OVERVIEW
Signature expression of
the gmt architecture.
The Prime Meridian System unites the core technologies of the Wilson Benesch GMT® architecture within a single, highly integrated analogue replay platform.
The OMEGA Drive motor, ALPHA Drive electronics, FrACTaL Damping System, GRAVITON® Ti tonearm and STAGE One tonearm cable management architecture are structurally integrated within the R1 Carbon Rack. Together they form a unified mechanical system designed to control vibration, manage energy transfer and reveal the musical performance held within the record groove with exceptional realism and presence.
OMEGA Drive
The OMEGA Drive is a large-diameter synchronous motor measuring 15 inches (381 mm) that lies at the heart of the Prime Meridian System. The OMEGA Drive architecture sets a new benchmark in rotational stability through its slot-less synchronous design, delivering vanishingly low torque ripple and eliminating cogging.
Developed through extensive research in electromagnetic engineering and precision manufacturing, the motor operates with a circumjacent radial force design that provides smooth and stable rotation while minimising noise and vibration.
ALPHA Drive
The ALPHA Drive is the dedicated electronic control system developed specifically for the OMEGA Drive motor. Working in perfect synchronisation with the motor architecture, the ALPHA Drive generates three precisely formed sine waves that energise the electromagnetic fields within the stator.
Each phase is delivered by a discrete linear Class-A amplifier, ensuring an exceptionally pure and stable signal to the motor coils. A high-precision quartz crystal governs the timing of these waveforms, maintaining accurate speed stability while minimising distortion within the motor drive.
In the Prime Meridian System, the ALPHA Drive also incorporates the control electronics for the PIEZO VTA Control System, enabling precise adjustment of the GRAVITON® Ti tonearm geometry through the WB GMT® Control App.
Through the close integration of motor control and tonearm adjustment electronics, the ALPHA Drive preserves the timing integrity and mechanical precision that underpin lifelike analogue replay.
FrACTaL Damping System
The FrACTaL Damping System forms the structural architecture of the Prime Meridian turntable. Developed under a unified system approach, the FrACTaL structure integrates a complex combination of proprietary materials designed to damp energy and dissipate it before it can manifest as resonance within the chassis.
The upper chassis houses the critical elements of the system, including the OMEGA Drive motor, PIEZO VTA Control System, armboard and STAGE One tonearm cable management architecture.
This upper structure is suspended above the lower chassis by four carefully tuned springs, creating a controlled mechanical interface that manages energy throughout the system. The lower chassis is in turn supported by the R1 Carbon Rack, completing the multi-layer mechanical architecture of the Prime Meridian System.
The name FrACTaL reflects both the use of fractal geometry within the internal damping structures and the legacy of A.C.T. – Advanced Composite Technology, first introduced with the Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One loudspeaker in 1993 and carried forward through successive generations of the company’s composite loudspeaker platforms still to the modern day.
GRAVITON Ti Armwand
The GRAVITON® Ti Armwand is the tonearm developed for the GMT architecture, combining advanced composite engineering with precision additively manufactured titanium structures. The armwand utilises a single-piece carbon fibre construction incorporating a quadruple helix structure reinforced by a graphene epoxy matrix, delivering exceptional stiffness while maintaining the damping characteristics required to prevent energy generated at the stylus from propagating through the arm.
The counterbalance and pivot structures are manufactured from selective laser sintered titanium, incorporating tessellated internal geometries that optimise stiffness, minimise mass and enhance energy dissipation.
Developed alongside the PIEZO VTA Control System and STAGE One, the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand forms part of a unified tonearm architecture unlike anything previously seen in analogue replay.
This architecture builds upon more than three decades of Wilson Benesch tonearm development, beginning with the pioneering A.C.T. One tonearm introduced in 1989, which first established the use of advanced composite materials in tonearm design.
TESSELLATE Ti Cartridges
The cartridge is the origin of the musical signal in any analogue replay system, making its geometry and material design critical to overall performance.
Wilson Benesch first developed cartridge systems in the early 1990s, introducing the world’s first carbon fibre cartridge body and carbon fibre headshell. Much of the research undertaken during this period informs the modern generation of cartridge design realised in the TESSELLATE Ti cartridges.
Manufactured using selective laser sintered titanium, the TESSELLATE Ti cartridge body incorporates a complex tessellated internal structure that optimises stiffness while minimising mass. This additively manufactured architecture allows energy generated at the stylus to be dissipated efficiently before it can influence the delicate signal produced by the generator.
The semi-open headshell geometry increases structural rigidity while reducing reflective surfaces around the cantilever, improving tracking stability and lowering resonance.
The cartridges utilise a hybrid cantilever design combining advanced cantilever materials with unidirectional carbon fibre damping. Options include Boron, Sapphire and Diamond cantilevers, allowing the character of the cartridge to be optimised while maintaining the structural principles of the TESSELLATE architecture.
Designed to operate in harmony with the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand, the TESSELLATE Ti cartridges complete the unified analogue architecture of the GMT platform.
STAGE One
STAGE One is the tonearm cable management architecture developed for the GMT system. Positioned directly above the GRAVITON® Ti tonearm bearing, STAGE One manages the exit of the tonearm wire at the earliest possible point, preventing the cable from applying mechanical force to the tonearm as it tracks the record groove.
In conventional tonearm designs the tonearm cable often exits the arm with little consideration given to the mechanical forces that can be applied at the pivot. These forces, although small, can influence the movement of the tonearm and stylus during playback. STAGE One eliminates this problem by allowing the cable to leave the tonearm directly above the pivot, ensuring the tonearm wire remains mechanically inert.
The architecture also provides RF shielding at the first opportunity, protecting the delicate cartridge signal as it leaves the tonearm.
Developed alongside the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand and PIEZO VTA Control System, STAGE One forms part of the unified tonearm architecture of the GMT platform.
Piezo VTA Control System
The PIEZO VTA Control System provides ultra-precise adjustment of the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand vertical tracking angle (VTA), allowing the geometry of the cartridge to be optimised with extraordinary accuracy.
Unlike conventional tonearm systems that rely on mechanical screw threads for adjustment, the PIEZO VTA system utilises a linear piezo actuator capable of movements measured in nanometres. This allows the position of the tonearm to be adjusted with exceptional precision while preserving the stability and geometry of the tonearm bearing system.
Crucially, the system is fully repeatable. The piezo actuator can return to previously defined VTA positions with one-nanometre accuracy, allowing users to store and revisit optimised settings for different records or cartridges.
This technology originates from astronomical instrumentation, where piezo positioning systems are used to track distant stars and celestial objects with absolute precision.
Integrated within the GMT architecture and controlled through the WB GMT Control App, the PIEZO VTA Control System allows adjustments to be made from the listening position while the record is playing.
Developed alongside the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand and STAGE One, the system forms part of the unified tonearm architecture of the GMT platform.
WB GMT® Control APP
The WB GMT Control App provides a graphical interface through which the core functions of the GMT system can be controlled with precision and ease.
Through the app, users can start and stop the OMEGA Drive, select record speed and fine-tune rotational accuracy in increments as small as 0.01 RPM. The interface also provides direct control of the PIEZO VTA Control System, allowing the vertical tracking angle of the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand to be adjusted with nanometre precision from the listening position.
The system is supplied with a dedicated smart device and a preconfigured router that connects exclusively with the GMT system, ensuring stable communication and seamless operation.
By integrating control of the motor drive and tonearm geometry within a single interface, the WB GMT Control App allows the performance of the Prime Meridian System to be optimised with exceptional precision.
BESPOKE
ENGINEERED FOR YOU
Every Wilson Benesch is hand built for you. We offer a range of bespoke natural wood veneers, P1 colored carbon and automotive pearl and metallic paint finishes. Want to create something unique, contact us to create your own Eminence.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
SPECIFICATIONS
| OMEGA Drive | Description | Synchronous 15” diameter, 21 coreless-slotless, 3 phase zero-cogging, zero torque ripple, patent applied for direct drive motor. The time-average torque is 0.718 N.m @ 1.2A RMS & rated speed of 33.3 rpm. The RMS value of the torque ripple is 0.001342 (N.m). The torque ripple includes all the components (like cogging torque and the current commutation and air-gap flux harmonics). | ||
| ALPHA Drive | Description | Computer controlled quartz referenced high precision sine waves. 3 super linear class A amplifiers. Computer controlled remote control systems. | ||
| Upgrade Option | The ALPHA Drive supplied with the Prime Meridian System can be upgraded to add a computer controlled pneumatic self-levelling control system for the LeVeL isolation system in the GMT® One System. Supplied as standard in the GMT® One System. | |||
| Speed Range | 33.3, 45, and 78pm | |||
| Control | fully adjustable via dedicated Smart Device WB Control APP in 0.01 increments. | |||
| Wow and Flutter | not measurable | |||
| GRAVITON® Ti Armwand | Description | Kinematic bearing provides 3-point location ensuring zero Brinelling and the optimal hertzian forces to ensure energy transfer through two different materials. Bearing is designed to allow easy change of Graviton® Armwand in less than a minute. Shortest possible lead out wire to avoid signal corruption. | ||
| Internal Wiring | Silver / Teflon wire | |||
| Effective Length | 304.8mm | |||
| Mounting distance | 291.6mm | |||
| Offset Angle | 18° | |||
| Overhang | 13.2mm | |||
| Effective Tonearm Mass | 14g | |||
| Cartridge Weight Range | All possible | |||
| TESSELLATE Ti Cartridges | Description | U.D. Carbon fibre Hybrid cantilever Titanium body cartridge systems. | ||
| Cantilever Options | Boron, Sapphire and Diamond available. To view the individual product pages and specifications, click on the links above. | |||
| FrACTaL Damping System | Description | Tuned spring-suspended upper chassis containing proprietary damping materials to absorb vibration and control structural resonance within the GMT architecture. Can be upgraded to LeVeL to form a GMT One System. | ||
| STAGE One | Description | Cable management system eliminating tonearm wire mechanical influence whilst providing RF shielding | ||
| R1 Rack | Description | Provides optimal location of all Alpha Drive & Omega Drive systems. Enables complete concealment of all energy systems. | ||
| WB GMT Control APP | Description | Provide GUI for complete remote control over all critical aspects of system including VTA (accurate to 1nM) start / stop, speed and lift lower. | ||
| Router & LAN | Router provided with the unit, preconfigured with wifi connection to the Smart Device preinstalled with the WB Control APP. Does not connect to the internet. | |||
| Finish Options | The GMT® One System can be specified with Polished Silver or Polished Gold accents to match the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand and TESSELLATE Ti Cartridge finishes. Bespoke component finish options can be applied to the four caps on the glass top of the turntable, the platter weights around the periphery of the platter and the metal components used to finish the R1 Rack | |||
| Total System Weight | 369.5Kg // 523lbs | |||
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
TACTIC 3.0 DRIVE UNIT
ISOBARIC DRIVE SYSTEM
FIBONNACI TWEETER
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