Wilson Benesch Act User manual

WILSON BENESCH
Loudspeakers
The Act One
All invention is simply an extension of man
In the case of so many Wilson Benesch products the or anic forms are a clear
manifestation of this philosophy. As the key structures are based upon carbon, the links
between invention and man become not only aesthetic, but also material based as, of
course, we are all carbon based. Materials technolo y is one aspect of the innovation that
has been brou ht to the domestic audio market by Wilson Benesch. In a comparatively
brief time the company has established itself throu hout the world and can be proud of
its achievements.
Wilson Benesch loudspeakers design philosophy
All Wilson Benesch loudspeakers achieve a natural presentation and hi h diffraction of
radiated sound primarily because of two important reasons:
1) Their unique shape
2) The unique materials from which they are assembled
Wilson Benesch was the first company in the world to launch a curved profile
floor standin loudspeaker. Curves are an essential aspect in acoustic desi ns and
are found throu hout the turntable. Consider the Sydney Opera house, in fact all
natural forms are typically curved, crystals bein perhaps the exception to the
rule. We incorporate curves wherever possible, in our furniture, our cartrid e
structures and, most importantly of course, in our loudspeakers. Our ability to
brin completely new advanced materials technolo y to the market is now well
known. We have exploited the virtues of advanced composite technolo y
structures includin carbon fibre based composites since 1990. All Wilson
Benesch drive units benefit from the isotactic compacted polymer diaphram
developed for the State of the Art technolo y Tactic® drive unit. In the Orator
and Actor we developed a new structure that is wood based and is despite its
relatively low cost very similar to a composite carbon fibre structure. The hi hly
successful ran e of hi h performance, hand built, functional, up radeable
furniture is quite different from anythin to be found in the World. Later in this
booklet it can be seen that the same fundamental principles that our desi ns are
based on can be applied to the listenin room also. The contribution of the
listenin room is of course very important and an understandin of the way in
which your room works with, or a ainst the rest of the audio system will assist in
realisin its maximum potential.

WILSON BENESCH A.C.T. ONE LOUDSPEAKER SETTING UP
INSTRUCTIONS
Important Points before Setting up
Carefully remove all packa in to ain access to the enclosures. Durin installation it is
helpful to have some one to assist as the speakers are quite heavy. Remove the tools and
spikes which are packa ed separately. Please take a little time to read the rest of this
booklet before you be in settin up the system. You are advised to retain all packa in as
lon as possible or indefinitely as it is essential for shippin the system safely.
Patient and careful settin is essential to obtainin the maximum performance from this
system.
Note well the PRECAUTIONS stated below.
Location
The speakers are desi ned to operate in free space away from reflective rear boundaries
which will increase the low frequency output of the speakers at certain frequencies,
predominantly in the lower frequencies of the audio ran e. Rooms exert a considerable
influence on the performance of loudspeakers and listenin tests with a variety of
different music is very important. We would su est that the speakers be placed as far
apart as possible to be in with a toe in an le of about thirty de rees pointin at the
listener.
Spikes
The Spikes that have been specifically desi ned for the A.C.T. One Loudspeakers should
be treated with caution. Turned from tool steel which is very hard they are very sharp
and can easily inflict a severe wound to the unsuspectin and careless. When settin up
the speakers it is a ood idea to leave the spikes off the speakers until the correct position
for their operation has been found.
PRECAUTION : WHEN LAYING THE SPEAKER ON ITS SIDE, ENSURE THE
SURFACE HAS NO SHARP PROTRUSIONS WHICH WILL SCRATCH THE
HIGH QUALITY SURFACES OF THE ENCLOSURE.
When the position has been identified throu h listenin tests, tape can be used to mark
the location of the speakers prior to movin to one side to install the spikes. The vertical
attitude of the speaker can be varied. The position of the tweeter has been desi ned to
function best for listeners seated in conventional relaxed seatin positions. If required for
other situations such as listeners on hi her seatin or standin the speakers can be tilted
back so as to fire the tweeter upwards.
The spikes are manufactured by Wilson Benesch and have been en ineered to
uncommonly hi h standards. They must be nipped up with the spanner provided in
order for them to function properly. Do not under any circumstances apply a reat deal
of force as this may relieve the front spike boss from the M.D.F. base. The rear spike
extensions will withstand hi her loads but it is simply not necessary.

Terminals
PRECAUTION: DO NOT OVER STRAIN THE TERMINAL WHEN CLAMPING
CABLES.
(Wilson Benesch recommend 8mm Rin Connector cable terminations)
The Terminals have a crucial role to play which must be executed reliably over lon
periods of time. Wilson Benesch terminals are a piece of industrial desi n. Their ele ance
is born of simplicity and they achieve their purpose without compromise. They were
desi ned by Wilson Benesch in order to achieve the level of performance required by the
advanced desi n of which they form an important part. They provide the shortest
possible route for the si nal and in this aspect they out perform all other terminals
currently available. They are turned from a sin le bar of hi h purity copper alloy and
exploit the common nut to ensure a reliable, vibration free termination of the cable to a
massive surface area, old plated of course. Exploit ood quality 8mm diameter rin
connectors and you will achieve the best possible link. You can be sure that this
inexpensive nut will be just as ti ht today as it will tomorrow or the next year, and once
locked you can for et about it. An out of si ht, peace of mind cable terminations. A
spanner is provided to nip up the old plated brass nuts but be careful; copper is a soft
material.
Banana plu s can also be used, however, the quality of connection achieved with a
banana plu will always be inferior to that of a correctly clamped rin terminal. A plate is
provided for use with less than tri - wirin . This plate can also facilitate sin le or bi-
wirin accordin to how it is used. It should be clamped between the terminals and the
nuts when in use.
Running In
Like anythin of ood quality, a period of runnin in tends to see improvements in
performance. The speaker cabinet requires time to settle in to its surroundin s. Climatic
variations and humidity will take time to adjust to, and until such adjustments have been
made the speaker will not perform at its best. The drivers require time to bed in
physically and relax materially. The carbon panels actually improve in structural inte rity
as they a e. The quality of the sound that you hear when you first use your A.C.T. Ones
will improve quite si nificantly over time thou h the chan e will not be instantly
perceptible.
Surface Finish
Carbon fibre is a unique material with unusual physical and visual characteristics. We like
to remain truthful about the fibrous nature of the material as opposed to concealin or
obscurin it. It should be appreciated that whilst we take every effort to produce
absolutely perfect panels, the occurrence of sli ht distortions in the fabric is inevitable.
This phenomenon is virtually impossible to control and is a natural characteristic of the
material.
The natural wood components are manufactured from solid wood. They will darken over
time and dependin on the climatic and heatin conditions will stress relieve. This is a
natural phenomenon that may cause sli ht chan es in the dimensions of the wood. These
are typically imperceptible.

The surface finishes applied to the A.C.T. One Loudspeakers do not require anythin
other than the occasional dustin . Treat the driver cones with respect and they will last a
decade with relative ease.
The appearance of stains as a result of the inconsiderate placin of a lass is of course
impossible.
With a little care the speakers will look as ood in ten years as they do today and will
probably sound even better!
Other Adjustments
Under no circumstance should you make any adjustments to the systems parts. Any
adjustments not described above as required by the settin up procedure will nullify all
uarantees.
Should there be any question re ardin the performance of this system you should refer
to your dealer immediately for advice and or assistance. If in the unlikely event that the
problem cannot be dealt with by your dealer, do not under any circumstances return the
oods to Wilson Benesch without prior consultation with Wilson Benesch. Wilson
Benesch will not accept any liability for costs incurred by the owner for oods returned
without prior notification throu h the dealer. Wilson Benesch will not accept
responsibility for any dama e that mi ht occur to the speakers durin shipment unless it
is by prior notice throu h the dealer.

The su ject of room acoustics
Acoustics is a complex subject and this uide should be treated for what it is, a simple
but, for some, informative uide. For a more in depth understandin you would need to
refer to a whole ran e of texts on the subject. The most important outcome of this
should be the reater appreciation of the role played by the room on the overall sound of
the audio system.
The air contained within the room is the link between the output of the loudspeaker and
your ear. How air behaves is dependent upon the attributes or character of the room. It
follows that a better understandin of basic acoustics and what facets cause the most
influence in the room will assist in makin decisions about the way in which the room
and subsequently the system can be improved.
Room types fall between two extremes. A room can be “dead” (full of highly energy
absorbent materials and complex diffusing structures) on the one hand, or very “lively” ( few
absorbent surfaces and a high proportion of very reflective hard non absorbent surfaces) on the other.
As so often is the case, a balance of materials is commonly preferable to one extreme or
the other. The correct balance for the end user is the oal.
Room attri utes which can e changed easily
The contents of the room impact upon the overall acoustic character of the room. As
you would expect hard surfaces like lass and concrete tend to reflect a broad band of
acoustic ener y. Complimentary materials that are soft and thick in section such as heavy
natural fibre curtains will tend to absorb a broad band of frequencies.
Room attri utes that require more consideration
The other important factor is room dimensions shape and substantial internal structures
within the room.
hat are Standing waves?
Soundwaves reflectin between two parallel walls set up resonance modes when :-
One-half, or a whole multiple of one-half, the wavelength of the sound wave is
equal to the distance etween the walls.
These resonance modes are referred to as “standing waves”. In loudspeakers with
parallel walls these waves will cause distortions. The standin waves in your room will
distort the reproduction of your system sympathetically boostin certain frequencies.
If a certain standin wave frequency is acoustically isolated from its modal nei hbors, its
effect is more likely to be audible and problematic. This can compromise the accuracy of
any loudspeaker.
To analyse your room for standin waves we would recommend that you work upto
about 300 Hz. Beyond this point they become less relevant and difficult to perceive.
Any standin wave below 300 Hz is detectable and should they combine sympathetically
the result will be a lumpin to ether and this is very undesirable. Evenly distributed
modes are the oal.

Characterising the room.
Characterisin the behaviour of the room is the first step towards your understandin of
your listenin room’s contribution to the audio system. Follow the simple procedure
below to obtain a better understandin where chan es could be made in order realise
improvements.
1. Record data of the room dimensions onto a simple floor plan. Graph paper can assist
you with this.
2. Apply the data (dimensions) to the formula
3. Make a record of the predicted standin wave frequency characteristic for each
parallel wall dimension of the room.
4. Verify your predictions usin the Wilson Benesch test CD which has a number of
fixed frequency tests and swept frequencies. Use these to verify and back up your
prdictions.
Note 1 bi differences in percieved and calculated values will indicate an error
Note 2 If the predicted frequency matches with the perceptible increase in output in the
room this has verified your prediction.
Note 3 The listenin tests should be taken whilst seated in the main listenin position.
Evaluate the data and look for errors.
5. Assess whether chan es should be made and what can be chan ed in order to
overcome any dramatic and clearly in accurate increase in sound pressure levels.
Middle and Hi h Frequency Room Characteristics
The middle and hi h frequncies are affected more by room contents rather than room
shape. The “sound” of a room is described by the surfaces and how they reflect, a sor
or diffuse the acoustic ener y. Like all ener y acoustic ener y cannot be destroyed it can
only be converted into somethin else or refected. The shape of the surface will
determine how it is reflected and the material will determine whether it is absorbed. All
rooms have a particular sound and to appreciate what influences are present in your
room you should be aware of how the objects in your room will respond to sound.
Sound waves behave in the same way as li ht waves or "rays" and so ima ine the driver
to be a flood li ht.
Reflection: acoustic ener y is not converted but reflected in an orderly, predictable
fashion.
Diffusion: acoustic ener y is dispersed in a random and or disordered fashion.
A sorption: acoustic ener y is converted into kinetic ener y or heat. All or a majority of
the sound ener y is "soaked up" or disposed of by the object surface or room boundary.

Loudspeaker positioning.
There is no objective criteria that can be used to state precisely where loudspeakers
should be positioned. Should any individual or company su est that there is, they
should be re arded as special people and treated with a reat deal of caution. In the
lobal scenario our loudspeakers are driven by unique systems that are selected by the
owner because of particular virtues. Every listenin room is as individual and unique in
character as the owner. Compound this complex picture with the combination of
different equipment Consider the chan eability of rooms, if the room is dressed with
heavy curtains simply chan in the curtains position can alter the whole balance of the
system. The only rule is that there are no rules. Like producin ood wine it is the oal
that is the only uide. The owner is the pivot in this subtle balancin act.
The oal of hi h performance audio systems is accurate reproduction. The information
be it in roove or pit form should be transcribed, amplified and converted back into
sound ener y without the additional views of the audio equipment desi ner bein
combined with that translation process.
When one considers this and finally that what one actually hears is a unique experience
and subject to the realms of subjective evaluation It is for these reasons that when
makin recommendations about positionin loudspeakers it is only possible for very
eneral advice to be iven.
In order to make the task of positionin the loudspeakers less complex we would like to
make the followin su estions. That most valuable commodity time is the most
important in redient in this process. Be prepared to make small chan es over lon er
periods of time.
Chose four musical passa es that you are familiar with that can fulfill the followin tests.
They should all be stereo recordin s.
Select one with a distinctive and easily heard human voice. Spoken voice is ideal.
Select one passa e with a full orchestra like The Pines of Rome.
Select one that is very emotional for you.
Select one that has a stron rhythm as in the case of dance music.
You should appraise the performance of the loudspeakers accordin to
your needs
based upon the tests above.

WILSON BENESCH
A.C.T. ONE LOUDSPEAKER.
SPECIFICATION.
DESCRIPTION:
ADVANCED COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY, LOUDSPEAKER.
TYPE:
FREE SPACE FLOOR STANDING.
RANGE:
FULL FREQUENCY;
30 Hz TO 0 KHz. +/- .5 dB 40 Hz TO 0kHZ.
IMP LOADING:
6 OHMS NOMINAL, 4.5 OHM MINIMUM. WITHIN 1-3 OHMS TOLERANCE 50 Hz TO
0KHz.
SENSITIVITY:
89dB / WATT, .83 v INPUT.
LOW FREQ LOADING:
BESSEL ALIGNMENT OF FOURTH ORDER REFLEX, DOUBLE CHAMBER
DIFFERENTIAL TUNING
CROSSOVER:
MINIMUM PHASE, PRIMARILY LOW ORDER 6dB / OCTAVE , SHORT SIGNAL PATH.
AIR CORE INDUCTORS, SELECTED POLYPROPYLENE CAPACITORS.
BASS DRIVER:
WILSON BENESCH DRIVE UNIT.
BASS-MID DRIVER:
WILSON BENESCH DRIVE UNIT.
TREBLE DRIVER:
WILSON BENESCH DRIVE UNIT.
INTERNAL WIRING:
MULTI STRAND SILVER PLATED STRANDED COPPER, TEFLON JACKET.
INPUT:
TRI AND BI WIREABLE.
POWER HANDLING:
00 w PEAK UNCLIPPED PROGRAMME.
MAXIMUM LEVEL:
11 dB AT 1 METRE.
INTERNAL VOLUME:
APPROX 39 LITRES.
SIZE:
HEIGHT: 1000 mm.
WIDTH: 30 mm.
DEPTH: 370 mm
WEIGHT: APPROX 48 Kg.
© Copyright Wilson Benesch Ltd All rights reserved 1999