Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series grows wings
The 800 Series Diamond range is the iconic height of the UK-based brand: “everything we know, and everything we are”, as the company says. The new D4 incarnation continues the 800 Series’ reputation since John Bowers introduced the original 801 back in 1979, with the ‘D4’ indicating the fourth set to employ the company’s diamond tweeters, which sit in the decoupled ‘Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top’ housing. In the new series this has a longer tube-loading system, while the aluminium, milled from a single solid block, now has an anodised finish, either dark or light depending on the cabinet colour.
There’s an extra one of those too — a new satin walnut finish (shown on the 802 D4 above, second from left). This joins the gloss black, white, and satin rosenut options. The reverse-wrap cabinet design, first introduced in 2015 for the larger speakers in the series, is now extended to all five models, with front and sides as one continuous curve of laminate layers formed under heat and pressure and a rear spine of solid aluminium — a stiffer, more inert structure, while the curved front reduces the profile of each cabinet’s front baffle, so sound dispersion is improved, and cabinet reflections reduced.
Our favourite innovation is an all-new composite Biomimetic Suspension that replaces the conventional fabric spider for the woven silver-white Continuum (still a secret material) midrange cones on the four models that feature them. This new minimalist composite suspension reduces unwanted and unpredictable air pressure (i.e. sound) that the conventional fabric spider can generate, as shown in the modelling below. The company originally applied for a patent on this back in 2003, and it was granted in 2008; if we have identified the correct patent, the inventor was Stuart Nevill, who has since moved on to become audio acoustic manager at Apple. Andy Kerr, the company’s Director of Product Marketing & Communications, told a virtual gathering of Asia-Pac journos that it has taken since then for the biomimetic design to be developed for practical use, and confirmed that it cannot (yet!) be applied to woofers, as it can be used only where there is relatively minimal cone travel. But for the models that use midrange Continuum cones the claimed result is unprecedented transparency and realism in that frequency range. Mr Kerr also explained that the ‘biomimetic’ (i.e. mimicking nature) element of the new suspension refers to its resemblance to wings, though whether merely physically or in actual terms of dynamic lift is unclear. Local pricing per pair is:
• 801 D4, $52,900;
• 802 D4, $38,900;
• 803 D4, $29,900;
• 804 D4, $18,900;
• 805 D4, $11,900.
There are also two centre speakers, the HTM81 D4 at $11,500 and the HTM82 D4 at $8500. Note that whereas the D3 series had a flagship ‘800’ D3, this is not expected for the D4 series, which returns to honouring Mr Bowers’ original 801 as its high point. More info: www.bowerswilkins.com
With Loewe ‘getting the band together’ under new ownership, we’ve been waiting to see what the first new TV releases will be. Now, following the bild ‘s’ and bild ‘v’ OLED ranges, the new bild ‘i’ range is due in Australia just as we go to press. Again they use 4K OLED panels, here in 48-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, presented in a softer aesthetic with rounder styling and a rear panel covered with fabric, much like the top-of-the-line Loewe bild s.77 model.
The bild i can come either with invisible sound from concealed speakers, or in the ‘is’ version with higher-quality sound from an eight-driver ‘klang’ soundbar below the screen, as in both pictures here. This can also be combined with the new Loewe klang sub5 modular subwoofer, and/or extended to a complete all-in-one home cinema system.
The TVs support both Dolby Vision HDR and passthrough of Dolby Atmos sound thanks to their four 4K-compatible HDMI inputs including eARC, HFR and ALLM, and as is often the case with Loewe, ongoing enhancements via firmware update.
They also utilise Loewe’s new OS7 operating system, promising access to streaming services including Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime.
Key differentiating factors compared with competitors are the standard inclusion of a one terabyte hard drive for recording broadcast TV, and a nice variety of ways for the screen to integrate into the home. A high-quality swivelling table base in basalt grey comes supplied with the TV, but there is also the option of wall-mounting, or an optional floorstand available (pictured left) which allows the TV to rotate in a free-standing position. You may also encounter images of this TV on Loewe’s new floor2ceiling pole stand, but the distributor here, Indi Imports, has decided not to bring this option into Australia.
Prices are $3999 for the 48-inch ($4699 with for the ‘is’ version with soundbar), $4999 (‘is’ version $5799) for the 55-inch, and $6499 (‘is’ $7399) for the 65-inch.
More info: www.indimports.com