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wilson benesch p2.0Precision Series 2.5-Way Floor Standing Speaker
Pricing from NZD $29,000
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DESCRIPTION
The entry into the new Precision Series, the P2.0 offers exceptional value and performance. Three decades of research & development underpin the Wilson Benesch design team. This experience has resulted in the gradual evolution of loudspeaker design culminating in the Precision Series, which distils core Wilson Benesch loudspeaker technologies within its loudspeaker enclosures. With trickle-down technology from the reference Geometry Series evident throughout its design.
FEATURES
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1. TACTIC II DRIVE UNIT: ISOTACTIC POLYOPROPYLENE
Arguably the most critical component in any dynamic drive unit design is the choice of material in the cone. Wilson Benesch was the first company in the world to develop a consumer product that used Isotactic Polypropylene. More than a decade on, this remains the material of choice in all our drive unit technologies. It’s unique balance of high specific stiffness with exceptional damping provide what we regard as the optimum balance of material properties. Other hard dome technologies, including that using carbon fibre & ceramic have been extensively tested. Without exception all these technologies result in the need to design complex crossovers to control unwanted resonances within the cone which arise from very high specific stiffness. This complexity within crossover design is regarded as a compromise. 2. TACTIC II DRIVE UNIT: DESIGN PHILOSOPHY At the very core of the development of Wilson Benesch drive unit technology was the ethos that transient response time should be reduced as much as possible. That is to say the response of the drive unit to change from equilibrium or steady state. There are no delays in nature and yet when a dynamic drive unit attempts to reproduce a range of frequencies from a recording, the laws of physics dictate that the moving mass of the drive unit will always reproduce sound with some delay. This is an unavoidable design limitation of all dynamic drive unit designs today. However, these physical laws can be observed and used as a guide to optimise the dynamic drive unit design. By introducing light and stiff materials to reduce mass, powerful rare-earth magnets to increase power and control, highly optimised structural design to maximise the unique properties of each material and form within the structure, the Tactic II drive unit is a near optimal dynamic drive unit design. Wilson Benesch has iteratively developed four drive unit designs. These have been referred to by the independent press as “lightning fast” and “one-third dynamic, two-thirds electrostatic”. Testament to the design ethos at the core of these technological developments. |
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3. LEONARDO TWEETER
The Leonardo Tweeter has been developed directly through an iterative design approach that gave birth to the Fibonnaci and Semisphere Tweeters before it. Unlike these exotic wide-bandwidth designs, the Leonardo does not employ a hybridised Silk-Carbon dome and thus its frequency response is flat to 24 kHz. However, the geometrically optimised and decoupled polymer-carbon fibre faceplate is taken directly from the same shelf as that used in the Eminence loudspeaker. This entirely proprietary component is manufactured in-house using the latest 3D printing technology. The faceplate acts as a waveguide to guarantee optimal dispersion and phase characteristics for the Leonardo Tweeter. Just like the Semisphere Tweeter, the Leonardo Tweeter features the proprietary Neodymium magnet ring in its rear chamber. This open architecture ensures optimal energy paths for both acoustic and thermal energy; critical design considerations where super low distortion levels are aspired to.
4. ALUMINIUM TOP & BOTTOM BRACING
The Precision Series uses a multi-material hybridised structure. This design philosophy has been developed by Wilson Benesch over three-decades of loudspeaker enclosure design. By combining multiple materials in this way, the designer is essentially forming a composite structure that allows the unique properties of each material to be used to create a design advantage. This exact same hybridised design ethos is used in the reference Geometry Series. The distinct Precision Series top and bottom ‘caps’, whilst elegant forms, are in fact critical components in the enclosure design. Precision CNC-machined from solid billets of aluminium, the caps lock in position the front and rear aluminium baffles with the wood side panels. The caps are then tied along the vertical axis of the Precision Series enclosure using aluminium alloy bars that brace the enclosure and compress the whole structure to ensure it is as sonically inert and stiff as possible. This tie and brace design is used across the Geometry Series and also within the Isobars of the R1 HIFI Rack. This construction technology is another example of trickle-down technologies taken directly from the reference Geometry Series.
5. INTERNAL DAMPING
As the leader in loudspeaker enclosure design, Wilson Benesch incorporated into the design of the Precision Series numerous features that allow the enclosure to be stiffened and damped optimally. Another example of this is seen in the tubular structures that populate the internal enclosure to provide both increased stiffness but also damping of the Precision Series enclosure along its horizontal axis.
6. INTERNAL ENCLOSURE TIES & BRACES
The hybridised Precision Series enclosure is further stiffened and damped using threaded steel bars. The bars terminate into threaded pockets on both the aluminium top and bottom caps, plus the front and rear aluminium baffles. The bars are then torqued to create a compressive force across the vertical axis of the Precision Series P2.0 enclosure. This design feature is used across our reference loudspeaker line and also within the Isobars of the R1 HIFI Rack. This construction technology is another example of trickle-down technologies taken directly from the reference Geometry Series.
The Leonardo Tweeter has been developed directly through an iterative design approach that gave birth to the Fibonnaci and Semisphere Tweeters before it. Unlike these exotic wide-bandwidth designs, the Leonardo does not employ a hybridised Silk-Carbon dome and thus its frequency response is flat to 24 kHz. However, the geometrically optimised and decoupled polymer-carbon fibre faceplate is taken directly from the same shelf as that used in the Eminence loudspeaker. This entirely proprietary component is manufactured in-house using the latest 3D printing technology. The faceplate acts as a waveguide to guarantee optimal dispersion and phase characteristics for the Leonardo Tweeter. Just like the Semisphere Tweeter, the Leonardo Tweeter features the proprietary Neodymium magnet ring in its rear chamber. This open architecture ensures optimal energy paths for both acoustic and thermal energy; critical design considerations where super low distortion levels are aspired to.
4. ALUMINIUM TOP & BOTTOM BRACING
The Precision Series uses a multi-material hybridised structure. This design philosophy has been developed by Wilson Benesch over three-decades of loudspeaker enclosure design. By combining multiple materials in this way, the designer is essentially forming a composite structure that allows the unique properties of each material to be used to create a design advantage. This exact same hybridised design ethos is used in the reference Geometry Series. The distinct Precision Series top and bottom ‘caps’, whilst elegant forms, are in fact critical components in the enclosure design. Precision CNC-machined from solid billets of aluminium, the caps lock in position the front and rear aluminium baffles with the wood side panels. The caps are then tied along the vertical axis of the Precision Series enclosure using aluminium alloy bars that brace the enclosure and compress the whole structure to ensure it is as sonically inert and stiff as possible. This tie and brace design is used across the Geometry Series and also within the Isobars of the R1 HIFI Rack. This construction technology is another example of trickle-down technologies taken directly from the reference Geometry Series.
5. INTERNAL DAMPING
As the leader in loudspeaker enclosure design, Wilson Benesch incorporated into the design of the Precision Series numerous features that allow the enclosure to be stiffened and damped optimally. Another example of this is seen in the tubular structures that populate the internal enclosure to provide both increased stiffness but also damping of the Precision Series enclosure along its horizontal axis.
6. INTERNAL ENCLOSURE TIES & BRACES
The hybridised Precision Series enclosure is further stiffened and damped using threaded steel bars. The bars terminate into threaded pockets on both the aluminium top and bottom caps, plus the front and rear aluminium baffles. The bars are then torqued to create a compressive force across the vertical axis of the Precision Series P2.0 enclosure. This design feature is used across our reference loudspeaker line and also within the Isobars of the R1 HIFI Rack. This construction technology is another example of trickle-down technologies taken directly from the reference Geometry Series.
reviews
What Hi-Fi? 5 Stars, 2021
"Both of the speakers we’ve reviewed from Wilson Benesch’s Precision range have turned out to be superb performers. P1.0 are excellent standmounters and terrific for smaller spaces, but if you can stretch to these floorstanders you won’t be disappointed. They have all the good points of their smaller siblings but add a degree of authority and dynamic punch the smaller speakers simply can’t match. For us, the Precision P2.0 set the standard for floorstanders at this price."
Novo Press, Douglas Brown, 2019
"If you’re trying to find a loudspeaker with a higher sound quality than Wilson Benesch’s Precision P2.0 anywhere near its asking price, don’t bother. Why…? Stated succinctly, because none exist. You might as well be trying to film wild polar bears in the jungles of Honduras. Is the P2.0 worth the money? Stated emphatically… yes! This is an exceptional loudspeaker. Although assessing value in anything is a very personal thing, as an investment into enjoying music and accompanying your journey through life, in my book, the Precision P2.0 floorstanders are worth every penny of their asking price."
HiFi Advice, Christiaan Punter, 2020
"The Wilson Benesch Precision Series captures a large part of the essence of the Wilson Benesch sound at a more accessible price point. Both the P1.0 and P2.0 deliver a sound that is solid, dynamic and powerful as well as vivid, open and communicative. But in the true spirit of Wilson Benesch, they combine their energetic delivery with pleasant smoothness and a hint of warmth to make for an easy to listen to yet always engaging performance."
schematics
Front
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Side
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Back
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Schematic
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Volume
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finishes
Black
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White
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Silver Birch
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Slate
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Bronze
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Aged Walnut
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Burr Walnut
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Aged Oak
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Nero
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Grigio
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product specificatioNs
Type
2.5-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Drive Technology
1 x 25mm (1”) WB Leonardo Tweeter
1 x 170mm (7”) WB Tactic II Mid Drive Unit
1 x 170mm (7”) WB Tactic II Bass Drive Unit
Crossover Technology
Tweeter 2nd Order Crossover
Midrange Directly Amplifier Coupled
Bass 1st Order Crossover with Laminated High Density Iron Cored Inductors with High Coil Packing Ratio
Enclosure Technology
Hybrid Composite Construction
U-Section High Torsion Aluminium Alloy Damping Rods in the Horizontal Axis
Tubular Cross Bracing
Port Tuning
Alloy Baffle, Top, Foot with Machined Logos Front & Rear
Measurements
Impedance: 6Ω nominal / 4Ω minimal
Sensitivity: 89dB at 1 metre on-axis, 2.83V input
Frequency response: 34Hz – 24kHz +/- 2dB on-axis
Dimensions
Height: 1105mm (43.5″)
Width: 269mm (10.6”)
Depth: 472mm (18.6”)
Weight
50kg (110 lbs) per speaker (channel)
2.5-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Drive Technology
1 x 25mm (1”) WB Leonardo Tweeter
1 x 170mm (7”) WB Tactic II Mid Drive Unit
1 x 170mm (7”) WB Tactic II Bass Drive Unit
Crossover Technology
Tweeter 2nd Order Crossover
Midrange Directly Amplifier Coupled
Bass 1st Order Crossover with Laminated High Density Iron Cored Inductors with High Coil Packing Ratio
Enclosure Technology
Hybrid Composite Construction
U-Section High Torsion Aluminium Alloy Damping Rods in the Horizontal Axis
Tubular Cross Bracing
Port Tuning
Alloy Baffle, Top, Foot with Machined Logos Front & Rear
Measurements
Impedance: 6Ω nominal / 4Ω minimal
Sensitivity: 89dB at 1 metre on-axis, 2.83V input
Frequency response: 34Hz – 24kHz +/- 2dB on-axis
Dimensions
Height: 1105mm (43.5″)
Width: 269mm (10.6”)
Depth: 472mm (18.6”)
Weight
50kg (110 lbs) per speaker (channel)