The new 800 Series Diamond re-writes the rules of high-end loudspeaker performance
For almost 40 years generation after generation of the 800 Series from Bowers & Wilkins has set the standard other loudspeakers attempt to follow. Now, on the advent of the company’s 50th anniversary, the new 800 Series Diamond redefines what is possible from a Hi-Fi loudspeaker.
The new 800 Series Diamond is the result of an intensive seven-year project to make the best better. A combination of tireless research and development, advanced engineering and countless hours of listening by the very best ears in the business has produced a range of loudspeakers that place the listener closer to the recording than ever thought possible.
Such is the fundamental evolution of the range that almost all of the component parts are different from the outgoing 800 Series Diamond.
As Bowers & Wilkins Head of Research Martial Rousseau says, “This is not a product update. This is a completely re-imagined entity. One of the sole remaining elements is the Diamond tweeter. We found it impossible to improve on the performance offered by diamond.“
The exceptional Diamond dome tweeter may have been retained, but the rest of the loudspeaker has been re-imagined from the ground up to deliver an uncompromising high-fidelity sound that sets a new benchmark for loudspeaker technologies.
The changes involve a vast number of technological, engineering and acoustic innovations that combine to create a sublime listening experience. Most striking is the transformation of the midrange drive units. A new Continuum cone featuring superior acoustic properties replaces the Kevlar cones that have long been a major factor of the 800 Series’ blisteringly realistic midrange performance. Bass performance has also been dramatically improved by the introduction of the Aerofoil cone, which considerably reduces distortion thanks to new cone geometry.
These innovations, when teamed with improved cabinets, a more robust Matrix bracing system, a new solid body tweeter assembly and the vastly improved Turbine head design means the new 800 Series Diamond represents the nirvana of reference quality sound.
Testament to Bowers & Wilkins desire to consistently produce class-leading loudspeakers, the entire manufacturing plant in Worthing, West Sussex, was redesigned specifically for production of the new 800 Series Diamond, creating a speaker that does not rely on its reputation alone to deliver superlative performance.
In addition, the new 800 Series Diamond features a radical new aesthetic that delivers a slender, more modern industrial design. With the Turbine head constructed from a single piece of aluminium sitting on a sleek reverse-wrap cabinet crafted from layers of wood, which are curved into shape under intense pressure, the new 800 Series inspires thoughts of architectural achievement with its sumptuous, acoustically derived lines.
Throughout the range – from the extraordinary 802 D3 to the more accessible 805 D3 – there is something to suit every audiophile preference. Imagined, designed and produced in the UK, the new 800 Series Diamond range is the pinnacle of British acoustic engineering achievement.
Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond Prices and availability
UK £ Availability
800 D3 £22,500 Spring 2016
802 D3 £16,500 October 2015
803 D3 £12,500 October 2015
804 D3 £6,750 October 2015
805 D3 £4,500 October 2015
HTM1 D3 £4,500 each October 2015
HTM2 D3 £3,000 each October 2015
FS-805 D3 £450 per pair October 2015
FS-HTM D3 £450 each October 2015
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