Thanks for the info about the WB speakers.
I am considering the ACT evo as an option for my current hunt of new pair of speakers.
But I am little hesitant because it has only one 7 inch bass driver. Which feels not justified at this price point. Should I be concrete about the dynamics, slam and how low it goes?
Hello,
I feel the ACT ONE evolution carries plenty of bass response. Too often people get caught up in the size of drivers and the numbers. So many factors play into how one perceives bass in a room. Room dimensions, room size, speaker position, and listening position are all crucial in obtaining the best sounding bass. This is why you can walk into some demonstrations featuring small bookshelf speakers and you wonder if the subwoofer is on. Also, a speaker is a sum of its parts. It's not just about one 7 inch bass drive unit. Cabinet design and cabinet volume have to be taken into consideration. By installing the Tactic II Bass Drive Unit inside the 26-litre lower enclosure of the A.C.T. One Evolution, maximum dynamics, deep powerful bass frequency response and precision are achieved.
In my opinion It's better to think about obtaining the overall sound that you want instead of focusing on the performance of individual drive units. Having said that Wilson Benesch is a pioneer in creating some of the best drivers in the industry. Everything in the geometry series is designed and is made in house. Although many of their drivers look similar across the geometry series they are all actually quite different. There are actual physical changes made to individual drive units specific to each model in the line. It's a pretty amazing level of engineering that goes into cabinet design and drive unit design to avoid complicated electrical crossovers. They are building instruments and prefer to make changes to the physical domain instead of the electrical domain (cross-over). This is more time consuming and more expensive and requires more effort on the manufacturing side of things, but ultimately allows them to produce a product that sounds more natural (in my opinion).
Here is a quote from Alan Sircom HiFi Issue 30
"I don’t want to get carried away by the bass. There is a lot more to this loudspeaker than bottom end. It’s just that the loudspeaker does bass so well, and so deep: that unbraced cabinet makes it TARDIS like and far bigger on the inside than you’d expect and that means more cabinet volume and that means more bass – but the level of control the A.C.T. One Evolution has over that bass is insane." (full review link below).
TARDIS stands for - Time And Relative Dimension In Space
http://www.wilson-benesch.com/reviews/A.C.T.-One-Evolution-HiFi+-Issue-130-Wilson-Benesch-LR.pdf
So to answer your question.... I do not believe you should be "concerned" about the bass response. But you should listen to the speaker and decide if it meets your expectations. Also, I believe in adding REL stereo subwoofers or the Wilson Benesch Torus infrasonic generators to systems for added bass extension and more clarity. I'm a believer that properly integrated stereo subwoofers are a game changer that many audiophiles have a tendency to overlook or underestimate.
Good luck on your journey and let me know if I can assist you further. Here is a youtube video of the ACT ONE's that I made. If you forward 5 minutes in you will get to the music segment. The subs were turned off during this demonstration. Enjoy!
Cheers,
Deva
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