Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series

The like-for-like upgrade of the company’s most successful and iconic range of high-end loudspeakers has been six years in the making, and every element of care that has been taken is reflected in these gorgeous speakers.

Every stereo model sports an upgraded cabinet design with a rigid, cast aluminium top section – replacing the previous wooden version – which will further improve cabinet quietness, with the profile finished in ‘Leather by Connolly’ in black for Black and

Satin Rosenut models, and light grey for White and Satin Walnut.

The new range sees a fourth cabinet finish added to the lineup: the gorgeous Satin Walnut finish now joins Gloss Black, White and Satin Rosenut.

The new 800 Series Diamond range features seven new models: the twoway 805 D4 stand-mount speaker; a series of three floorstanding models (the 804 D4, 803 D4 and 802 D4); the

HTM81 D4 and HTM82 D4 centre channel speakers for home theatre use, and a new flagship model, the 801 D4 which will replace the existing 800 D3.

The 805 D4 and 804 D4 models both adopt a stylish reverse-wrap cabinet design, which reduces the prominent front baffle while allowing crossovers to be mounted on the rear of each speaker, slotting in just below the rigid aluminium spines. The 804 also adds a downward-firing port with an aluminium plinth, similar to the larger floorstanding speakers.

The Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing features an elongated tube-loading system to highlight higher frequencies while eliminating unwanted resonance.

Eight years of research has resulted in the composite Continuum Cone, which perfectly reproduces mid-range and bass tones, and flourishes as a midrange drive unit in combination with Bowers & Wilkins’ own Fixed Suspension Transducer midrange technology, avoiding the colouration that often cripples traditional cone surround units. Also upping the ante is the fabric spider, an often overlooked feature of a speaker system that has now been revolutionised.

“Every new model in the range combines hundreds of detail improvements plus several entirely new technologies to create the most transparent, detailed and natural-sounding series of loudspeakers Bowers & Wilkins has ever produced,” the company says of the speaker series.

The 803 D4, 802 D4 and 801 D4 models include the all-aluminium Turbine Head enclosure for their midrange drive units, while the HTM81 D4 and HTM82 D4 features an internal aluminium enclosure inside their cabinets to provide well-isolated housing for the midrange drive unit and its decoupling mechanism.

The all-new composite Biomimetic Suspension replaces the traditional fabric spider with a “minimalist composite suspension system” that reduces the unwanted air pressure that results in wanted sound, and bolsters the midrange transparency, offering unmatched realism.

In addition, the careful isolation of the mid-range assembly from the rest of the cabinet means much less interference and bleeding, with the highly stiff all-aluminium chassis and ‘Tuned Mass Dampers’ removing any dissonant resonance. The spring decoupling mounts further stops any unwanted reverbations in the assembly.

The new 800 Series Diamond also perfects the iconic Solid Body Tweeter housing. As with previous models, this consists of a solid piece of aluminium, but now with an elongated form, with a 30cm internal tube-loading system. Like the mid-range assembly, the tweeter is also decoupled from the main speaker body in two separate locations, improving the open sound without any unwanted feedback within the speaker body.

‘Matrix’ is one of Bowers & Wilkins’ key pieces of technology: an internal structure of interlocking panels that brace the loudspeaker, this helps to make the cabinets rigid, and therefore quiet. Over thirty years, Bowers & Wilkins has constantly refined this technology in a bid to offer the most pristine sound experience possible.

The 800 Series Diamond offers the best possible listening experience, with an elegant design that will make these speakers a feature piece in any home.

hundreds of detail improvements plus several entirely new technologies.