Wilson Benesch The Actor User manual

WILSON BENESCH
Loudspeakers
The Actor
Post Cubism!
The Actor Loudspeaker is a direct descendent of the radical A.C.T.
One Loudspeaker the World’s first floor standing loudspeaker to
incorporate fully cur ed panels.
The distincti e form is functional and attracti e and incorporates
many of the basic high quality components used in the A.C.T. One.
The Actor concept is quite different in many ways from the
hundreds of speakers with which it might be compared. It is hand
built from materials that are unique to Wilson Benesch loudspeakers.
The cur ed panels are a particle composite de eloped by Wilson
Benesch from the benchmark standards of the Ad anced Carbon
composite Technology panels that are used in the flagship designs.
An outline of some of the more important aspects of the design will
assist in understanding the alternati e approach to loudspeaker
design and manufacture.
The Background
High performance loudspeakers cannot ignore the importance of low
frequency information. High performance sources and amplifiers
demand good quality transducers and the range between 30 to 60
Hz represents a whole octa e of eight tones sixteen semitones etc.
This range is extremely important to the speed and neutrality of the
upper bass range and it underpins all the frequencies abo e. Some
ha e argued that in fact this range is more important than the
frequencies abo e 8 Khz, since these are all harmonics. Integrating
an accurate and musical low frequency response with an equally
impressi e mid range is a ery complex balancing act that can only
be achie ed with the ery best dri e units.

THE TWO POINT FIVE
CROSSOVER DESIGN PHILOSOPHY.
Music is in phase
, the two point fi e crosso er
design is a common philosophical link between all
Wilson Benesch Loudspeakers. We ha e repeatedly
demonstrated that the phase coherence of reproduced
sound is a critical factor in high performance audio
systems. Integrity of phase from loudspeakers is a pre
requisite of sincerity. This approach requires the ery
best components that are capable of coping with much
wider bandwidth than lesser systems could tolerate.
Hand built dri e units pro ide for the highest le els of
precision. This le el of precision allows us to realise
superior le els of performance that in turn allows us to
design the simplest of crosso er networks that deli er
in phase energy to the dri ers. These are also
manufactured by hand to obtain the shortest possible
signal path. Low grade PCB mounting systems are
a oided. The combined effect of this purist philosophy
translates into the most natural sound possible with
this design approach.
It is when the cable from the amplifier reaches the
loudspeaker that the Wilson Benesch standard of
engineering begins. Simplicity and quality is again the
order by which the signal quality is maintained.
Because we manufacture our own high quality
terminals we eliminate the superfluous. For this reason
finger tight connections are not e en possible with
Wilson Benesch terminals. This air free method of
clamping is superior to all the alternati es accepted by
the con entional design. Soldered joints are used
throughout to maintain signal integrity and only
selected audio performance components are used. This
attention to detail is e ident in all Wilson Benesch
components, It is this which makes the ultimate and
perceptible difference between Wilson Benesch
products and con entional audio products.
If its not in phase its not natural.

Wilson Benesch has ne er been associated with the simple con entional box
solution. We were the first company in the world to set the new agenda of
fully cur ed floor standing loudspeaker systems. Wilson Benesch
loudspeakers ha e ne er been constrained by con entional production
techniques. The critical point is not that we ha e assembled the cabinet to
form a structure that is almost de oid of flat resonant sections. Nor is it that
we ha e in ented a panel to imitate the characteristics of the carbon
composite structure. It isn’t the attention to detail which sees e ery line and
cur e assembled to create a isual harmony that will blend seamlessly into
the most demanding en ironments. It isn’t the low diffraction
characteristics which cause the structure to disappear without trace. It is the
fact that we ha e shown how loudspeakers can be assembled differently. It
is this that makes
the Actor such a significant product. The ubiquitous and inadequate mass
produced box is simply not acceptable.
So why do boxes fail to meet the need? Some, but by no means all of the
reasons are listed below:
• Boxes cause internal standing wa es. Standing wa es cause
increase in output at that and multiples of that frequency,
result inaccuracy.
• Boxes are made of flat panels that are easily excited into
gi ing off their own sound, result distortion, smearing,
booming, inaccuracy.
• Boxes cause se ere diffraction at the edges informing the
listener exactly where the sound is coming from.
• Large side panels are flat reflectors. The human ear can easily
detect such simple shapes. Result, the illusion of real music
is destroyed and in its place, that a erage Hi Fi sound.
Wilson Benesch speakers ne er sound like Hi Fi. Cur ed, complex
structures, unique materials technology, profiled edge and corner facets,
angled complex top plate, careful attention to porting, solidly terminated
electrical and mechanical systems all combine to pro ide the unique sound
that is beyond the reach of con ention. Wilson Benesch loudspeakers
rejoice in their lack of con ention. Their distincti e appearance e okes the
idea of fitness for purpose. In a world of banality it is a product that will
maintain its alue and be capable of impro ement. The Isotactic polymer
another World’s first from Wilson Benesch, is the first upgrade that has
become a ailable and is now fitted as standard to all our loudspeaker
systems. The ad ent of dri er production by Wilson Benesch will see other
inno ations that will pro ide further impro ements in pursuit of excellence.
We know that you ha e a choice and we would like to thank you for
in esting in a Wilson Benesch product.

The subject of room acoustics
Acoustics is a complex subject a d this text should be treated for what it is, a simple but
for some i formative guide. For a more i -depth u dersta di g you would eed to refer
to a whole ra ge of texts o the subject. The most importa t outcome of this should be
the greater appreciatio of the role played by the room o the overall sou d of the audio
system.
The air co tai ed withi the room is the li k betwee the output of the loudspeaker a d
your ear. How air behaves is depe de t upo the attributes or character of the room. It
follows that a better u dersta di g of basic acoustics a d what facets cause the most
i flue ce i the room will assist i maki g decisio s about the way i which the room
a d subseque tly the system ca be improved.
Room types fall betwee two extremes. A room ca be “dead” o the o e ha d (full of
highly e ergy absorbe t materials a d complex diffusi g structures) or very “lively” o
the other (few reflective surfaces a d a high proportio of very reflective hard o
absorbe t surfaces). As so ofte is the case, a bala ce of materials is commo ly
preferable to o e extreme or the other. The correct bala ce for the e d user is the goal.
Room attributes which can be changed easily
The co te ts of the room impact upo the overall acoustic character of the room. As
you would expect, hard surfaces like glass a d co crete te d to reflect a broad ba d of
acoustic e ergy. Complime tary materials that are soft a d thick i sectio such as heavy
atural fibre curtai s will te d to absorb a broad ba d of freque cies.
Room attributes that require more consideration
The other importa t factor is room dime sio s shape a d substa tial i ter al structures
withi the room.
What are Sta di g waves?
Sou dwaves reflecti g betwee two parallel walls set up reso a ce modes whe :-
One-half, or a whole multiple of one-half, the wavelength of the sound wave is
equal to the distance between the walls
These reso a ce modes are referred to as “standing waves” I loudspeakers with
parallel walls these waves will cause distortio s. The sta di g waves i your room will
distort the reproductio of your system sympathetically boosti g certai freque cies.
If a certai sta di g wave freque cy is acoustically isolated from its modal eighbors, its
effect is more likely to be audible a d problematic. This ca compromise the accuracy of
a y loudspeaker.
To a alyse your room for sta di g waves we would recomme d that you work upto
about 300 Hz. Beyo d this poi t they become less releva t a d difficult to perceive.
A y sta di g wave below 300 Hz is detectable a d should they combi e sympathetically
the result will be a lumpi g together a d this is very u desirable. Eve ly distributed
modes are the goal.

Characterising the room
Characterisi g the behaviour of the room is the first step towards your u dersta di g of
your liste i g room’s co tributio to the audio system. Follow the simple procedure
below to obtai a better u dersta di g where cha ges could be made i order realise
improveme ts.
1. Record data of the room dime sio s o to a simple floor pla . The graph paper ca
assist you with this.
2. Apply the data (dime sio s) to the formula
3. Make a record of the predicted sta di g wave freque cy characteristic for each
parallel wall dime sio of the room.
4. Verify your predictio s usi g the Wilso Be esch test CD which has a umber of
fixed freque cy tests a d swept freque cies. Use these to verify a d back up your
predictio s.
Note 1 big differe ces i perceived a d calculated values will i dicate a error
Note 2 If the predicted freque cy matches with the perceptible i crease i output i the
room this has verified your predictio .
Note 3 The liste i g tests should be take whilst seated i the mai liste i g positio .
Evaluate the data a d look for errors.
5. Assess whether cha ges should be made a d what ca be cha ged i order to
overcome a y dramatic a d clearly i -accurate i crease i sou d pressure levels.
Middle a d High Freque cy Room Characteristics
The middle a d high freque cies are effected more by room co te ts rather tha room
shape. The “sou d” of a room is described by the surfaces a d how they reflect, absorb
or diffuse the acoustic e ergy. Like all e ergy, acoustic e ergy ca ot be destroyed, it
ca o ly be co verted i to somethi g else or reflected. The shape of the surface will
determi e how it is reflected a d the material will determi e whether it is absorbed. All
rooms have a particular sou d, a d to appreciate what i flue ces are prese t i your
room you should be aware of how the objects i your room will respo d to sou d.
Sou d waves behave i the same way as light waves or "rays" a d so imagi e the driver
to be a flood light.
Reflection: acoustic e ergy is ot co verted but reflected i a orderly, predictable
fashio .
Diffusion: acoustic e ergy is dispersed i a ra dom a d or disordered fashio .
Absorption: acoustic e ergy is co verted i to ki etic e ergy or heat. All or a majority of
the sou d e ergy is "soaked up" or disposed of by the object surface or room bou dary.

Loudspeaker positioning
There is o objective criteria that ca be used to state precisely where loudspeakers
should be positio ed. Should a y i dividual or compa y suggest that there is, they
should be regarded as special people a d treated with a great deal of cautio . I the
global sce ario our loudspeakers are drive by u ique systems that are selected by the
ow er because of particular virtues. Every liste i g room is as i dividual a d u ique i
character as the ow er. Compou d this complex picture with the combi atio of
differe t equipme t. Co sider the cha geability of rooms, if the room is dressed with
heavy curtai s simply cha gi g the curtai s positio ca alter the whole bala ce of the
system. The o ly rule is that there are o rules. Like produci g good wi e it is the goal
that is the o ly guide. The ow er is the pivot i this subtle bala ci g act.
The goal of high performa ce audio systems is accurate reproductio . The i formatio
be it i groove or pit form should be tra scribed, amplified a d co verted back i to
sou d e ergy without the additio al views of the audio equipme t desig er bei g
combi ed with that tra slatio process.
Whe o e co siders this a d fi ally that what o e actually hears is a u ique experie ce
a d subject to the realms of subjective evaluatio It is for these reaso s that whe
maki g recomme datio s about positio i g loudspeakers it is o ly possible for very
ge eral advice to be give .
I order to make the task of positio i g the loudspeakers less complex we would like to
make the followi g suggestio s. That most valuable commodity, time, is the most
importa t i gredie t i this process. Be prepared to make small cha ges over lo ger
periods of time.
Chose four musical passages that you are familiar with that ca fulfill the followi g tests.
They should all be stereo recordi gs.
Select o e with a disti ctive a d easily heard huma voice. Spoke voice is ideal.
Select o e passage with a full orchestra like The Pi es of Rome.
Select o e that is very emotio al for you.
Select o e that has a stro g rhythm as i the case of da ce music.
You should appraise the performa ce of the loudspeakers accordi g to
your needs
based upo the tests above.

WILSON BENESCH
ACTOR LOUDSPEAKER.
SPECIFICATION.
DESCRIPTION:
FIBRE COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY, LOUDSPEAKER.
TYPE:
FREE SPACE FLOOR STANDING.
RANGE:
FULL FREQUENCY;
30 Hz TO 20 KHz. +/- 2.5 dB 40 Hz TO 20kHZ.
IMP LOADING:
6 OHMS NOMINAL, 4.5 OHM MINIMUM. WITHIN 1-3 OHMS TOLERANCE 50 Hz TO
20KHz.
SENSITIVITY:
88dB / WATT, 2.83 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:
ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE FERRITE DRIVE UNIT.
BASS-MID DRIVER:
ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE FERRITE DRIVE UNIT.
TREBLE DRIVER:
SCAN 9300.
INTERNAL WIRING:
MULTI STRAND SILVER PLATED STRANDED COPPER, TEFLON JACKET.
INPUT:
BI WIREABLE.
POWER HANDLING:
200 w PEAK UNCLIPPED PROGRAMME.
MAXIMUM LEVEL:
112 dB AT 1 METRE.
INTERNAL VOLUME:
APPROX 44 LITRES.
SIZE:
HEIGHT: 1115 mm.
WIDTH: 230 mm.
DEPTH: 370 mm
WEIGHT: APPROX 26 Kg.
©
Copyright Wilson Benesch Ltd All rights reser ed 1999
Wilson Benesch maintains an active and on going research and development program. As new technology is
realised these innovations are brought to our designs either in upgrade or in the form of new products.