The 800 Series Diamond range of loudspeakers are available in a spectrum of configurations with pricing between $800 and $35,000. While Bowers & Wilkins is well known for its 800 series of speakers, the company has announced a new line, the 800 Series Diamond range of speakers, which include a re-imagining of the conventional loudspeaker drive unit using the company’s proprietary Biomimetic Suspension system.
The new 800 Series Diamond range continues to feature seven models, beginning with the two-way 805 D4 stand-mount speaker. In addition, the company has a series of three-way floorstanding models, including the 804 D4, 803 D4 and 802 D4. For the flagship model in the range, Bowers & Wilkins has also reintroduced the 801 D4 to replace the existing 800 D3. For home theater use, the HTM81 D4 and HTM82 D4 provide a pair of high-performance center channel speakers to complete the range.
According to Bowers & Wilkins, each new model in the range combines hundreds of detail improvements plus several entirely new technologies. In terms of design, the company says the 800 Series Diamond range features refined, elegant cabinet proportions plus luxurious, premium detailing including a new Satin Walnut finish, joining the established selection of Gloss Black, White and Satin Rosenut.
Every stereo model in the range has an upgraded cabinet design with an all-new rigid, cast aluminum top section – replacing the previous wooden version. The profile of the new aluminum top is finished in ‘Leather by Connolly’ – in black for dark cabinets (Black, Satin Rosenut) and light gray for lighter finishes (White, Satin Walnut).
Every model in the range adopts a revised version of the company’s Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing, with a new, elongated tube-loading system. This stiff enclosure resists unwanted resonance and produces exceptional acoustics, according to the company, especially when combined with a new two-point decoupling system that isolates it from the rest of the loudspeaker. As before, the Solid Body Tweeter is milled from a single solid block of aluminum and now, it uses an anodized finish, either dark or light depending on the cabinet color.
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The 804 D4 also has a downward-firing port with an aluminum plinth. Alongside the 805 D4 and 804 D4, the all-new HTM82 D4 center speaker adopts the reverse-wrap cabinet form of its siblings.
800 Series Diamond Speakers Include Lots of New Tech
On the tech front, the loudspeakers include the company’s Continuum Cone, FST and Biomimetic Suspension technologies. The result of an eight-year research program, the composite Continuum Cone – used for both midrange and mid/bass applications – is combined with the company’s Fixed Suspension Transducer (FST) technology when used as a midrange drive unit in Bowers & Wilkins floorstanding speakers.
The newest innovation from Bowers & Wilkins is the all-new composite Biomimetic Suspension that replaces the conventional fabric spider with a minimalist composite suspension system. The technology greatly reduces unwanted air pressure (or sound) that a conventional fabric spider can generate in a midrange cone.
In all three-way models, midrange drive units include a highly stiff all-aluminum chassis featuring Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) to quieten any resonance. These complete drive units and motor systems are then isolated on sprung-mounted decoupling mounts, further restricting the flow of vibration into the assembly.
The 803 D4, 802 D4 and 801 D4 also include a stiff all-aluminum Turbine Head enclosure for their midrange drive units.
The HTM81 D4 and HTM82 D4 features an internal aluminum enclosure. Meanwhile, the company’s signature Solid Body Tweeter housing that is machined from a solid piece of aluminum now features an elongated form (almost 30cm/12 inches long) with a longer internal tube-loading system.
Lastly, the 805 D4 and 804 D4 now feature the reverse wrap speaker cabinet previously reserved for the larger floor-standing 800 Series Diamond models. The 804 D4 now joins the other floorstanding models in the 800 Series Diamond range by offering a downwards-firing Flowport bass port, exiting on to a new, stiffer solid aluminum plinth designed to offer a more solid foundation and to control unwanted resonance. The 804 D4 also has upgraded spikes and feet, with huge M12 spikes that are both more stable and stiffer than the outgoing M6 designs.
Models and Prices:
- 801 D4U: $35,000
- 802 D4: $26,000
- 803 D4: $20,000
- 804 D4: $12,500
- 805 D4: $8,000
- HTM81 D4: $7,500
- HTM82 D4: $5,500
- FS-805 D4: $1,200
- FS-HTM D4: $800
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