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The Wilson Benesch bank account was opened in 1989. The account opened with £10,000 and a £15,000 overdraft. This would be consumed in the first year in a Research and development project part funded by the Department of Trade and Industry who contributed £25,000. The outcome? the world's first carbon fibre sub chassis turntable. This design incorporated numerous innovative design features and although it went out of production in 1995 due to the Papst motor being made obsolete it is still a sought after design holding its price on the second hand market.
The A.C.T. One tonearm was not the first carbon fibre tonearm in the world, but it was certainly the first to fully exploit the extraordinary engineering properties of Aerospace quality, carbon fibre. By placing the fibres in a helix, the Wilson Benesch solution delivers maximum torsional stiffness, as well as maximum damping of the cartridge induced structural borne vibration. Like the turntable the other innovative features remain unique today, including the world's first three point locating, Kinematic bearing and unique counterbalance arrangement. In retrospect, one can now see how the knowledge acquired during the Turntable sub chassis and subsequently the tonearm development, gave rise to a fundamental understanding of the how sonic borne energy effects the perception of sound. It was this work that would eventually lead to the world's first curved carbon fibre loudspeaker design that would be seen for the first time in May 1995 at the Frankfurt High End Show. Analogue remains today a format of prestige and one that Wilson Benesch is delighted to be strongly associated with. We continue to use analogue recordings to voice all our loudspeakers.
Remaining with the analogue development, at this time it should of course be remembered that C.D. was in the ascendancy. "Perfect Sound Forever" was being promoted and vinyl was being presented at every opportunity as the media of the past. England's press and the majority of its dealers were totally disinterested in analogue. _In Ken Kessler's review of the Wilson Benesch turntable he remarked that someone ought to send these guys a calendar! Today the predictions that we stated in 1980 have all come to pass as we predicted. Although the first turntable is no longer in production it is one of the few audio products in the world that can be seen to have appreciated in value. Second hand units now exchange hands for more than new units sold for!
For almost five years the domestic market was completely unaware of the small company in Yorkshire that was selling 99% of its product to some of the most respected distributors in the world. However in 1996 the analogue designs collected numerous awards including Best turntable from Gramophone and HiFi News. Germany's journal Stereoplay made the system reference, and in the influential Japanese journal Stereosound it won the accolade of "Best Buy"
We could go on for ages about the innovation of this small British manufacturer. We would suggest that you make an appointment at one of our stores and experience one of the best examples of everything that is right about the British HiFi industry for youself.
