What do Wilson Benesch Speakers Sound like?

DevAAudio

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Jul 25, 2018
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Thanks for the info about the WB speakers.
I am considering the ACT evo as an option for my current hunt of new pair of speakers.
But I am little hesitant because it has only one 7 inch bass driver. Which feels not justified at this price point. Should I be concrete about the dynamics, slam and how low it goes?

Hello,

I feel the ACT ONE evolution carries plenty of bass response. Too often people get caught up in the size of drivers and the numbers. So many factors play into how one perceives bass in a room. Room dimensions, room size, speaker position, and listening position are all crucial in obtaining the best sounding bass. This is why you can walk into some demonstrations featuring small bookshelf speakers and you wonder if the subwoofer is on. Also, a speaker is a sum of its parts. It's not just about one 7 inch bass drive unit. Cabinet design and cabinet volume have to be taken into consideration. By installing the Tactic II Bass Drive Unit inside the 26-litre lower enclosure of the A.C.T. One Evolution, maximum dynamics, deep powerful bass frequency response and precision are achieved.

In my opinion It's better to think about obtaining the overall sound that you want instead of focusing on the performance of individual drive units. Having said that Wilson Benesch is a pioneer in creating some of the best drivers in the industry. Everything in the geometry series is designed and is made in house. Although many of their drivers look similar across the geometry series they are all actually quite different. There are actual physical changes made to individual drive units specific to each model in the line. It's a pretty amazing level of engineering that goes into cabinet design and drive unit design to avoid complicated electrical crossovers. They are building instruments and prefer to make changes to the physical domain instead of the electrical domain (cross-over). This is more time consuming and more expensive and requires more effort on the manufacturing side of things, but ultimately allows them to produce a product that sounds more natural (in my opinion).


Here is a quote from Alan Sircom HiFi Issue 30

"I don’t want to get carried away by the bass. There is a lot more to this loudspeaker than bottom end. It’s just that the loudspeaker does bass so well, and so deep: that unbraced cabinet makes it TARDIS like and far bigger on the inside than you’d expect and that means more cabinet volume and that means more bass – but the level of control the A.C.T. One Evolution has over that bass is insane." (full review link below).
TARDIS stands for - Time And Relative Dimension In Space

http://www.wilson-benesch.com/reviews/A.C.T.-One-Evolution-HiFi+-Issue-130-Wilson-Benesch-LR.pdf

So to answer your question.... I do not believe you should be "concerned" about the bass response. But you should listen to the speaker and decide if it meets your expectations. Also, I believe in adding REL stereo subwoofers or the Wilson Benesch Torus infrasonic generators to systems for added bass extension and more clarity. I'm a believer that properly integrated stereo subwoofers are a game changer that many audiophiles have a tendency to overlook or underestimate.

Good luck on your journey and let me know if I can assist you further. Here is a youtube video of the ACT ONE's that I made. If you forward 5 minutes in you will get to the music segment. The subs were turned off during this demonstration. Enjoy!


Cheers,
Deva
 
Last edited:
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Sonic Guild

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2017
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Hello,

I feel the ACT ONE evolution carries plenty of bass response. Too often people get caught up in the size of drivers and the numbers. So many factors play into how one perceives bass in a room. Room dimensions, room size, speaker position, and listening position are all crucial in obtaining the best sounding bass. This is why you can walk into some demonstrations featuring small bookshelf speakers and you wonder if the subwoofer is on. Also, a speaker is a sum of its parts. It's not just about one 7 inch bass drive unit. Cabinet design and cabinet volume have to be taken into consideration. By installing the Tactic II Bass Drive Unit inside the 26-litre lower enclosure of the A.C.T. One Evolution, maximum dynamics, deep powerful bass frequency response and precision are achieved.

In my opinion It's better to think about obtaining the overall sound that you want instead of focusing on the performance of individual drive units. Having said that Wilson Benesch is a pioneer in creating some of the best drivers in the industry. Everything in the geometry series is designed and is made in house. Although many of their drivers look similar across the geometry series they are all actually quite different. There are actual physical changes made to individual drive units specific to each model in the line. It's a pretty amazing level of engineering that goes into cabinet design and drive unit design to avoid complicated electrical crossovers. They are building instruments and prefer to make changes to the physical domain instead of the electrical domain (cross-over). This is more time consuming and more expensive and requires more effort on the manufacturing side of things, but ultimately allows them to produce a product that sounds more natural (in my opinion).


Here is a quote from Alan Sircom HiFi Issue 30

"I don’t want to get carried away by the bass. There is a lot more to this loudspeaker than bottom end. It’s just that the loudspeaker does bass so well, and so deep: that unbraced cabinet makes it TARDIS like and far bigger on the inside than you’d expect and that means more cabinet volume and that means more bass – but the level of control the A.C.T. One Evolution has over that bass is insane." (full review link below).
TARDIS stands for - Time And Relative Dimension In Space

http://www.wilson-benesch.com/reviews/A.C.T.-One-Evolution-HiFi+-Issue-130-Wilson-Benesch-LR.pdf

So to answer your question.... I do not believe you should be "concerned" about the bass response. But you should listen to the speaker and decide if it meets your expectations. Also, I believe in adding REL stereo subwoofers or the Wilson Benesch Torus infrasonic generators to systems for added bass extension and more clarity. I'm a believer that properly integrated stereo subwoofers are a game changer that many audiophiles have a tendency to overlook or underestimate.

Good luck on your journey and let me know if I can assist you further. Here is a youtube video of the ACT ONE's that I made. If you forward 5 minutes in you will get to the music segment. The subs were turned off during this demonstration. Enjoy!


Cheers,
Deva


Thank you so much!
That was informative and enjoyable.

Will PM you
 

heihei

VIP/Donor
Jul 24, 2017
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I had a pair of Act One EVO on loan for a while, and thought the bass response very good, and in a small / medium room would be plenty. If you happen to be using a Devialet, they have a SAM program for them which improves it even further.
 

Sonic Guild

Well-Known Member
Mar 1, 2017
26
0
81
I had a pair of Act One EVO on loan for a while, and thought the bass response very good, and in a small / medium room would be plenty. If you happen to be using a Devialet, they have a SAM program for them which improves it even further.

How big is the room?
 

heihei

VIP/Donor
Jul 24, 2017
466
538
283
11m x 5.5m
 

DevAAudio

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2018
109
56
95
Wilson Benesch ACT ONE Evolution! Product feature at devAAudio. I took a lot of care in recording this. Enjoy!

I give a brief tour about the speaker and then I play a Nils Lofgren Song "Keith Don't Go" Live Acoustic Album. Enjoy! The music starts at 5:00 minutes into the video if you want to skip ahead!:)

 
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bernardl

Well-Known Member
Nov 11, 2010
57
2
81
I have been using a pair of Wilson Benesch Vector driven by a Devialet 250 Pro CI. Applying the Devialet SAM profile for the Vector I am getting a totally suitable level of bass. The treble may be the sweetest I have heard in Fact. Crystalline, defined, natural... I have listened to a pair of new Magico S1 mkII recently and frankly thought the 10 years old Vector sound overall better...

I am now replacing them with a pair of Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One Evolution P1.

As one data point, the earlier version of the Act, the C60, was chosen by a reference German magazine as the best speaker in the world. Obviously a very subjective judgement, but it should convince anyone not knowing the brand that they are among the very very best money can be buy. And the price/performance ratio is pretty much unheard of.

Cheers,
Bernard
 

DevAAudio

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2018
109
56
95
I am refreshing my store demo Wilson Benesch Resolution and Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One Evolution speakers along with many additional items currently. Details can be found here:

https://www.devaaudio.com/demo-used-items

PM me if anyone is interested.

Best,
Deva

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