The Bristol Show: Wilson Benesch Curate a Festival of Sound

In 1991 the first ACT pioneered in the use of carbon fibre – nomex composite loudspeaker panels. Wilson Benesch developed the art of carbon composite manufacturing through successive designs, producing the first carbon fibre composite monocoque loudspeaker enclosure in the high end audio industry in 1999. In the process, Wilson Benesch established itself on the global stage as the pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of high performance carbon fibre composite based audio products. In 2017 the Yorkshire based company announced that it would be part of a €7.4-million pan-European research project entitled ‘SSUCHY’. The key objective of the SSUCHY Project was the development of bio-based composites based on a renewable resource, with applications in the automotive, aerospace and audio sectors. After 4.5 years of R&D, in 2022, Wilson Benesch and its collaborative partners announced the results of the SSUCHY Project. The outcome for Wilson Benesch was the next generation ACT 3zero biocomposite monocoque which utilises sustainably sourced, biobased composite materials in its construction. The new biocomposite monocoque replaced the previous ACT Monocoque, which utilised carbon fibre as its principal material constituent. In the process, Wilson Benesch introduced a new enclosure that is stiffer and better damped than the previous generation enclosure. The Fibonacci Series was born – taking loudspeaker material design, manufacturing and performance into the next generation State-of-the-Art. In FIDELITY Magazine’s review of the new Fibonacci Series, Carsten Barnbeck comments: