Standard Finish: $34,000
- Matt Titanium
Upgrade Finish: $39,000
- Polished Silver
Upgrade Finish: $41,000
- Polished Gold
State-of-the-Art single piece Carbon Fiber headshell and arm-tube from the pioneers and leaders in carbon fiber audio engineering. Complete with additively manufactured Titanium counter-balance, featuring a tessellated internal Titanium structure with Titanium Powder Fractal Damping throughout.
A single piece molded, tapered carbon fiber tube that incorporates a quadruple helix construction that is further reinforced by a graphene epoxy matrix. The GRAVITON® Ti Armwand tube geometry is informed by previous generation WB tonearms, however the armtube is further evolved and advanced through the addition of uni-directional carbon fiber and a Rohacell sandwich section. The development of the GRAVITON® Ti Armwand has been a collaborative effort undertaken with the FEMTO Institute, France and The Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). Data provided by SHU demonstrates the exceptional strength and rigidity of the armtube; a notable data point shows that under a maximum stress force of 1,232psi, the deflection of the armtube is just 0.003mm. This remarkable stiffness ensures that the highest resonant frequency is attained.
The tonearm is the second interface in the chain following the cartridge, its construction has a significant and direct impact on the sound reproduced. Just as the materials and construction geometry in a Stradivarius violin contribute to its unique sound, so the materials and geometry in a tonearm play a crucial role. Unlike a violin, a tonearm should not introduce any additional information to the transcription process. A tonearm should function as a precise measuring tool, allowing the cartridge stylus to accurately transcribe the information contained within the groove of the record. A key concern of tonearm design originates around the fact that energy generated by the cartridge can create sympathetic vibrations in the arm.
Heritage: The A.C.T. One Tonearm
At the time when the original A.C.T. One Tonearm was developed in 1989, metal was the predominant material used in tonearm designs. WB research indicated that advanced composite materials would offer superior specific stiffness and damping. To verify if these materials translated into a sonic performance advantage WB conducted extensive trials using a test rig with a detachable cartridge head. Multiple materials including aramids, glass, carbon and various hybrid constructions were tested and evaluated. The empirical data set from these trials directly informed the advanced composite construction of the A.C.T. One Tonearm. Decades later during the SSUCHY Grant Project, WB collaborated directly with the FEMTO Institute, France, who tested the function of these materials at both the macro and micro level providing peer reviewed scientific data for the first time that underlined the properties of advanced composite materials. The SSUCHY Project research concluded that the balance of stiffness and damping selected by WB in 1989 was close to optimal underlining the empirical observations made at the time. The research concluded,
1. The Hyperbolic Curve of the arm is the optimum geometry for a beam. Providing zero redundancy of materials, being progressively smaller in diameter the further away it gets from the pivot point.
2. The woven fabric 0/90-degree fiber orientation in the carbon fiber fabric orientates the fibers in a helix like DNA which provides maximum torsional stiffness.
3. The 0/90 fiber orientation also increases surface area; if the length of the fibers down the length of the armtube are increased, the pathway that energy must travel down the tube is increased. As this energy travels down the long fibers, it meets with millions of fiber boundaries created by the fibers oriented in the other axis, each fiber is therefore a barrier and a point at which this energy can be damped and dissipated. The 0/90 orientation therefore also delivers orders of magnitude superior damping.
4. Molded as a single piece construction including the armtube and headshell, the component is one functional engineering structure that omits discontinuities where one component is bolted to another which in turn can create a reflective boundary to energy being transmitted down the armtube. If the objective is to damp energy, bolted headshells are a compromise to the tonearm structure.
State-of-the-Art Design:
Selective Laser Sintered (SLS) Manufacturing
WB has always been inspired and informed by sacred geometry found within nature. Natural geometric forms have been studied for millennia, but have evolved through millions of years of evolution and these forms and their mathematical relationships are now well understood. Using the analogy of human biology, if the cartridge were considered the skull, the armtube the spine, it follows that the counterbalance and pivot structures at the end of all tonearms would be akin in this analogy to the human pelvis which has an anatomically complex function to provide load bearing, stabilization and movement – three important functions of the counter balance and pivot in a tonearm.
In the human pelvis the internal density of the bones varies according to function, where additional stiffness is required additional bone density can be observed. When observed under a microscope, the bone structure can be appreciated as repeatable triangular or latticed structures. The triangle is commonly seen in many structures, including the truss in architecture. The triangle represents the most economical form to create a ridged structure. Viewing the pelvis now from an exterior perspective, again this basic triangular form can be observed.
When studying the Graviton® Ti counterbalance structure, at the macro level the triangular structures across the components can be appreciated and these exist not only in basic two dimensional views but also when appreciating the structures in a three dimensional helical perspective. At a micro level, the triangular geometry is also found internally within these components where WB has designed the counterbalance to contain a repeating tessellated latticed structure within the titanium. This can easily be appreciated at the top of the counterbalance where the structure can be seen through, but in fact under the solid titanium skin there exists tessellation through the entire counterbalance structure.
The tessellated structures impart multiple advantages
1. Maximum stiffness across the counterbalance
2. Minimal material use; there is zero redundance of materials in the Graviton® Ti Armwand. WB have reduced the mass of the armwand without compromising its function. This is most easily appreciated when observing the hollow structure at the top of the armwand where WB reduced the mass to maintain the perfect center of gravity across the whole armwand.
3. Optimal energy damping; the complex internal geometry of the counterbalance forms a highly damped structure that also benefits from powdered titanium internal sections that act like sandbags to absorb energy.
The development of the Graviton® Ti Armwand was a collaborative effort. The original shape and form of the titanium structures used in the armwand were developed through a project led by Dr. James Hunt of The Sheffield University in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre who dedicated four graduate engineers with diverse disciplines and training, each bringing their unique perspectives to the development. WB then drew heavily upon the expertise from leaders in the field of SLS manufacturing through its partnership with Renishaw PLC and Professor Morvan Ouise of the FEMTO Institute. An iterative design process was undertaken, evolving the complex geometry of the counterbalance structures using powerful state of the art generative design software tools from Renishaw PLC to mimic geometry found in nature. The structures created by SLS were then measured by the FEMTO Institute and the data informed the evolution until the optimal structures were achieved.
With these advancements, all the metal components of the Graviton® Ti Armwand are produced with precise tolerances and unparalleled function. The structures incorporate hollow sections, tessellated sections, and sections where titanium powder has been intentionally left un-sintered. These complex structures could not have been achieved through any other means of production. The structures are now registered designs.
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