To celebrate the company’s 25th Silver Anniversary, Wilson Benesch introduced the Circle 25 Turntable and A.C.T. 25 Tonearm to one of its longest established product lines; The Analogue Collection.
The new Circle 25 Turntable references the classic Circle Turntable that, like so many Wilson Benesch products, has stood the sternest of tests; that of time. Fifteen years on from the launch of the original Circle Turntable, Wilson Benesch has reworked many of the critical elements, vastly improving the design and breathing new life into a classic.
Since the company’s inception in 1989, Wilson Benesch has maintained an unwavering commitment to the development of analogue replay systems.
Central to our design ethos from the outset has been the concept that synergy must exist between tonearm and turntable design and that they should in fact be regarded as one system. Many reading this will appreciate the crucial importance of finding synergy in audio components and many will also appreciate that combining some of the best components, for example amplifiers and loudspeakers, does not guarantee an excellent HiFi system. It follows that components conceived and designed as one synergistic system is the optimum process through which harmony and true excellence can be achieved.
The Architects of Carbon Fibre Audio
When Wilson Benesch introduced carbon fibre into high-end audio design 25-years ago, carbon fibre was seldom seen or used in commercial products. The material was almost exclusively the preserve of the aerospace industry. However, the profile of carbon fibre was beginning to rise following the widespread application of carbon fibre technology in F1 racing.
Owing to the vast amount of materials research completed at the inception of the original Wilson Benesch business plan, our strap line, “The Future is Carbon”, recognised the potential for carbon fibre to change the way high performance systems would be manufactured and in doing so change the world as we know it, just as steel did before it. Today, as we foresaw, the application of carbon fibre has become widespread and it is reshaping some of the largest industries around the globe. Examples can be found in the aviation industry, which became the single biggest consumer of carbon fibre when the Boeing A380 went into production. We can also observe changes in the automotive industry, as the drive for cleaner, environmentally friendly hybrid and electric vehicles gathers pace, so automotive designers are turning to carbon composites. In each industry, the designers are seeking to reduce the weight, without compromising the strength and safety of the finished product. However, it is the unique stiffness and damping properties of carbon composites which Wilson Benesch exploit within audio engineering.
Wilson Benesch pioneered the use of carbon fibre in high-end audio design with the original Wilson Benesch Turntable and the A.C.T. One Tonearm. Today we remain the industry leaders in the application of this wonder material. Carbon fibre is incredibly expensive to manufacture and it requires an artisan approach in order to process / fabricate / produce consistently. These are skills which have been fostered within the company over more than two decades. In competitors’ designs, the application of carbon fibre can be recognised as a veneer to convey the ‘high-tech’ appearance, but there are actually very few designs which utilise highly engineered, geometrically optimised carbon composite structures. This includes the increasingly common single diameter carbon fibre tonearm tubes.
As in all good design, the science of geometry is the key to unlocking the full potential of this fantastic material. As the architects of carbon fibre audio, we are very proud to be associated with the analogue medium that inspired the foundation of Wilson Benesch 25-years ago. For more information about the history of the Analogue Collection please read our White Paper.
Advanced Technology meets Design Simplicity
The Circle 25 design references the classic Circle Turntable, a design which, alike to so many Wilson Benesch products, has stood the test of time. The success of the original Circle was, in part, due to the simplicity of the system which can be setup in less than one hour and will remain stable and reliable indefinitely.
The solidarity and consistency of the Circle 25 design is attained from three uni-directional, high modulus, carbon fibre cantilevers that reduce structural born resonance. The key changes to the Circle 25 design, which elevate its performance beyond that of its predecessor come in the redesigned bearing and the materials used in the Circle 25 plinth.
Circle 25 Plinth
Weighing in at a little over 3kg more than its predecessor, the Circle 25 features a materially superior plinth. Manufactured entirely in-house from a high-grade engineering homo-polymer, the new plinth is stiffer, more dense and has a superior damping coefficient to its predecessor. The result is lower signal-to-noise ratio, which improves sound-staging, imaging and the clarity of the audio presentation.
Circle 25 Bearing
The Circle 25 bearing design looks to the past to redefine the future. The original Circle bearing, is a time proven, low noise design that was at the heart of the world famous Wilson Benesch Turntable.
In the new Circle 25 bearing, the principle elements of phosphor bronze and hardened steel remain. Machined and finished in house on State-of-the-Art CNC machinery, these critical components are produced to exacting high tolerances.
The two metals have been carefully chosen to ensure that the bearing will continue to function consistently at a wide range of ambient temperatures, a critical concern where hot, humid conditions prevail.
“The undisputed master of this price point is a thirteen year old classic that once again has shown the competition the door. A future classic, and ‘The LP 12 of our time’ to put it into context. If you are looking for a really serious turntable, I know of no better in this price range or a few steps above. Highly recommended.”
– Trond Torgnesskar, Original Full Circle System Review, Fidelity Magazine, Norway, 2012
British Built and Manufactured
Of the 50+ individual components that form the Circle 25 and the new A.C.T. 25 Tonearm, a staggering 90% are manufactured in-house at Wilson Benesch from raw materials. Built from a broad range of alloys, polymers and aerospace carbon fibre, the result is a quintessentially British, hand-built turntable.
A thoroughbred classic, just got better!