Eminence
FLOOR STANDING LOUDSPEAKER
 
Price:
$235,000 pair
 
 
Product Features:
Standard Finishes: $235,000
Graphite Black

Bespoke Finishes: $7,400 upcharge
White Gloss, Oak Satin, Natural Cherry Satin, Zebrano Gloss,
Birdseye maple Gloss, Red Birdseye Gloss, Red Tulip Gloss,
Burr Walnut Gloss, Walnut Gloss, Ebonised Walnut Gloss

Colored Carbon Finishes: $8,100 upcharge
Enzo Red, Ettore Blue, Silverstone Grey, Champagne Gold
(other colors available at additional cost)


EMINENCE Flagship Loudspeaker
Floor Standing, 2.5-Way (10 Driver) Design

SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE – Wilson Benesch the leader
in high-performance loudspeaker design and manufacture, is
pleased to announce Eminence, the new Wilson Benesch flagship loudspeaker.
 
The new  Eminence loudspeaker builds upon the legacy of the
Cardinal and takes key technologies a step further. Eminence
introduces the Tactic 3.0 midrange and bass driver, the incredible
Fibonacci Silk-Carbon Hybrid Tweeter with a new decoupled
motor design and the new A.C.T. 3ZERO Monocoque, realising the pinnacle of  Wilson Benesch loudspeaker design and engineering.
 
Wilson Benesch Signature Technologies –  Fibonacci Tweeter

The latest iteration of Wilson Benesch tweeter technology builds upon the revolutionary Semisphere tweeter design pushing it into the next generation. The exquisite Fibonacci tweeter faceplate is
formed from a carbon fibre composite structure, creating a
geometrically optimised waveguide, tailored exactly to the unique output of the Silk-Carbon Hybrid tweeter. This faceplate and the motor is in turn decoupled from the rest of the tweeter chassis,
achieving not only ruler flat frequency response and ultrawide
dispersion characteristics but also optimal frequency and timing
integration with the Tactic 3.0 midrange drive unit. The
proprietary Neodymium magnet – open architecture precision
machined componentry ensures optimal energy paths for both
acoustic and thermal energy; critical design considerations where super low distortion levels are aspired to.

Tactic 3.0 Drive Unit

A new generation of drive unit that adheres to a steadfast design philosophy, the Tactic 3.0 drive unit retains the isotactic
polypropylene cone which offers the optimal balance of stiffness and damping. This unique blend of material properties allows
Wilson Benesch to maintain the crossover free, directly amplifier
coupled design for the midrange drive unit that has been seen in our reference loudspeaker designs to date. The direct link
maintains zero-phase distortion. It is the harmonious relationship between these two elements that opens the heart of the music,
providing the listener with a realistic, immediate, highly articulate, yet natural character of the sound. Inspired by solutions found in
nature and interpreted by Fibonacci’s formula, the new Fibonacci element results in a drive unit that produces text-book perfect roll off without any inductor, extended frequency response up to
4KHz and a flat frequency response within its operating range.
 
A.C.T. 3ZERO Monocoque Enclosure

The Eminence loudspeaker enclosure is the most advanced
Wilson Benesch enclosure ever built, taking the industry standard in terms of specific stiffness and damping into the next
generation. A proprietary new core material developed directly
from the current R&D projects in progress using FEA, increases
the stiffness to damping ratio of the A.C.T. 3ZERO Monocoque by 30%. An internal matrix of high-tensile 14mm steel ties actively
compress all the vertical structures reducing any resonant
artifacts. High-gloss 2 x 2 twill weave carbon fibre pays homage to the original Carbon-Nomex structure that Wilson Benesch
introduced to the High-End audio industry in 1989 whilst
enhancing the aesthetic of the 20-degree slope in the complex
geometric carbon fibre top.
 
Bespoke British High-End Engineering

Eminence stands boldly apart from the flat panel, wooden box
and metal alloy enclosures that are ubiquitous to loudspeaker
today. The precision CNC machined aluminium components and
high gloss A.C.T. 3ZERO Monocoque, gives Eminence a luxurious
automotive fit, finish and aesthetic. Eminence is a statement in
State-of-the-Art contemporary loudspeaker design and
engineering. No other component bears testament to this than
the Eminence foot. The largest sub-component of this complex
structure requires a quarter of a million lines of CNC code and
16-hours of machining, reducing a 100kg solid billet of aluminium by more than half, to create a single 38kg Eminence loudspeaker
foot. This formidable component governs over the energy above by way of the 14mm tie bolts that generate a metric ton of
compressive pressure. This is the foundation, ground zero and
arbiter of performance.

"The Eminence’s stunning openness and transparency through
the midrange and treble foster a powerful impression of the
speaker disappearing—of hearing the music unadulterated by the loudspeaker’s colorations. The best way to describe the Eminence is that it’s like listening to music through an open window rather
than through an electro-mechanical device. If you are looking for a reference-class loudspeaker that is based on original and
innovative thinking, one that goes beyond the status quo, and one that brings a sensational verve and life to music, the
Wilson Benesch Eminence should be on your short list.”

- Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound, June 2019


The Absolute Sound's 2019 Golden Ear Award
 
Product Specifications:
Drive Unit Technologies:
- (1) 1 inch WB Fibonacci Hybrid Tweeter
- (2) 7 inch WB Tactic 3.0 Bass High
- (1) 7 inch WB Tactic 3.0 Midrange
- (2) 7 inch WB Tactic 3.0 Bass Low
- (4) 7 inch WB Isobaric Drive System Bass Low
 
Specifications:
- Sensitivity: 89dB
- Impedance: 4.5 Ohms Nominal
- Frequency Response: 24Hz – 30KHz +/- 2dB
- Recommended Power: 100 Watts Minimum
- Dimensions: 78.3” x 11.0” x 26.8” (H x W x D)
- Weight per speaker: 320 pounds

FINISHES:
- Aerospace graphite black baffle, spine and foot
- High gloss satin weave carbon fibre cabinet
- High gloss carbon fibre top
- Bespoke side cheek options