No record? Well, there was one: Jonas Hellborg's Elegant Punk. No, the Prime Meridian certainly didn't lack energy or precision in the low bass. The almost subsonic "Drone" sounded – as expected – more powerful and better defined than ever. But the very fast "It's The Pits, Slight Return," which I've often described as a slap bass onslaught, seemed, at least at first impression, to have lost a bit of its drama. I remembered the track as wilder, more exuberant. On second listen, I understood why: The rapid succession of impulses with abrupt stops simply came across cleaner: There was no ringing, no blurring of sonic events. The Wilson Benesch remained completely unfazed by the concentrated low-frequency force and added no artifacts to the bass roar: Precision instead of agitation.

Word quickly spread among my friends and acquaintances about the exceptional turntable that was visiting my listening room. Since visitors often brought their own records, I was frequently encouraged – or perhaps compelled – to broaden my musical horizons. This led to Krey Baumgartl from the German Wilson Benesch distributor. He had brought along the rare German edition of Kraftwerk's quadruple album, Minimum – Maximum, and wanted to hear "Radioactivity." This wasn't really my cup of tea until the – electronic - bass drum kicked in, followed by the low-frequency synth sounds. I simply wasn't used to hearing so much low-end punch from a record in my listening room. It wasn't just the high energy density, but also the precision of the reproduction: the bass sounded as if carved from marble! And yet, it didn't overpower the rest of the frequency spectrum. The electronically generated reverberation was always just as clearly perceptible as the many decorative electronic sounds. I was so impressed by Kraftwerk and Wilson Benesch that I immediately checked Discogs to see if one of their quadruple albums was available. It was, but at a prohibitive price, especially considering that the Wilson Benesch will be picked up again in the not-too-distant future. This was a source of regret not only for me, but also for a friend and dedicated Led Zeppelin fan who had brought along reissues of the first three albums. I let him and his wife have the armchairs in the listening room for a while. When I wanted to have a quick listen myself, "Bring It On Home" from the album Led Zeppelin II, which I also know quite well, was playing. Although I was standing quite far from the sweet spot, I'm absolutely certain I've never heard the electric bass sound so present, energetic, and driving: simply fantastic.