Has Vinyl Playback Technology Gone As Far As It Can Possibly Go?
June 14, 2024
The Munich HIGH END rolled through last month and the 2024 edition of the show felt like, and subsequently has been confirmed by visitor count
With one week now to the opening of the world largest High End Audio exhibit, we are delighted to share with you a preview of the new GMT System Turntable plus the full system architecture that will be presented in our demonstration room E225 this year. Following our first show preview which announced that Wilson Benesch would be joined by pioneering companies, Crystal Cable and Ypsilon Electronics, it is with great anticipation and excitement that we can now show some of the incredible audio technologies that will be used in E225 next week.
Wilson Benesch
After more than a decade in development, Wilson Benesch will launch the final production model of its GMT System Turntable in Munich. The GMT System Turntable is a radical approach to ultra high end vinyl replay. Wilson Benesch have designed and manufactured almost every component from the cartridge, to the armwand, a unique remotely controlled VTA system, the motor itself, the electronics which control and regulate its speed, the isolation of the whole system and the electronics that control that and the racking upon which the whole system sits all designed, developed and manufactured by Wilson Benesch and its GMT Consortium. Design Director Craig Milnes, Managing Director Christina Milnes and International Sales Director Luke Milnes and team will present the GMT System Turntable and demonstrate the turntable and two new tonearm wands; Graviton Ti and Graviton Ai that feature additively manufactured titanium and aluminium counterbalances and carbon fibre composite armtubes.
The virtues and capability of the GMT System Turntable will be demonstrated by the companies Omnium loudspeaker which has been built up in a stunning Phantom Belladonna finish especially for the show. Guests can expect to enjoy the Omnium, with the Ypsilon SET100 Ultimate and Aelius II SE power amplifiers revealing the incredible musicality and natural character of the Fibonacci Series loudspeaker designs.
And finally, Wilson Benesch will launch the final production model of its new infrasonic generator technology, the IGx. Based around the multi-award winning push-pull design, the IGx will be deployed in a stereo pair supporting each channel of the Omnium to create a formidable demonstration of high end audio reproduction.
“When discussing Wilson Benesch, we really mean a brand that transcends labels and, like only a few others, distinguishes itself with unique concepts and an almost inconceivable number of special features.
… Wilson Benesch combines technical sophistication, materials and manufacturing tolerances that would be more likely found in aerospace engineering. The speakers developed and manufactured entirely in the UK, offer top-notch design and build quality. The sound is undisputed…”
Crystal Cable
A brand that requires no introduction. Crystal Cable have established their products and name centrally within the minds of the most discerning audiophiles globally. In E225 the system will be comprised of a collection of different Crystal Cable products, but the core elements of the system including the GMT System Turntable and the Omnium loudspeakers will benefit from flagship cables from the Art Series. The Crystal Cable Art Series is a high-end audio cable series where advanced design, engineering and materials science are creatively and artfully combined to produce a product that reproduces music to the highest possible standard.
The flagship cable range comprises three cable families: Monet, van Gogh and da Vinci. Each is named after an artist who fathered an aesthetic revolution and set new standards of artistic expression. The Crystal Cable Art Series products do just that in the high-end hi-fi realm: taking you closer to the beauty and majesty of music.
The Art Series uses Crystal Cable’s unique Infinite Crystal Silver conductor, paired with DuPont Teflon and PTFE insulation to deliver unmatched sound quality. The transparent Teflon jacket adds to the glass-clear sound and serves as a window to the music, as the central conductor forms almost the entire cable.
“A genuine work of art and a near matchless component. Da Vinci is the benchmark-setting winner of The Absolute Sound’s 2021 Cable of the Year Award.”
Ypsilon Electronics
Driving the Wilson Benesch Omnium will be a pair of SET100 Ultimate monoblock power amplifiers and a pair of Aelius II SE monoblock power amplifiers. The SET100 Ultimates will take care of the midrange and tweeter of the Omnium, providing all the magic of a small S.E.T. amplifier. Whilst the Aelius II SE power amplifiers will provide the power grip and control of the bass drive units and Isobaric Drive Systems within each channel of the Omnium. The result is formidable.
Further up the system architecture, the GMT System Turntable signal will be fed into the remarkable VPS-100 SE Phono preamplifier. And the output from the phono stage will go into the PST-100 SE. Digital will be taken care of by the DAC1000SE.
“I felt the conflict within me when auditioning the Ypsilon, whereas my left brain could not comprehend the impossible, my right brain was thoroughly submerged in the bliss that was the Ypsilon sound. This new sonic characteristic, one that was SET at the core and solid-state in flesh, presented a conundrum to my psyche. The categorizing of amplification design based on topology, a system that has served our need for proper system matching so effectively and was imbedded into our audiophile psyche so irreversibly, suddenly didn’t apply anymore. No longer are we given a love/hate choice of solid-state and vacuum tube, or of high-output solid-state versus low-output single-ended triode, or even of accuracy versus euphony. It is no longer of any consequence whether you are an SET aficionado or not, or if your beloved loudspeakers are efficient enough for SET amplification. With the Ypsilon SET 100, music via single-ended triode is the ultimate endgame – the solid-state output stage is merely a means. The ends, in this case, justifies the means, and the unorthodox presentation of the Ypsilon SET topology in the most muscular implementation to date signifies a most worthy new turn in our pursuit of audio nirvana.”
Innuos STATEMENT
The flagship server within the lines of the highly regarded Portuguese manufacturer. The STATEMENT server is design to take digital audio to a new level of performance – it’s a state-of-the-art source for the most discerning audiophiles. The STATEMENT will be complimented by the optional Next-Gen Power Supply upgrade.
“The original Innuos Statement set a standard that placed it squarely in among the best of the best, and the Next-Gen power supply raises its banner even higher… By upgrading the power supply, the Statement more than keeps its seat at digital’s top table… it offers what must be the best balance between performance and price for that absolute pinnacle of high-end digital streaming and music serving can currently provide. And the app helps transform your relationship with the Statement too, making it an even more powerful addition to your system. It’s truly excellent!”
E225 – A4.2 – Full System Architecture
Wilson Benesch
• GMT SYSTEM® Turntable
• Graviton Ti Tonearm
• Graviton Ai Tonearm
• Tesselate Ti Cartridge
• Tesselate Ai Cartridge
• R1 Rack System
• Omnium Loudspeakers
• 2x IGx Infrasonic Generators
Ypsilon Electronics
• VPS-100 SE Phono Preamplifier
• PST-100 MK2 SE Preamplifier
• DAC-1000
• SET100 Mono Power Amplifier (pair)
• Aelius II SE Mono Power Amplifier (pair)
Crystal Cable
R1 HIFI RACK 1: GMT SYSTEM Turntable & Phono Preamplifier
• van Gogh Phono Interconnect with Ground Wire
• van Gogh Power Cable
• van Gogh XLR Interconnect
R1 HIFI RACK 2: Preamplifier > DAC > Server
• van Gogh Power Cable
• Ultra2 XLR Interconnect
• Ultra2 XLR Interconnect
• Monet Power Cable
• Future Dream 22 XLR Interconnect
• Monet Power Cable
• Monet USB Cable
• Diamond Series Powerstrip with Ultra2 Power Cable 16A
Front System: Omnium Loudspeaker + Mono Power Amps + IGx
• da Vinci Speaker Cable
• da Vinci Speaker Cable
• da Vinci Power Cable
• da Vinci Power Cable
• van Gogh Power Cable
• van Gogh Power Cable
• Future Dream 22 Power Cable
• Future Dream 22 Power Cable
• Art Series Power Strip with Ultra2 Power Cable 16A
Innuos
• STATEMENT Server 1TB SSD with Next-Gen. PS
Event Information
– Wilson Benesch Demonstration Room: E225, Atrium 4.2
– Location: MOC Event Center Messe München, Lilienthalallee 40, 80939, München, Germany
– Dates: 18 – 21 May, 2023
– Opening Hours
– Thursday: 10:00am to 6:00pm
– Friday: 10:00am to 6:00pm
– Saturday: 10:00am to 6:00pm
– Sunday: 10:00am to 4:00pm
– Tickets: Official Munich HIGH End website here.
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