They should charge more for it…

I haven't heard it, I'm not sure I intend to stop off at a room it will be in when at an audio show.

WB, Linn, Pink Triangle, Naim when encountered at an Audio Event have not been an experience that has been able to capture my attention, even when in a past guise as an individual with a audio interest I was using a Linn Deck.

WB has an existence that had been assisted with being awarded Grant Monies. 

 Noteworthy innovations resulting directly from grant funded research:

In 1989, Wilson Benesch was awarded its first grant. The application focused on plans to develop a new turntable that would use new materials technology to advance performance. £25,000 was awarded to Wilson Benesch by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTi) under the SMART Award scheme designed to fund innovation. The direct outcome of the SMART Award funding was the company's first two products, the Wilson Benesch Turntable and the A.C.T. One Tonearm. The Wilson Benesch Turntable featured an advanced composite sub-chassis, constructed from a Nomex core with a carbon fibre skin. The A.C.T. One Tonearm was constructed from carbon fibre composite in a hyperbolic tube.

In 1997, Wilson Benesch was awarded a second DTi Grant under the SMART Award scheme. Wilson Benesch was awarded £250,000 for an application that outlined a proposal to develop another dynamic drive unit based around materials technology previously not used in drive unit design. The project was code named 'The Bishop Project' by Wilson Benesch. The outcome was the company's Tactic Multirole Drive Unit. The drive unit features a Neodymium Rare Earth Magnet and an Isotactic Polypropylene cone that was developed through collaborative research with the University of Leeds and Professor Ian Ward.^[7] The first product which used this drive technology was the Bishop loudspeaker in 1999. The drive technology was also subsequently used in the company's Odyssey Range and the Square Series.

In 2003, Wilson Benesch was awarded its third DTi Grant under the SMART Award scheme. Wilson Benesch was awarded £186,000 for an application that outlined the development of a patentable drive unit design, capable of reproducing low frequency sound. The outcome was the company's Torus Infrasonic Generator. Wilson Benesch patented the design, electing to name it according to the designs unique motor design which has no spider to reset the drive unit cone to its resting position, instead the design introduced a new approach that used a push-pull drive design, with the resting position of the cone being determined by two electromagnets.

In 2008, Wilson Benesch won its fourth DTi Grant under the SMART Award scheme. Wilson Benesch was awarded £146,000 for an application that outlined the development of a patentable analogue replay system. The company entitled the research and development project, the Mondrian Project,^[10] and have published a number of project reports, but has announced no outcomes or products directly from the research project to date.

2009 SMART grant funding of £156,000 to develop nested tube cable. The design is a patented design.

Horizon 2020 EU grant 2017 −2021 SSUCHY brought together 17 European partners. The project was accomplished after being extended six months beyond the original 48 months, from September 2017 to August 2021, with a total budget of €7 411 150, including €4 457 195 of BBI JU contribution. Wilson Benesch commercialised its development outcomes in a new generation of loudspeakers called Fibonacci Series which superseded the Geometry Series Wilson Benesch secured £320,000 grant funding to develop the world's first bio composite monocoque

GMT Consortium. IUK Funding At the close of 2020, Wilson Benesch brought together a consortium that successfully won £327,000 of Innovate UK funding. The consortium was composed of Sheffield Hallam University – Dr F. Al-Naemi, Dr J. Travis and Professor G. Cockerham. These scientists have enabled the most nuanced and sophisticated modelling to be accomplished using state of the art 3D software and have been critical to the success of the project. Secondly, the highly innovative CAAS Audio, which is also based in South Yorkshire and is driven by the proven world-class expertise of Dr C. Broomfield and N. Broomfield. Since winning this essential funding, the consortium has pioneered a completely new motor and dedicated poly-phase motor power supply system. The Omega Drive and Alpha Power Supply is a patented applied for design. The GMT was launched in May 2022 and first production will be available in Q1 of the companies 35th Anniversary year. Wilson Benesch has only ever produced 3 turntable systems. All three designs have adopted all of the full system approach of turntable, tone arm cartridge, support furniture and first stage amplification being conceived as a whole as opposed to an assemblage of discrete designs being assembled together to create the whole.

I found one price only for the Tesselate TI  Cartridge @ $21K - Unknown Cantilever Material  

I was to meet the Competitors of above mentioned Companies in the Hallways of Hotels at large UK based commercial orientated Audio Events.

There is nothing remembered as endearing about the encounters, the sale was all that mattered, the interaction in the Hallways were almost a press gang activity and when one was guided into a Room with wares for sale, the room was to be closed until the full sales spiel was given. Not only one unwanted stay was to be endured.

The Zeitgeist at the time was where the UK was under remaining heavily under the shadow of a particular Government that was very liberal towards very aggressive marketing and closed won sales. Those who missed the main party and exploitation of the markets, were wanting their piece of the pie.

The ego of the sales person was everything, the better they blended the Company Sales Spiel with their own additions, was where the closed win sales were sought, it was a huge group who were aware of the BS to be endured at such events and at sales outlets in the high street. The proportion of Sales individuals who were not loyal to anything but the sale, were able to filtrate into particular areas where sales were strong and be hit an run as they migrated across many markets from Car Sales to Window Sales, Pension Sales, Mortgage Sales, where ever the best buck was being made known to be extracted they were to be found.

 To Companies sales are their lifeblood, which left them having to absorb such a presence which might not have been most desirable to them.

For myself and I know of quite a few other as well, walked away from meeting such faces of a Business and met those who were much more hands on with the products produced as well as being the face of the business, the fork in the tongue was not a concern when having changed how I discovered audio equipment. 

Being in a Room with Tim De Paravicini was an education, and meeting small turnover Businesses was a joy.

It does seem the Sale is no longer King, the absurdity of the Sale price is now King. It looks like the expected customer count to buy is a guaranteed realization.

Those who spend monies like this, are paying others to purchase on their behalf. This is the sort of product theses hired services seek out, especially where items are limited, can be personalised and are pricey with a name that is known in small circles. 

To the average Audio Enthusiast and one with substantial disposable income for their hobby, Wilson Benesch is a remembered name, not something looked into to see what is in their pipeline, this can only really be because the pricing is expected to be way beyond what is usually deemed expensive.   

Maybe £10 000 000 is the sales forecast by 2030 and the investors passing on monies like the returns over the next five years.

How many Investors parted with funds?

How many does one think owns a Vinyl LP?