Set in the luxurious surrounds of the Bristol Palace on Rue du Faubourg St Honore, amidst the art house district of Paris. The Wilson Benesch Chimera was driven effortlessly by Goldmund electronics. The setup included the new Drive Goldmund Metis 30, the digital preamplifier Mimesis 16 and two monoblock Telos 350 power amplifiers. The listening experience was quite wonderful, one customer commented, “What could you say about the listening results? Everybody agreed, there is only one question: do you have the money or not… if you do, you buy this setup!”.

Jefferson is now a new retailer for Wilson Benesch in France, located at Belfort, with a permanent presentation of the following Wilson Benesch products: Chimera, ACT, Curve, Arc, Torus and Full Circle.

Jefferson HiFi Video
43 Grande Rue – 90160 PEROUSE
Tel : 03 84 22 22 23
Fax : 03 84 58 96 87
info@jefferson-hifi-video.fr
Jefferson HiFi Video

JFF Diffusion
info@jffdiffusion.fr
JFF Diffusion – Wilson Benesch France

The Future is Carbon

Throughout the 1960s Jarrett would become recognised as an accomplished musician and at the start of the 1970s, Jarrett started to perform with Miles Davis. He has often cited Davis as a vital influence, both musical and personal, on his own thinking about music and improvisation.

Jarrett has commented that his best performances have been when he has had only the slightest notion of what he was going to play at the next moment. He also said that most people don’t know “what he does”, which relates to what Miles Davis said to him expressing bewilderment – as to how Jarrett could “play from nothing”. What Jarrett did during his most creative solo concerts seems to have been to have put himself into a meditative ‘alterted state of consciousness’ which facilitated the flow of many brilliant and original musical ideas. In the liner notes of the Bremen Lausanne album Jarrett states something to the effect that he is a conduit for the ‘Creator’, something his mother had apparently discussed with him.

One of Jarrett’s trademarks is his frequent, loud vocalizations (grunting, squealing, and tuneless singing). Jarrett is also physically active while playing, writhing, gyrating, and almost dancing on the piano bench.

However, Jarrett is notoriously intolerant of audience noise, including coughing and other involuntary sounds, especially during solo improvised performances. He feels that extraneous noise affects his musical inspiration, and distracts from the purity of the sound. As a result, cough drops are routinely supplied to Jarrett’s audiences in cold weather, and he has even been known to stop playing and lead the crowd in a group cough.

In 2003, Jarrett received the Polar Music Prize, the first (and to this day only) recipient not to share the prize with a co-recipient and in 2004 he received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize.

Discovery Channel, have announced the transfer of the Full Circle film to Euope. Next dates of airing will be in the U.K. Please note that these dates and times may vary slightly but at this moment they are set for the following.

Discovery Science
Wednesday April 25th at 11pm

Discovery Channel
Sunday June 3rd at 4pm

Of course if you cannot wait, you can always see a less adequate version on YouTube that has already attracted over 13,000 views.

We are delighted to announce the premier UK review of the Vertex Standmount Loudspeaker from the Geometry Series. We would like to thank everyone at HiFi+, with a special thanks to Editor in Chief and Alan Sircom who took time to understand the product.

The Vertex is the latest standmount design in the Wilson Benesch portfolio. Taking design clues from the ground breaking Trinity as well as the highly successful Arc the design stakes its claim at the forefront of the price performance league.

Like all its siblings the design benefits from Tactic II advanced drive unit technology and the radical  WB-Semisphere Tweeter. Arguably the design  represents the most advanced standmount design available in it’s price point. As Alan comments, this is largely due to the Advanced Composite Technologies deployed throughout the design.

“From the 1960s, brands like KEF and Bowers & Wilkins pioneered the use of new materials in drive unit technology, but arguably no company pushes the envelope of materials science these days quite like Wilson Benesch – Alan Sircom, Editor, HiFi+, 2012″

Wilson Benesch is very proud to be seen to be flying the flag for British loudspeaker design and especially proud to have garnered such enthusiasm for this new standmount design. In truth,  Wilson Benesch maybe the last British company that actually manufactures each element. This is the big difference that defines the companies products from those of assembly companies. Why is this so important? Because it enables a level of control that goes well beyond the limitations of assembled designs. The degree of control over the small details that exert such an enormous influence is after all the determining factor of the success of any system. Alan hits the nail on the head when he states,

“I’m not the most jingoistic person on the planet, but it’s a fine thing for an Englishman to say that the Vertex shows we are still damn good at making state of the art things, and still know how to make a damn good two-way standmount.”- Alan Sircom, Editor, HiFi+, 2012

The Vertex Retails at £4,650 per pair including stands. For more information see the product page.

For the HiFi+ Review you can download the PDF here.

This year Wilson Benesch performed a live demonstration of the Geometry Series, Vector Floorstander and running alongside was the latest NEW product from Wilson Benesch, the Square Three Floorstanding Loudspeaker, taken from the all new Square Series 2.

So here a little glimpse of the time and energy we pour into our exhibition space and with a soundtrack sample from one of our preferred demonstration pieces from the weekend in the Wilson Benesch Conservatory, aka, ‘The WB Glass House’. Hans Zimmer’s excellent and evocative piece, aptly titled, ‘Time’.

Thanks again everyone, see you next year.

Dusty’s first hit was the upbeat pop hit, “I Only Want to Be with You” in 1963. Which would be followed by a string of hits throughout the 1960s. Her image, supported by a peroxide blond beehive hairstyle, evening gowns and heavy make-up, made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties. And her popularity was not limited to the UK, topping charts and radio playlists in the US.

Dusty’s career sadly started to fade with the change in music culture toward more progressive music and the association with underground as “fashionable” and pop which had become “unfashionable”. In an effort to revive her faltering career Dusty went to the States and signed with Atlantic Records. Here she recorded perhaps her most famous album ‘Dusty in Memphis’ in 1968. Despite being unanimously well received critically, the album failed to top charts in the US or the UK. But one track stood out strongly and remains one of Dusty’s greatest hits today, “Son of a Preacher Man”, which earned Springfield a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1970.

Despite Springfield’s decline in popularity, her impact on British Music culture and fashion was incredibly powerful. Springfield became an icon and her style was adopted widely and that included her “panda eye” mascara which is well captured in David Redferns image. Springfield was recognised by countless awards throughout her career. Today she sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Voted amongst the top female artists of all time by all the major music magazines and also received the Grammy Hall of Fame award posthumously. Springfield succumbed to cancer on 2nd March 1999, the same day Springfield had been scheduled to go to Buckingham Palace to receive her award of Officer, Order of the British Empire from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Springfield’s manager collected the medal on her behalf and presented it to her in the hospital the day before her death. In the days after her death, her friend Sir Elton John stated, “I think she is the greatest white singer that there ever has been”.

Dusty Springfield’s first major hit “I Only Want To Be With You”.

King hails from Indianola, Mississipi. His expressive singing style, developed as he grew up singing in the gospel choir. At age 12, King bought his first guitar. In 1946, age 21, King moved to Memphis, Tennessee, which throughout the 50s would become the melting pot for Blues, Gospel and Rock and Roll. King would become a key player. His ten-minute radio spot on the legendary Memphis Radio station WDIA, affectionately became known as “King’s Spot” and later as a disk jockey he would become known as “Beale Street Blues Boy” after the street at the epicenter of the Blues scene.

King’s band, the B.B. King Review formed and began recording in 1949. During a performance later that year, a brawl would erupt between two men fighting for the attention of a young lady, resulting in a fire. King having left the building without his beloved $30 Gibson electric guitar, realized the imminent demise of the instrument and returned into the burning building to rescue the guitar. The woman at the heart of the brawl was named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as everyone he owned since that near fatal experience, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid.

King would forge his name over the following years, not only as a recording artists, but also for bringing to the fold new artists on his own ‘Blues Boys Kingdom’ recording label. King amassed a collection of hits in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. His contribution to music would continually receive recognition. In 1980 he would be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 1987, he garnered a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which would become the first of 15 Grammy Awards. In 2004 he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists “in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music”.

Despite a series of farewell tours, King continues to perform throughout the world, with tours of Europe, Brazil and the US. Collaborating with other artists of notoriety, including Eric Clapton, U2, John Mayall, Gladys Knight. Over a 52-year period, B.B. King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.

2012 Bristol Show – Science Behind the Designs Presentation.

This years Focus : GEOMETRY and its fundamental relevance to good design.

Conservatory : Each day of the Show at 1 o’clock.

The science based presentation will begin at the molecular level. It will provide an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of numerous engineering materials. Gain a real insight into why materials technology matters. Get a hold of and even stand on some of the most amazing materials of today and tomorrow!

WARNING : The presentation will include explosions via the combined effect of 4 Torus Infrasonic generators.

Wilson Benesch is globally recognised as the pioneer of advanced carbon fibre audio components. Stereosound Japan noted ten years ago that it was Wilson Benesch that first recognised the importance of the now ubiquitous sloping top geometry on the top of loudspeaker enclosures. The patented Torus Infrasonic Generator was described as a “Genius design” by The Absolute Sounds writer Jonathon Valin. A few of our favourite things that we will be celebrating this year as per usual, in the Conservatory.

Wilson Benesch is about joined up design and manufacture that is driven by a passionate no compromise approach to component and product development. Manufacturing, design, management, research in short everything, exists under one roof in Sheffield South Yorkshire. This unique facility is a centre for innovation that has established collaborative links with with scientists and engineers across the UK. It is this capability that has won the company not one but three substantial grants that records £870,000 of research and development expenditure over the last eight years. It has also led to several studies by television programs and researchers looking to see how we do, what we do. The Discovery Channel recently covered the company on its ‘How Is It Made’ Program.

So come and join us in the Sound & Vision Conservatory or Wilson Benesch Glass House.

Twitter Feed @Wilson_Benesch will keep you updated during the event

Here’s a short film from last year. This video can be viewed in HD on our YouTube homepage.

McLaren, like Wilson Benesch, is pioneering in every respect where the use of carbon fibre structures is concerned. The new McLaren MP4-12c as the McLaren F1 before it, employs carbon fibre extensively throughout the vehicle to minimise weight without compromising strength. The MP4-12C weighs 1,301 kg (2,868 lb) dry.

The MP4-12C chassis is based around an F1 style one-piece carbon fibre tub, called the Carbon MonoCell, weighing only 80 kg (176 lb). The MonoCell is made in a single RTM pressing by using a set of patented processes, using Bi-Axial and Tri-Axial carbon fibre multiaxial fabrics. The process is the same that Wilson Benesch uses to produce the key component in our cutting edge designs; the Advanced Composite Technology A.C.T. Monocoque found in the Odyssey Range, Wide Bandwidth Series and the latest Geometry Series. Unlike McLaren who outsource the MonoCell production, Wilson Benesch has invested in and developed our RTM system over the past 10-years.

The Future is Carbon!

As this wonderful image of Macy Gray from the 2011 Nice Jazz Festival highlights, David Redfern remains at the cutting edge of Live Music photography. He continues to work at all the major Jazz festivals globally; completing his 35th New Orleans Jazz festival in 2011. David remains the President of BAPLA (British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies) a role he has fulfilled for the past 18 years.

David Redfern’s career began in the twilight jazz clubs of 1960’s London. He risked his one and only camera amongst the jiving teenage crowds. The British Trad boom was under way. His first published photos featured Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, George Melly, and the old Marquee Club.

David began photographing TV Shows like ‘Ready Steady Go’ and ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ which were shot during the day. Here he made many of his now classic shots of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield.

Meanwhile his nights were spent at the 100 Club, Ronnie Scott’s or the Marquee, where he captured on film all the jazz greats from Miles Davis to Ella Fitzgerald.

These pictures were to contribute to what is now the most comprehensive jazz collection in Europe. To break into the commercial world by chasing the big American names, David became a regular visitor to the Jazz festivals in Newport, Antibes and Montreux, and the big rock festivals, photographing such greats as Hendrix and Dylan.

By the 1970′s David had firmly established his name as one of the top music photographers in the business. In 1980 Pete Townsend’s Eel Pie Company published David Redfern’s Jazz Album. Lavishly illustrated with many of David’s finest jazz photographs, it was highly acclaimed by critics and public alike. In the same year, at Frank Sinatras request, David stepped into Terry O’Neill’s shoes as official tour photographer.

‘David, you’re one helluva photographer, keep shooting!’
Frank Sinatra

At the beginning of 1989 David moved his music picture library REDFERNS to new premises in West London, a location now much favoured by the British music industry. The library expanded rapidly. Covering over 26,000 different artists and styles from every musical genre, and representing some 500 photographers and collections, it became the most comprehensive music picture library in the world, with over 205,000 items online.

‘David, to me, is probably the greatest jazz photographer in the world’
Buddy Rich

The December ’94 issue of the American publication Jazz Times featured David’s work in their ‘Special Collectors Edition’, with select contributions from six of the world’s most highly acclaimed jazz photographers. David was the only non-American to be featured. This also coincided with sale of his 1995 Jazz Calendar published by the renowned calendar publishers The Ink Group.

September 1995 saw the launch of a series of 10 Jazz postage stamps by the US post office. Three of David’s images were used: Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk & Coleman Hawkins. The inclusion of the Louis Armstrong image was a result of some 38,000 signatures collected from 65 countries over 8 years, and had a special launch in New Orleans, the birthplace of Louis Armstrong. As a point of interest the picture of Louis Armstrong was taken by David in New York in 1967, on his first visit to the US.

His book The Unclosed Eye was published by Sanctuary Publishing in May 1999 with critical acclaim. The London Sunday Times Magazine published a 4 page feature.

The book publication coincided with exhibitions in London, New York and New Orleans, followed by one in Cork, Ireland in October 2000. The prestigious design magazine ‘Creative Review’ published a profile on David in their February 2001 issue. It was entitled ‘Leader with Vision’. David had another exhibition in September 2001 in conjunction with the Soho Jazz & Heritage Festival in London and at the Vienne Jazz festival in June/July 2002.

In November 2005 The Unclosed Eye expanded 2nd edition in hardback was published by David himself. This included a 200 limited slipcase edition complete with two 10 x 8 original colour prints.

David received ‘The Milt Hinton Award for Excellence in Jazz Photography’ in New York in January 2007. The award recognizes lifetime achievement in jazz photography as art and history.

In December 2008 David sold Redferns Music Picture Library to Getty Images. He has the use in perpetuity of his favourite 1000 images to market as fine art prints, and for his partner Suzy to use in her fashion textile business Suzy Reed Ltd.

Wilson Benesch would like to thank David for providing his images for our fans around the world and we hope that you enjoy the selection of images with us over the next 12-months.

Craig Milnes
Design Director
Wilson Benesch Ltd.

The demonstration will consist of a 2-channel setup, with the new Geometry Series Vector supported by the Torus Infrasonic Generator. Amplification will be provided by Chord Electronics in the form of the SPM5000 and CPA5000 preamp amplifier.

A second smaller system will consist of the Wilson Benesch Square Two’s using the same electronics.

We would like to wish all those attending and our partners in Spain at Evalitec the very best for a successful show.

Location: Hotel Auditorium, Madrid, Spain
Date: Friday 3rd – Sunday 5th February 2012
Time: 10.00 – 19.30, Friday & Saturday
10.00 – 15.30 Sunday
Tickets: Free Entrance – With free buses from the airport every 30-minutes
Information: elitexpo Madrid 2012

The Future is Carbon

The ‘How It’s Made’ series is a long running production. The program presents the steps involved in the entire process of manufacturing. Wilson Benesch are delighted to be able to share with our audience the processes involved in manufacturing the Full Circle including the tonearm.

The film will present the entire process from the raw stock to finished components, their assembly and the Full Circle playing one of Michael Hobson’s (Classic Records) beautiful recordings.

In summation of his review Monsieur Mafrand writes,

We must face the facts: the Chimera inevitably reminds us of the Full Circle turntable by the manufacturer that we tested recently. The Chimera distills the expressiveness, the immediacy and the transparency we appreciated with the turntable. These characteristics give the Chimera a true personality in the best sense of the term and many music lovers will find that suits them with this technically and aesthetically different but irresistibly musical product.

Download the full unedited PDF from our Reviews page.