A New Speaker, and a New Material, from Wilson Benesch
ilson Benesch's Omnium ($169,000 per pair) is a new floorstander in the company's Reference speaker range. It would be easy to assume that Omnium is just an updated replacement for the Wilson Benesch Cardinal, given the similar look and stature, but it introduces technologies (the Fibonacci tweeter and Tactic 3.0 midrange and bass drivers) first seen in the flagship Eminence loudspeaker, bringing them to a more affordable model. Indeed, on the face of it, there seems to be little that’s obviously new about the six-foot-tall, slim, boat-backed loudspeaker: the mixed-material, extruded-aluminum-and-composite cabinet, multiple drivers (half of which appear to be attached backwards), sculpted top cap, prominent "waistline," and the angular foot with its prominent adjustable feet are all established Wilson Benesch design cues. But there are two big shifts to note. Perhaps the more obvious one is that, for the first time, each cabinet actually comprises two separate parts -- which should make shipping and installation considerably easier. Having maneuvered the Eminence through various doorways, I can say that this is a change that’s as welcome as it is sensible, promising performance benefits in the shape of lower intermodulation distortion (IMD) as well as practical advantages. Unlike the more familiar arrangement of the Wilson Sasha, the top cabinet is not a "head unit" separating the midrange and treble from the bass. Instead, the midrange and treble drivers are closely coupled on the main cabinet, keeping them much closer to seated ear height. The top cabinet contains the lower midrange (thus bracketing the tweeter with the two midrange drivers) and upper-bass units, each in its own separate enclosure volume. It’s an interesting array that echoes earlier Wilson Benesch designs. The separate upper enclosure is located on three deeply seated spikes, thus ensuring that it is almost impossible to topple from the speaker, while the rear spine conceals the signal leads and terminals that connect the two cabinets. The arrangement promises improved clarity and freedom from IMD/cabinet coloration through the critical midbass/lower midrange, where so much of music’s impact and urgency are generated. It will be fascinating to compare performance to the monolithic structure of he Eminence. The really big news is the adoption of an all-new bio-composite cabinet structure, replacing the carbon-fiber/Nomex sandwich used in previous Wilson Benesch speakers. Designated ACT 3ZERO, the new material is the product of a four-year, pan-European research project with a €7.4 million budget. Based on natural fibers and a bio-resin, it uses sustainably produced raw materials and is renewable and recyclable. According to Wilson Benesch, it is also stiffer than the previous carbon-fiber composite cabinet shell, with superior self-damping, and it requires half the energy to produce. If claims that Omnium is “the first green loudspeaker” are a little ambitious (and rather undermined by its copious use of aluminum), ACT 3ZERO certainly seems to promise significant performance advantages to go with its impeccable green credentials. In keeping with its evolutionary nature, the Omnium
embodies other familiar Wilson Benesch features. The lowish 89dB sensitivity is offset to
some extent by the minimal crossover. Despite the seven drivers (three 7” low-bass
isobaric drivers, one 7” midbass, one 7” lower midrange and one 7” midrange
to go with the 1" hybrid tweeter) the isotactic polypropylene cones allow Wilson
Benesch to engineer precise mechanical rolloffs into the drive units, meaning that, in
electrical terms, this is a two-and-a-half-way speaker with low-order crossover slopes,
allowing the speaker to make the most of the driving amplifier’s power delivery and
control. The Omnium has a quoted -2dB bandwidth of 28Hz to 30KHz, so that matters. The
total weight of each Omnium is a substantial 140 kilos/310 pounds, which makes even more
sense of the two-part cabinet construction. It is available to order now, in the same
Premium Black, three wood veneers, or three colored composite panels as the rest of the
Wilson Benesch range. |
