What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Not perfect, but as close as we’ve heard at this level
Pros
- +
Superb projection
- +
speakers almost seem to vanish
Cons
- -
Not cheap
- -
can be a little bright and lack some solidity
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
What do you expect from a pair of speakers costing over five grand? That they should sound good is a given. We suspect most will also want something that's compact, good-looking, and built to a fabulously high standard. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Wilson Benesch's new babies, the Curves.
Now it must be said, they aren't flawless. They are a touch bright at high frequencies, and lack the kind of rock-solid presentation some rivals deliver with ease. However, these negatives pale against the Curve's formidable array of strengths: they project sound better than almost anything else we've heard at this price.
Controlled resonance
The controlled resonance of the cabinets must take credit for this, as the sound is almost independent of the speakers themselves. Close your eyes and it's almost impossible to locate the speakers within the room.
Despite their compact dimensions, these towers aren't afraid of pounding out a heavy beat when the music demands. The 17cm middle drive unit looks after everything from the midrange down, while the lower driver only delivers very low bass only.
Voices are pure and have superb levels of articulation. Test them with Holst's Jupiter and the Curves deliver a sound that combines finesse with muscle in staggeringly good style. These are great-sounding, good-looking speakers, and come closer to being all things to all people than any rival we've heard.
