consumerism millions of such products are sold globally every year and the new biocomposite materials that we have been at the forefront in the development of move us closer to carbon zero products. This is something that I, my family and all the team at Wilson Benesch are not only extremely proud of, but it forms the inspiration for the next generation of designs that our team will introduce both in Munich and the future – The Future is Bio Composite.”
Sustainable Structural & Multifunctional Bicomposites from Hybrid Natural Fibres & Bio-Based Polymers – SSUCHY
The world’s first ‘Green Loudspeaker’ is just one of numerous deliverables that were the ambition of the pan-European SSUCHY Project which began in 2017. The European Union’s ‘Horizon 2020’ invested €7.4 million to enable 13 Universities, 4 SME’s and several Blue- Chip companies to come together, collaborate and innovate. The objective was to deliver cutting edge science and materials technologies required by the circular economy – with the mission to replace oil-based non-recyclable materials or in effect deliver next generation materials technology.
Decades of Pioneering Work
In 1994 the A.C.T. One loudspeaker disrupted the audio market. The curved carbon composite flanks, sloping top and metal baffle were radically different from the wooden enclosures of the day. The A.C.T. One loudspeaker was based upon the same honeycomb Nomex core and skins of Carbon Fibre prepreg that had been researched and used in the development of the Wilson Benesch Turntable.
In 1999, P.E.R.A. International collaborated with Wilson Benesch to enable the company to commit to investing in Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) manufacturing technologies. Wilson Benesch was one of four organisations to pioneer this process in the United Kingdom. The successful results paved the way for the development of the Odyssey Range which was launched in 2001. Thanks to continual reinvestment of profits made by the company, the move to Vacuum based systems or VRTM soon followed and in 2011 the Geometry Series was launched. Wilson Benesch’s proven track record of successful collaborative R&D project outcomes and manufacturing excellence was central to the invitation for Wilson Benesch to become a partner in the SSUCHY Project.
Next Generation Performance – “Next Generation Advanced Composite Technologies”
SSUCHY brought together scientists from across Europe who are at the very forefront of developments in their field. Together with applied engineering expertise, it has been possible to accelerate work that would have taken decades for even the largest of companies. The scientific understanding of how the materials behave at the microscopic level has been validated by measurements of the actual materials. The outcome for Wilson Benesch is the new A.C.T. 3Zero Monocoque. Wilson Benesch named the monocoque as a reference to the more than three decades since the foundation of the company and the beginning of research and development within the field of advanced composite technologies. The new A.C.T. 3Zero Monocoque is the largest single component in the Wilson Benesch loudspeaker enclosure, and it is at the heart of the new Fibonacci Series loudspeakers. During the development of the monocoque, Wilson Benesch worked closely with its project partner the FEMTO Institue in Besancon France. The FEMTO Institute would drive forward with testing and verification, with Wilson Benesch using the advanced manufacturing facilities within its factory to create new monocoques with different layups and resins before sending these back to France. The data provided independently by the FEMTO Institue shows that in terms of both stiffness and damping, the new A.C.T. 3Zero monocoque delivers significant (orders of magnitude) superior performance than the previous generation A.C.T. Monocoque.
Natural Materials, Sustainable Source & Recyclable
The A.C.T. 3Zero Monocoque is constructed from natural materials that are both renewable and sustainable. Through a collaborative effort with our partners, an exhaustive list of materials and hybridised structural layups were analysed, tested, and evaluated. The resulting biocomposite monocoque is almost entirely free of oil-based material use. Even the resin that the previous generation carbon fibre monocoque used has been replaced with a Bio-Resin.
Manufacturing is an energy intensive process, so as part of the SSUCHY Project, the manufacturing process has also been refined and optimised. Wilson Benesch’s Vacuum Resin Transfer Moulding (VRTM) manufacturing systems have been fully upgraded to the State-of-the- Art. Thanks to rigorous testing and development using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the SSUCHY Team have been able to model and determine optimal resin flow and other critical settings for the VRTM systems. This means that the new A.C.T. 3Zero Monocoque at the heart of the Omnium now requires just half the energy that was used to produce the previous generation monocoque.
Wilson Benesch Signature Technologies
Fibonacci Tweeter
In 2012, Wilson Benesch introduced the Semisphere, the world’s first hybrid tweeter dome design based on Carbon fibre. The design highlighted our understanding of composite materials technology, specifically the need for damping as well as high specific stiffness in audio structures. The latest iteration of Wilson Benesch tweeter technology builds upon the Semisphere tweeter design pushing it into the next generation. The Fibonacci tweeter faceplate is formed from a carbon fibre composite structure, creating a geometrically optimised waveguide, tailored exactly to the unique output of the Silk-Carbon
Hybrid tweeter dome. This faceplate is decoupled from the rest of the tweeter chassis and motor, achieving not only ruler-flat frequency response and ultrawide dispersion characteristics but also the optimal frequency and timing integration with the Tactic 3.0 midrange drive unit. The proprietary Neodymium magnet – open architecture precision machined componentry ensures optimal energy paths for both acoustic and thermal energy; critical design considerations where low distortion levels are aspired to.
Tactic 3.0 Drive Unit
A new generation of drive unit that adheres to a steadfast design philosophy, the Tactic 3.0 drive unit retains the isotactic polypropylene cone which offers the optimal balance of stiffness and damping. This unique blend of material properties allows Wilson Benesch to maintain the crossover free, directly amplifier coupled design for the midrange drive unit. The direct link maintains zero-phase distortion. It is the harmonious relationship between these two elements that opens the heart of the music, providing the listener with a realistic, immediate, highly articulate, yet natural character of the sound. Inspired by solutions found in nature and interpreted by Fibonacci’s formula, the new Fibonacci element results in a drive unit that produces text-book perfect roll off without any inductor, extended frequency response up to 4KHz and a linear measurement within its operating range.
Isobaric Drive System (IDS)
The principle low frequency load of the Omnium is delivered by a series of Isobaric Drive Systems. Here two drive units combine to create a clamshell formation, with one drive unit diaphragm facing the other working in a push-pull formation. The Isotactic Drive System is responsible for reproducing an incredibly tight and controlled bass response that is perfectly integrated with the midrange Tactic 3.0 drive unit.
There are no transient delays in nature. So, it should come as no surprise, that transducers that exhibit the fastest transient response come closer to reproducing natural sound more accurately. A guiding principle through more than 30-years of loudspeaker design and manufacturing has been a prioritisation of the transient performance of our loudspeaker designs and the fundamental importance that this has to their fidelity. The basic Laws of physics dictate that a large woofer will never function with the speed and dynamics of a small drive unit. Such drive units cannot accelerate or decelerate at the same speed as smaller woofers and timing and integration is central to creating natural acoustic reproduction of a live event as though it was happening before you in realtime. The step-response of the Isobaric Drive System is almost identical to that of the Tactic 3.0 midrange drive units ensuring almost perfect integration across the audio band.
Wilson Benesch’s new Fibonacci Series will present models from the new Fibonacci Series at the Munich HIGH END later this month. The models across the line are confirmed as follows:
● Discovery 3Zero – £18,995 // $32,000 // €24,990
● A.C.T. 3Zero – £31,995 // $54,000 // €42,990
● Endeavour 3Zero – £34,995 // $60,000 // €47,990
● Resolution 3Zero – £48,995 // $89,000 // €64,990
● Omnium – £98,000 // $169,000 // €129,000
● Eminence – £148,000 // $255,000 // €189,000
All pricing inclusive of tax for standard Textured Black finishing on all models.
Munich HIGH END 2022 – 19th – 22nd May 2022
● Main Presentation: Atrium 3.1 – C114 – Omnium Loudspeaker
● Partnering Electronics: Audionet Stern & Heisenberg reference
preamplifier and monoblock power amplifiers
Also Showing: Atrium 4 – E207 – Eminence Loudspeaker courtesy of WADAX