GMT SYSTEM TURNTABLE - $302,000
Includes OMEGA Drive, LeVeL, ALPHA Drive, STAGE One, PIEZO VTA, Smart Remote Control. Certain metal-alloy components can be customised in Silver Standard or Gold Upgraded finishing.
PRIME MERIDIAN TURNTABLE - $250,000
Includes OMEGA Drive, ALPHA Drive, STAGE One, PIEZO VTA, Smart Remote Control. The LeVeL is removed, replaced by a FrACTal damping system. Armboard for 3rd party tonearm optional at extra cost.
TESSELLATE Ti CARTRIDGE - info link
GRAVITON Ti ARMWAND - info link
R1 CARBON RACK - info link
The GMT® One System has been designed and developed by a large number of people and organizations that are collectively referred to as the GMT Consortium. The GMT® One System is comprised of thirty novel developments. It incorporates technology with international patents that are pending and a number of design registrations. The manufacturing intellectual property all resides within Wilson Benesch. As such it is inconceivable that another turntable with GMT® technologies will emerge. Two product names are trademarked GMT® and GRAVITON®.
MADE IN SHEFFIELD
Wilson Benesch is a proud product of Sheffield, a city known globally for its rich industrial heritage and expertise in various fields of material science and engineering. In 2024 this rich heritage is evident through the presence of esteemed institutions like The University of Sheffield and The Sheffield Hallam University, but also in the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center and the Advanced Manufacturing Park which now hosts major manufacturing and research centers for McLaren Automotive, Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems to name but a few. As a result of its heritage and continued presence as a center for engineering excellence, Sheffield continues to attract a talented, highly trained engineering workforce and international students.
In 2024 Wilson Benesch operates from a 25,000 square foot facility. Within this facility the company has invested consistently through its 35-year history in cutting-edge manufacturing systems, operating a fleet of CNC Centers, along with all carbon fiber and bio-composite manufacturing systems. A twenty strong workforce is comprised of expert technicians and highly trained engineers. Wilson Benesch is and has been at the forefront of the high-end audio industry for more than three-decades, introducing cutting-edge technologies not limited only to the products themselves, but also to the materials that synthesize these products and also the manufacturing systems used to create them.
Wilson Benesch has consistently pioneered in material innovation within the audio industry. The brand has a track record of introducing novel materials ahead of its competitors. While Carbon Fiber is synonymous with Wilson Benesch, the company has also been instrumental in advancing the use of RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) technology since 1996, a technique that was relatively unknown at the time. The incorporation of Carbon-Nanotube and Graphene enhanced pre-preg in the various A.C.T. Tonearm’s that the company introduced from 1991 to the early 2000s showcased the company’s commitment to utilizing cutting-edge materials long before they became mainstream in audio design.
More recently Wilson Benesch has made a significant breakthrough by introducing the world’s first bio-composite based loudspeaker enclosures. This breakthrough new materials technology was possible thanks to Wilson Benesch’s participation by invitation to the SSUCHY Horizon 2020 Grant Project that had a €7.4-million budget. The result of this project marks a new era in audio design that set a new benchmark in the performance and application of composite structures, logically where Wilson Benesch led with Carbon Fiber in the audio industry and others followed, it is expected that others will now follow and adopt bio-based composite structures within future audio product designs in the coming years.
In addition, Wilson Benesch embraced additive “3D Printing” manufacturing technologies at an early stage, indeed some of the first components developed through the first grant project that Wilson Benesch undertook in 2008 entitled “The Mondrian Project” were entirely based on additively manufactured components. These components were manufactured at the AMRC in Sheffield, and it was ultimately work completed in collaboration with The University of Sheffield, Renishaw PLC and The AMRC that would lead to the final production models of all additively Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) manufactured Titanium parts in the Graviton® Armwand and the Tessellate Cartridges. Additive manufacturing has played a crucial role in the accelerated development of various subsystems of the GMT® One System as well as transforming the performance capabilities of the Graviton® tonearm. Wilson Benesch now operates a fleet of MarkForged additive manufacturing centers within its factory in Sheffield.
The above examples are just a glimpse of the vast intellectual property that forms the foundation of Wilson Benesch’s creative capabilities. The company’s success stems not only from its cutting-edge systems and manufacturing excellence but also from the exceptional craftsmanship of its highly skilled team. Many of these individuals have dedicated decades to bringing Wilson Benesch designs to life, showcasing their unwavering dedication, passion, and talent.
It is the collective efforts of these craftspeople that infuse Wilson Benesch products with an intangible quality rarely found in today’s manufacturing landscape. Their expertise and attention to detail result in products that are instantly recognizable even from a distance, serving as a testament to their collective artistry and commitment to excellence.
GMT® ONE SYSTEM TURNTABLE
GMT® One System is a collection of completely new solutions that have been brought together to create one harmonious analogue replay system. Every aspect of the design serves a purpose, leaving no room for redundancy or embellishment. Interdependent systems are harmonized and finely tuned through careful material choice and novel design that extract incremental and cumulative improvements that go beyond the sum of the parts.
Beyond technical considerations, the GMT® One System acknowledges the precious nature of its task. It is designed for those who value their vinyl record collections not just as possessions but as a responsibility, it is designed for the archivist. Similar to a fine watch, classic car, or cherished family heirloom, ownership is transient, and preservation is paramount. This understanding of the profound significance of music and its contribution to life is woven into every aspect of the GMT® One System.
To date almost all turntable designs rely on technologies that restrict any potential for significant improvement in performance. Examples of such technologies include belt drives, coil springs for isolation, screw threads for precision adjustment, and a tendency to increase the mass of a turntable to increase its perceived value.
Another almost ubiquitous element of other analogue systems is the assembly of multiple sub-systems, bringing together products from two or three different brands to assemble a system. The GMT® One System eliminates the potential pitfalls of an assembly of third party products by providing a unified interdependency between components so as to create one homogeneous whole. This is achieved through the utilization of advanced materials science, cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, meticulous attention to geometrical precision and novel ways of approaching the problem. Some of the more notable developments have entirely eliminated the potential for inaccuracy and poor setup and installation.
The Unified System design approach that was first seen in the Wilson Benesch Total System of 1996 aims to bring harmony to system design that goes beyond the turntable and includes the phono stage as an integral and adjustable element also. The critical aim in this case is to preserve the precious millivolt signals of the MC cartridge, again, driven by the credo of building in cumulative improvements rather than cumulative errors. When sub-systems are optimized to seamlessly work together, the overall quality of the system surpasses the sum of its individual parts. Comprised of no fewer than 27 completely novel developments the GMT® One System’s unified design produces a new reference for analogue replay.
OMEGA DRIVE
Invented for one purpose only, the OMEGA Drive and ALPHA Drive designs were developed by a team of Doctors, Professors and Engineers formed under the GMT Consortium in 2019. This team was brought together with the aid of £326,000 of public funding from Innovate UK. The collaborative team comprised of Dr Faris Al Naemi, Dr Jon Travis and Professor Cockerham of The Sheffield University and Dr Carl Broomfield and Neil Broomfield of CAAS Audio. However, the pursuit of a turntable drive that meet the highest standards of audio quality and minimal deviations in the time domain has been a significant challenge extending over two-decades and this work can be found through publicly funded and therefore publicly available grant projects originally under the project name ‘The Mondrian Project’.
The OMEGA Drive motor is a collection of diverse technologies developed through expertise in electro-magnetic structural engineering, dynamic electro-magnetics, coil winding and precision machining of metals and polymers. The circumjacent radial force design of the OMEGA Drive motor provides a unique method of power transmission, resulting in smooth and precise rotation of the turntable platter. This innovative design eliminates the noise and vibration of all prior art. The OMEGA Drive is a slot less synchronous motor, delivering vanishingly low torque ripple and speed stability. 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).
Prof. Eric Laithwaite of The University of Manchester who invented the linear motor derived an equation of “goodness” which described motor efficiency in general terms and in which he interpreted that motor efficiency increases with size and thus “goodness” increases as efficiency increases. At 15” the OMEGA Drive is the largest motor ever designed and developed for a turntable. The most commonly used direct drive motor in turntable design today is just 3.07”, five times smaller than the OMEGA Drive.
However, there are multiple complex factors that govern the performance of a motor. The position the coils, the density of the coil winding, the position of the magnets, the strength and flux pattern of the magnets, the mass of the moving components, the method of delivering the current to the system and of course the crucial design of the bearing.
During the development, WB evaluated and eventually defined the exact size of the rotor and the placement of the NDFeB magnets. This process was conducted using finite element modelling and evaluated skewing and complex NdFeB geometrical forms. WB also invested in coil winding machinery and recruited a graduate to work exclusively to work on this task. Precision mandrels were developed to interactively define the geometry of the coils.
The stator is responsible for governing the synchronicity of the rotor. It achieves unprecedented levels of accuracy with minimal torque ripple, no noise and zero cogging. Once synchronicity is achieved the system requires no feedback or complex speed compensation; the simplicity of a synchronous motor ensures exceptional speed stability.
MAGNETIC COUNTER FORCE DESIGN
Accurately calculating Hertzian forces is crucial in engineering mechanical systems, especially in turntables and tonearms with single point contact designs. The analysis of Hertzian forces becomes vital due to the high pressure levels applied to materials. The OMEGA Drive motor, weighing 14kg (31lbs), is the largest motor designed for a turntable.
Following a comprehensive analysis conducted by The Sheffield Hallam University, led by Dr. Faris Al-Naemi, a magnetic counter force design was developed to reduce the overall mass of the dynamic parts that comprise the platter. This design incorporates two powerful N30H NdFeB magnets to ensure that the Hertzian forces at the contact point of the Angstrom bearing are well within tolerance limits. This approach minimizes wear and provides sufficient force for the efficient transfer of energy from the platter to the entire system within the FrACTal Motor Chassis.
The combination of these features results in a turntable design that is unmatched in elegance, simplicity and precision. The body of work represents the largest study of direct drive motor design ever undertaken by any audio company and the results are a valuable IP asset protected by a patent.
The Unified System design approach that was first seen in the Wilson Benesch Total System of 1996 aims to bring harmony to system design that goes beyond the turntable and includes the phono stage as an integral and adjustable element also. The critical aim in this case is to preserve the precious millivolt signals of the MC cartridge, again, driven by the credo of building in cumulative improvements rather than cumulative errors. When sub-systems are optimized to seamlessly work together, the overall quality of the system surpasses the sum of its individual parts. Comprised of no fewer than 27 completely novel developments the GMT® One System’s unified design produces a new reference for analogue replay.
ALPHA DRIVE
The ALPHA Drive was developed in parallel with the OMEGA Drive motor. It is a sophisticated set of electronics that is design to deliver low torque to minimize torque ripple, which is a major challenge in motor drives. A novel start up algorithm is delivered by the onboard micro-processor which overcomes the significant air gap between the stator and the rotor in the OMEGA Drive. The OMEGA Drive then accelerates to synchronicity. Constant speed is then maintained by the micro-processor in the ALPHA Drive which delivers three pure sine waves via three linear class-A amplifiers to the 21 magnetic poles in the OMEGA Drive. The sine wave accuracy is governed by an onboard 11.2896 MHz quartz crystal. One phase is delivered to 7 poles in a 7by7by7 formation. Each phase has its own discrete linear class-A amplifier that delivers a low distortion 1.2amp high-quality sine wave.
The synchronization of the motor and the high inertia of the platter are the driving forces behind the OMEGA Drive’s exceptional precision. There are Hall sensors which monitor the speed and ensure that the armwand Piezo VTA Control System cannot function until precise and accurate speed has been attained in the OMEGA Drive.
LeVeL ISOLATION SYSTEM
Wilson Benesch’s development of the LeVeL Isolation System underscores the importance of structural stability in high-precision systems like the GMT® One System. By collaborating with Thorlabs, a renowned manufacturer of optomechanical isolation systems, Wilson Benesch ensures that the foundation for their system meets the highest standards of reliability and performance.
The LeVeL Isolation System operates at the microscopic level, addressing concerns about resonance that are crucial in both measurement and transcription applications, such as vinyl transcription. Utilizing four micro-processor-controlled pneumatic rams, the LeVeL System continuously monitors and adjusts the GMT® One System with remarkable precision, ensuring stability even in the face of disturbances. The system’s resonant frequency of 1.7 Hertz further attests to its effectiveness in mitigating resonance issues.
Addressing concerns such as center of gravity and equal distribution of mass at all four supporting points, the LeVeL System has been designed to perfectly offset the mass of the off-axis OMEGA Drive motor, Graviton® Armwand, Piezo VTA Control System and STAGE One that all reside upon it. WB have meticulously designed, and precision machined the LeVeL Isolation System plinth, such that it adheres to the inverted pyramid form that is critical for the Thorlabs system to operate optimally. With decades of use in demanding laboratory environments, the LeVeL Isolation System with the Thorlabs system at its heart provides a reliable platform for the GMT® One System to deliver ultimate reference accuracy and consistency.
In addition is also provides another barrier to spurious energy in the listening room from entering the most sensitive elements of the GMT® One System. A medical grade air compressor system is provided with the LeVeL Isolation System. This is a discrete, oil-free compressor that only operates if a significant disturbance to the LeVeL Isolation System occurs. It can be installed in a separate room away from the GMT® One System.
STAGE ONE
The STAGE One’s innovative “over arm” design represents a significant advancement in the step-up process for cartridge micro voltages. By positioning the step-up stage directly above the tonearm, this design achieves an unprecedented level of proximity between the cartridge and the step-up stage. This closeness minimizes signal losses and distortion, ensuring that the delicate signals from the cartridge are preserved with utmost fidelity.
One of the primary benefits of this design is the elimination of the need for multiple interconnects and long cables. By establishing a direct connection between the cartridge and the step-up stage, the STAGE One mitigates the potential for signal degradation that can occur with extended cable runs. Additionally, by minimizing the distance travelled by the signal, the STAGE One reduces susceptibility to external environmental electromagnetic interference (EMF), further enhancing signal integrity.
This direct connection between the cartridge and the step-up stage ensures that the precious signals generated by the cartridge are protected and preserved throughout the amplification process. As a result, the STAGE One delivers reduced or even eliminated losses and distortions, allowing the true essence of the music to be faithfully captured and reproduced.
The STAGE One represents a breakthrough in cartridge signal amplification, offering unparalleled care and precision in handling delicate audio signals. Its innovative design sets a new standard for preserving the integrity of the music, ensuring an unparalleled listening experience for audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike.
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