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Used pair of Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One floorstanding speakers for sale.

  • There are visible cosmetic scratches on the front and sides of the speaker cabinets on both speakers. They do not affect performance.
  • Solid carbon fiber and wood construction, great sounding speakers.
  • These are Wilson Benesch's first speakers that they manufactured and are a true high-end speaker.
  • ORIGINAL BOXES INCLUDED!

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Review from whathifi.com:

 

"Floorstanders that set a company's engineering template

 

Wilson Benesch made a splash back in 1991 with its first products, the imaginatively titled Wilson Benesch Turntable and its partnering tonearm, the A.C.T. One. Those initials stand for Advanced Composite Technology, and carbon fibre is at the heart of these products. The turntable uses the material in its sub-chassis and the arm flaunts it in a beautifully shaped armtube, the impressive rigidity, low mass and good self-damping giving them something different over rivals.

 

Even today, the use of carbon fibre is considered pretty exotic, but back then there were just three other UK companies capable of producing the composite parts: Lotus Racing and two specialists working for the Ministry of Defence. That’s quite some company for a start-up high-end hi-fi brand to keep.

 

Then, rather than following a predictable path and releasing a more affordable record playing option, Wilson Benesch introduced the A.C.T. One floorstanding speakers in 1994; they grabbed the headlines thanks to their use of curved carbon fibre flanks. The front baffle was a 10mm thick solid aluminium slab, which provided an exceptionally rigid foundation for the drive units to work from.

 

Originally, these speakers used a drive-unit complement fully sourced from Danish OEM drive unit manufacturer Scanspeak. There was the highly regarded D2905 soft-dome tweeter together with a pair of larger 17cm drivers used in mid/bass and bass roles. The mid/bass unit was ported through the rear of the cabinet, while the bass port fired downwards onto the plinth.

 

Those larger drivers used hot compacted polypropylene cones, claimed to be significantly stiffer and better damped than the standard polypropylene alternatives. These 17cm units were later swapped out for in-house engineered Tactic designs, which made a significant improvement to outright clarity and dynamics.

 

Twenty years on from launch, they still look modern, just requiring a more contemporary finish for them to pass as current. Their slim proportions are elegant, and the combination of carbon fibre, wood and metal adds up to speakers that look classy and expensive, but in an understated way.

 

Build quality remains a high point, and the cabinet feels immensely rigid and made with care. The floor spikes fitted to the Ones are considerably larger and sharper than most and will have no difficulty in getting through the thickest of carpets and on to the hard floor below. They feel properly engineered, much like the rest of this product.

 

We like that Wilson Benesch didn’t just fit a standard set of speaker terminals. Those on the A.C.T. Ones are single-wired, carefully machined and provide a good, solid contact point for our speaker cables. They’re also hidden under the plinth, which makes things neater but is a bit of a pain if you use thick, unwieldy speaker cables.

 

We ran a pair of A.C.T. Ones as our reference speakers during the early 2000s, and listening to these samples brings back good memories. In our original review we described them as pure, transparent and effortless, able to combine analysis with being musical in a way that eludes most rivals.

 

Listening to them now confirms these findings. These towers are hugely capable, even by modern standards, which is a testament to the quality of engineering involved in the original design.

 

We play Beethoven’s Piano Sonata and these speakers respond with finesse and dynamic dexterity. They define the edges of the piano notes well and have enough harmonic resolution to render individual notes convincingly. The presentation is a little richer and warmer than we remember, but convincing all the same. Their surefooted nature, delicacy and punch are readily apparent. While not the last word in rhythmic precision, they convey the changing momentum of a piece of music well, communicating the emotional content effectively."

 

Stereophile article from 2005 on the A.C.T. One: https://www.stereophile.com/thefifthelement/904fifth/index.html

Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One Floorstanding Loudspeakers

$12,995.00 Regular Price
$3,000.00Sale Price
Quantity
Only 1 left in stock

DESCRIPTION

  • ADVANCED 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: 89dB / 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: 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: 200 w PEAK UNCLIPPED PROGRAM.
  • MAXIMUM LEVEL: 112 dB AT 1 METER

SIZE

  • HEIGHT: 39.5"
  • WIDTH: 9.1"
  • DEPTH: 14.5"
  • WEIGHT: Approx 105 lbs

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