IF you’re in the mood to splurge on yourself and have a bit of cash to spare, meet Wilson Benesch’s newest addition to its loudspeaker range, the state-of-the-art Endeavour. A pair can be yours for a mere £25,500 (yes, five-figure)… and that’s just for the standard black finish. Add another thousand quid for the variety of exotic finishes.
The standmount Endeavour is in commemoration of Wilson Benesch’s 25th anniversary this June – and the 250th anniversary of the launch of the HMS Endeavour, the legendary ship that took a certain Captain James Cook across the globe.
The Wilson Benesch literature makes reference to the achievements of the engineers and craftsmen who contributed to the ship’s conquest of the mighty oceans, during the three years she was under Cook’s command.
Endeavour, the loudspeaker, fits into Wilson Benesch’s range-topping Geometry Series and draws inspiration from the flagship Cardinal. It certainly is unique in design, featuring a “geometrically optimised carbon composite top, an alloy baffle profile and spine, and silk black aerospace finishing”.
The drivers are designed and made in-house – the Tactic-II midrange driver is mounted above the Semisphere tweeter on the front baffle, while a set of Tactic-II woofers are mounted on a aluminium bass board underneath in Isobaric configuration.
What is really special, says Wilson Benesch, is the “world’s first carbon-nanotech enclosure” directly behind the midrange unit that ports into the rear. According to the company, this composite of carbon fibre and nanotubes results in an “incredibly still and highly-damped structure” dedicated just to the midrange driver.
Each Endeavour is 1.47m in height, weighs an eye-watering 100kg, and comes with dedicated stands.
Optional finished are gloss white, wood gloss (birds eye maple, red birds eye maple, burr walnut, ebonised walnut, walnut, red tulip and zebrano) and wood satin (natural cherry, maple and oak).
Pre-orders are being taken now, so ask your dealer – there’s a lead time of 12 weeks from the date of order. Meanwhile, enjoy the video clip below, especially the music:
