Bowers & Wilkins — 800 Diamond Series Loudspeakers
The 4th generation of the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Diamond Series is now available. We are proud to be one of a handful of official Diamond Dealers to get the full range of loudspeakers for you to demo.
Our brand new, acoustic-treated listening room is the perfect place for you to hear the crystal clear, detailed sound & incredible bass of the flagship 801 D4s. A blend of new technology, performance & style, and they sound as good as they look! Bring along your favourite piece of music and hear for yourself.
Bowers & Wilkins 800 D4 Series
Introducing the 800 Diamond Series
The 800 series is produced in Bowers & Wilkins “state-of-the-art” factory, in Worthing, East Sussex. It means the entire process from design to finished product is created here. Everything is considered, down to the finest detail.
Each speaker in the range sounds more detailed, open, and clearer than previous models, which is quite a feat!
Andy Kerr, Director of product marketing at Bowers, sums up the 800 Series nicely:
“We’re trying to make a speaker that doesn’t sound like a speaker.”
Form meets function
801 D4 Gloss Black
As you know, every new incarnation of the 800 series is an evolution of what came before. With each aspect of the loudspeaker being improved upon to deliver the highest level of performance. Bowers have made hundreds of technological changes to the range over the past 5 years. So you hear the music — not the loudspeaker.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the reference quality 801 D4. The most advanced loudspeaker Bowers & Wilkins have produced.
We were lucky enough to hear them in their natural home — Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios. To think of the incredible music that has been created in this space gives us goosebumps.
We listened to three, newly installed, piano black versions of the 801 D4, in the studio’s control room:
“As soon as the music begins, the sound is immediate, clear and detailed. The speakers seem to melt away, and you’re left listening to the music.”
No wonder they’ve been using the 800 Series at Abbey Road for the past 40 years!
Diamond Tweeter
The new series all feature the iconic solid-body Diamond Dome aluminum tweeter, that sits on top. This has been lengthened to 30cm and decoupled in 2 places from the main cabinet — this helps minimise unwanted resonance from the rest of the speaker. There’s a thin membrane of smooth, real diamonds that make up the tweeter — giving the series its name.
“The result is an even-more-believable sense of sounds floating in free space, rather than being restricted to the confines of a loudspeaker cabinet.”
Realistic Midrange
The midrange driver unit, and its motor system, are also isolated from the bass unit beneath using spring-mounted decoupling. They both utilise Bowers & Wilkins Continuum Cone technology, and the floor standers have a new biomimetic ‘composite’ suspension system that doesn’t generate unwanted sound.
Turbine™ Head
The all-aluminum Turbine Head houses the Continuum™ midrange cone in a stiff and critically damped enclosure to eliminate unwanted resonances. At the same time, it’s decoupled from both the bass enclosure and the tweeter body. The result? The most realistic midrange sound yet.
The enhanced Matrix bracing — this reinforces key stress points in the cabinet — “reducing resonance and creating a more believable soundstage.”
A Reverse Wrap cabinet design across the whole range. This means the joints in the cabinet are now at the back, at the furthest point away from the mechanical elements. It also ensures the crossovers are isolated from any internal air pressure — improving acoustic performance. As the cabinets are more inert this gives a more believable sound experience.
Improved decoupling system — means better openness and spaciousness of sound.
Aerofoil bass cone — more accurate, and less distorted bass.
801 D4 — Technical Specifications
- Diamond tweeter
- Solid-body Tweeter-on-Top
- Continuum™ cone FST
- Anti-Resonance plug
- Biomimetic Suspension
- Turbine™ Head
- Matrix™
- Aerofoil™ cone bass units
- Flowport
Description
- 3-way vented-box system
Drive units
- 1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequency
- 1x ø150mm (6in) Continuum cone FST midrange
- 2x ø250mm (10in) Aerofoil cone bass units
801 D4 — £30,000 per pair
The reference-quality 801 D4 is an instant classic, and the most advanced loudspeaker available.
802 D4 — £22,500 per pair
Similar to the 801 D4 but slightly smaller, in a living room-friendly size; yet still exceptional in every regard. Design features include the Turbine™ Head enclosure for its midrange drive unit, and the reverse wrap cabinet.
803 D4 — £16,000 per pair
Delivers incredible acoustic transparency in a more compact size. It has the technical advantages of a dedicated midrange enclosure, with a decoupled midrange cone.
804 D4 — £9,500 per pair
The curved front has improved the soundstage of these floorstanders, as well as the 805 D4. It has studio-grade diamond tweeter technology that sits on top, of these more conventional-looking speakers.
805 D4 — £6,250 per pair
These stand-mount loudspeakers are the most compact model in the 800 Series Diamond™ range, yet they are still packed with advanced technologies: including the Diamond dome tweeter!
