Factory Visits, General News, News

A Journey Through Audio Excellence: Nirvana Sound visit Falcon House

June 6, 2024

George Moraitis Visits Wilson Benesch: A Journey Through Audio Excellence

Wilson Benesch recently had the pleasure of welcoming George Moraitis, the co-founder of Nirvana Sound, the official Australian distributor for Wilson Benesch. George brings a wealth of experience in the audio industry, passionately advocating for the quality of craftsmanship and performance of Wilson Benesch products, but also for the broader experience and value of sound and music. Nirvana Sound’s recent video on the Discovery 3zero loudspeaker showcases very well the unique features of this classic Wilson Benesch design and gives a sense of George’s passion and knowledge of sound and engineering.

A Tour of Modern Manufacturing: The Wilson Benesch Factory ‘Falcon House’

George’s visit came right after the Munich HIGH END Show, offering a perfect opportunity to explore the intricate production processes at Falcon House, our 21,000 square foot factory in Northern Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Experiencing firsthand the components and raw materials used in Wilson Benesch products allows for a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship, fit and finish that defines the Wilson Benesch product lines and brand.

Exploring Advanced Manufacturing

During his tour, George explored various sections of our factory:

•CNC Suite: Witnessing state-of-the-art precision CNC machining centres creating poly-alloy components exclusively for our products. In addition George was able to see the transfer of highly detailed three-dimensional digital CAD drawings, into CAM programmes with tens of thousands of lines of code and in turn the complex components that the CNCs then create from solid billets of metal.

•Carbon and Biocomposites Production Suites: Learning about the innovative use of materials technology and their applications. Wilson Benesch pioneered the use of carbon fibre composites within tonearm and loudspeaker design in the audio industry. Today it incorporates not only carbon fibre composite manufacturing centres, but also the latest innovations within composite materials technology thanks to the companies work in biocomposite materials technology through the SSUCHY Project.

•Additive Manufacturing Suite: Seeing components such as the Fibonacci element and Labyrinth Enclosure in the latest Wilson Benesch drive unit technologies come to life through additive manufacturing technologies.

This visit provided George with a comprehensive view of how our products are meticulously crafted before being shipped to audiophiles around the globe.

George holding a Carbon-Nanotech Enclosure from the Endeavour 3zero loudspeaker.

George holding a newly machined aluminium component from the Endeavour 3zero loudspeaker

Wilson Benesch Design Director Craig Milnes showing George Moraitis a newly machined aluminium component from the A.C.T. 3zero loudspeaker at Falcon House

Wilson Benesch CNC Engineer Shaun talking about the Hurco CNC machines within the Wilson Benesch factory

Managing Director Christina Milnes with George Moraitis who is holding a newly machined GMT Turntable OMEGA Drive motor chassis

George with a Tactic 3.0 Drive Unit motor backplate

Wilson Benesch CNC Engineer Lukasz introducing George to another Hurco CNC machine in the Wilson Benesch factory

Design Director Craig Milnes showing George one of the very first 3D additively manufactured titanium components that Wilson Benesch ever developed. The part was developed during the first GMT System grant project entitled 'The Mondrian Project'.

Design Director Craig Milnes showing George one of the very first turntable platter designs developed for the GMT System under the grant project entitled 'The Mondrian Project'.

Composites Engineer Darren with George showing the tooling and unique carbon-PTFE fabric that Wilson Benesch developed specially to allow the IGx and various other carbon composite components to be created in house at Wilson Benesch

Composites Engineer Darren with George showing the unique carbon-PTFE fabric that Wilson Benesch developed specially and has woven exclusively for the company to allow the IGx and various other carbon composite components to be created in house at Wilson Benesch

Production Technicians Mark and Richard showing George the IGx production and the carbon-PTFE diaphragm that Wilson Benesch manufactures

George Moraitis standing on the 18" Carbon Fibre - PTFE IGx cone. The structure weighs under 200g, but it is so stiff and geometrically optimised that it is able to comfortably support the weight of a human.

George Robinson introducing George Moraitis at the tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

Wilson Benesch Directors Luke Milnes, Craig Milnes and Christina Milnes with George Moraitis at The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

Collaborative Research & Development: The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)

George also joined our directors on a visit to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), guided by George Robinson, a former Wilson Benesch employee. Our collaboration with the AMRC, dating back to its foundation in 2004, has been instrumental in product development through the past two-decades. The AMRC park, now a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing centre, has expanded to over 150 acres with more than 90 industrial members, including giants like Boeing, Rolls-Royce, McLaren and BAE Systems.

Innovations from AMRC Partnership

Our long-term collaboration with the AMRC and local universities has yielded significant advancements, such as:

•Semisphere Tweeter

•Tactic Drive Unit

•Cardinal Loudspeaker

The latest breakthrough that has in part been borne from collaboration with the AMRC is the GRAVITON-Ti Armwand. Readers can learn more about this development here. Featuring additively manufactured SLS titanium components that could not possibly be developed alone by an SME like Wilson Benesch. The GRAVITON-Ti Arwmand was showcased at the Munich HIGH END and is highlighted in Michael Fremer’s premiere review of the new GMT® One System which will published in The Absolute Sound magazine last weekend. To learn more about this cutting-edge analogue replay system, visit our new product page. Wilson Benesch will share Michael Fremer’s full review of the GMT® One System here on our blog later this month with the unedited PDF from The Absolute Sound. Those eager to read it now can do so via the digital subscription to the magazine here.

A Heartfelt Thank You

We extend our sincere thanks to George Moraitis for visiting Sheffield and Falcon House. You can find a collection of images from George’s visit above, capturing moments from Falcon House and the AMRC.

If you are based in Australia or New Zealand and would like to contact Nirvana Sound to learn more about Wilson Benesch products and experience them directly you can contact Nirvana Sound directly via their website.

For any inquiries or to schedule a visit to demonstrate a Wilson Benesch loudspeaker here in England feel free to contact Wilson Benesch directly using this email contact info@wilson-benesch.com.

// Wilson Benesch – The Future is Carbon

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