audio.bill
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I recall mentioning the Wilson Benesch Vertex monitors in another thread, but thought I should include more details along with my personal experience in this dedicated forum.
While I have a pair of Magnepan 3.7i speakers in my primary system which I greatly appreciate and enjoy, I've also always had a soft spot for the presentation of a reference quality monitor speaker. I augment the bass in this system with a Martin Logan BalancedForce 210 sub crossed over at ~45 Hz which provides full range bass extension. For reference my system electronics include the Audia Flight Phono, Luxman C-900u linestage, and a Rowland 625 power amp.
I was searching for a suitable monitor speaker that I could use as an alternative to the Maggies when I heard a friend's Wilson Benesch Arc monitors which he recently acquired used. I was immediately struck by their stunning clarity and transparency along with the typical pinpoint imaging that fine monitors provide. So I did some research and came across WB's newer Vertex speakers which take the initial design of the Arc to a whole new level. The carbon fiber composite cabinet is pretty much the same, but the primary custom WB driver has significantly evolved and the tweeter was now the same proprietary Semisphere silk/carbon hybrid dome which they use on their best cost no object designs. The woofer/midrange driver is operated full range without any crossover, so your amp is directly connected to the driver without any components in the signal path. The tweeter only has a single capacitor crossover to roll off its bass. After much research and auditioning an endless array of other monitors which didn't compare to what I heard from WB, I decided to get a pair for my system.
The Vertex speakers have a captivating transparency which serves the music very well by capturing every nuance of a performance. They are superb spatially as well, and while they are so revealing the top end remains very delicately balanced and sweet sounding. None of the hot high end that I find averse to long term listening enjoyment with some other speaker designs, particularly common to many incorporating metal dome tweeters. Their midrange is amazingly smooth and realistic, voices are 'eery' in their realism. They're an excellent alternative to the Maggies which are great performers in their own right, but the Vertex seem more natural sounding to me and are in some ways even more engaging. The Maggies have a very revealing and spacious sound as well, but are what I would best describe as a bit more hi-fi sounding in their presentation. When listening to the Maggies in my system they're also very impressive and captivating, but when compared to the Vertex they seem a bit more mechanical sounding in their nature. It's hard to describe but each of these speakers are superb and have their place, but I'm really enjoying the more relaxed and engaging sound of the Vertex speakers. I can run them on their own without the sub and the bass is quite satisfactory, but of course the sub adds bass extension along with a sense of spaciousness which can only be reproduced with fully extended bass loading the listening room.
Unfortunately Wilson Benesch speakers are not very widely distributed in the US, but I suggest that they're definitely worth checking out if you have the opportunity. They're extremely well engineered speakers which offer some unique qualities when compared to most other speakers. Don't expect them to make poor recordings sound great, but they will let you hear everything how it is recorded with a very engaging and enjoyable presentation. They're not overly analytical though - to me they have just the right balance of effortlessness and musicality along with a very natural sense of decay.
I also noticed that Mike recently decided to pick up the WB line, so you might contact him for more details if you're interested. (I have no affiliation with him other than being a participant on this forum.)
While I have a pair of Magnepan 3.7i speakers in my primary system which I greatly appreciate and enjoy, I've also always had a soft spot for the presentation of a reference quality monitor speaker. I augment the bass in this system with a Martin Logan BalancedForce 210 sub crossed over at ~45 Hz which provides full range bass extension. For reference my system electronics include the Audia Flight Phono, Luxman C-900u linestage, and a Rowland 625 power amp.
I was searching for a suitable monitor speaker that I could use as an alternative to the Maggies when I heard a friend's Wilson Benesch Arc monitors which he recently acquired used. I was immediately struck by their stunning clarity and transparency along with the typical pinpoint imaging that fine monitors provide. So I did some research and came across WB's newer Vertex speakers which take the initial design of the Arc to a whole new level. The carbon fiber composite cabinet is pretty much the same, but the primary custom WB driver has significantly evolved and the tweeter was now the same proprietary Semisphere silk/carbon hybrid dome which they use on their best cost no object designs. The woofer/midrange driver is operated full range without any crossover, so your amp is directly connected to the driver without any components in the signal path. The tweeter only has a single capacitor crossover to roll off its bass. After much research and auditioning an endless array of other monitors which didn't compare to what I heard from WB, I decided to get a pair for my system.
The Vertex speakers have a captivating transparency which serves the music very well by capturing every nuance of a performance. They are superb spatially as well, and while they are so revealing the top end remains very delicately balanced and sweet sounding. None of the hot high end that I find averse to long term listening enjoyment with some other speaker designs, particularly common to many incorporating metal dome tweeters. Their midrange is amazingly smooth and realistic, voices are 'eery' in their realism. They're an excellent alternative to the Maggies which are great performers in their own right, but the Vertex seem more natural sounding to me and are in some ways even more engaging. The Maggies have a very revealing and spacious sound as well, but are what I would best describe as a bit more hi-fi sounding in their presentation. When listening to the Maggies in my system they're also very impressive and captivating, but when compared to the Vertex they seem a bit more mechanical sounding in their nature. It's hard to describe but each of these speakers are superb and have their place, but I'm really enjoying the more relaxed and engaging sound of the Vertex speakers. I can run them on their own without the sub and the bass is quite satisfactory, but of course the sub adds bass extension along with a sense of spaciousness which can only be reproduced with fully extended bass loading the listening room.
Unfortunately Wilson Benesch speakers are not very widely distributed in the US, but I suggest that they're definitely worth checking out if you have the opportunity. They're extremely well engineered speakers which offer some unique qualities when compared to most other speakers. Don't expect them to make poor recordings sound great, but they will let you hear everything how it is recorded with a very engaging and enjoyable presentation. They're not overly analytical though - to me they have just the right balance of effortlessness and musicality along with a very natural sense of decay.
I also noticed that Mike recently decided to pick up the WB line, so you might contact him for more details if you're interested. (I have no affiliation with him other than being a participant on this forum.)
) so I remain satisfied with my Martin Logan Balanced Force 210 sub. Actually the Vertex on their own sound great too, but naturally the sub adds impact and presence.