The launch of the new and improved flagship 800 series by Bowers & Wilkins is always a big deal, and it is important for the entire industry in many ways. Without exception, the 800 series is exemplary in performance, and it represents the motivational challenge for participants from small cottage manufacturers to competitive large global companies in various fields. The ultimate beneficiaries are the broad consumers, who will have a rich product selection and a thriving industry of excellent design.
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The new 800 D4 series, now crowned by the top-of-the-line 801 D4 (a naming convention that goes back to the original 801), continues this tradition. It’s been about six years since the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond range was launched, and more than 40 years since the company’s first ‘no-compromise’ 801 model [Audio Milestones, HFN Jan ’13] hit the market, and here we are with an all-new flagship lineup from the Worthing-based company. The timing is just right, as in a rolling upgrade programme we’ve already seen the 600 and 700 ranges replaced since the 800 D3 models burst onto the cover [HFN Dec ’15], and the company makes no secret of the fact that work on the new 800s started almost as soon as the previous generation was launched.
A lot has changed since the 800 D3 series was launched in 2015: Bowers & Wilkins was first acquired by Silicon Valley’s Eva Automation, and then by Sound United – joining the likes of Denon and Marantz. Meanwhile, the world-famous Steyning Research Establishment has been replaced by a larger facility in Southwater, also in Sussex.
The new 800 series – officially called the “New 800 Series Diamond” – consists of seven models: five main stereo speakers and two matching center channel designs. The range starts with the 805 D4 bookshelf at £6,250 per pair, followed by three floorstanding speakers – the 804 D4 at £9,500, the 803 D4 at £16,000 and the 802 D4 at £22,500 – plus two center speakers: the HTM82 D4 at £4,750, designed for use with the 803 and 804 models, and the HTM81 D4 at £6,500, for the larger speakers. All models are available in a new satin walnut finish, as well as the gloss black, white and satin rosenut offered in the previous range.
The last one is the largest speaker here – the 801 D4 flagship floorstanding speaker, priced at £30,000 per pair, marking a return to the model name of the original 800 series flagship, the 1979 801. The flagship 801 D4 features B&W’s 25mm diamond dome “top tweeter”, a 150mm Continuum cone FST midrange and a pair of 250mm Aerofoil cone bass units, reflex-loaded by a very wide down-firing port.
The last series to have an 800 model was the 800 D3, which was launched as its flagship product [HFN Oct ’16] about a year after the rest of the lineup arrived. Bowers & Wilkins did not make the same statement about this product as it did when it launched the 800 D3, when it clearly stated that almost every component was new except for the odd nut and bolt. However, despite the fact that the new model may look very similar to the 800 D3 it replaces, there have been significant changes.
In addition, the company’s “reverse wrap” technology is now fully adopted, where the entire cabinet component, front and sides, is made as a single mould, using thin wood veneers laminated with glue under heat and enormous pressure. This wraps around to form a conical shell, terminating at the rear with a metal spine, on which the crossover components are mounted for mechanical stability and heat dissipation.
This was already the case for the larger 800 D3 models, and is nothing new in the 801 D4. However, this is an enhanced version of the company’s honeycomb Matrix internal bracing, used again throughout the range. In addition to the horizontal aluminium profiles used in the past, it now also has vertical aluminium profiles, fixed with screws and glue, rather than the simple pressure fit of before. Moreover, the entire Matrix frame is now connected to the front baffle by a 10mm thick steel plate.
All of this is intrinsic, and therefore hidden, but look closely and the changes start to show. The main cabinet top panel, where the midrange ‘turbine’ and tweeter housing sit, is now aluminium, rather than wood on the old models, and trimmed with Connolly leather. The black and satin Rosenut main cabinets have black trim, while the white and satin walnut finishes have light grey trim to match the silver turbine heads used on those colours. Crucially, this top panel is now a structural component, further stiffening the cabinet and the platform for the components above.
The all-aluminium turbine head mounts our Continuum™ midrange cone in a rigid and highly damped housing, eliminating unwanted resonances. At the same time, it is decoupled from the bass cabinet and the tweeter body. The result? The most realistic midrange ever.
3D rendering shows the components of the solid diamond “top tweeter” and the Continuum FST midrange cone (with a new suspension) and the turbine head with proprietary tuned mass damping.
This metal-to-metal fit allows for excellent decoupling of the turbine head, which contains the 15cm Continuum Cone FST “floating” midrange driver, which also gets a foam wedge at its rear mount, plus Techsound damping and an internally improved tuned mass damper. The driver itself now has a four-point silicone decoupling, as well as a new “dual silver” motor, with silver plating on the top plate and pole, to further reduce distortion.
Perhaps the most fundamental change is that sometimes, making a big change requires unconventional thinking. We eliminated the hexagonal accordion-like rear suspension “spider” and replaced it with a flexible “bionic” suspension, with thin legs connecting the cone to the basket. By greatly reducing the unwanted air pressure and coloration that the traditional fabric spider might produce, we completely changed the midrange performance. The result? A midrange transparency that you won’t believe.
The 25mm diamond dome tweeter on top of the turbine head is now located in a longer machined aluminium “top solid tweeter” tube loading system, to improve the attenuation of rearward energy. The motor now has two, rather than three, neodymium magnets, reducing the compression behind the dome, while extra vents in the voice coil former further enhance this “free breathing” design. The decoupling between the tweeter tube and the midrange head is also improved by two L-shaped steel brackets covered with silicone rubber.
The bass speakers look bigger, but the size is a visual illusion caused by the use of new foam anti-resonance plugs in the center of each 25cm Aerofoil bass unit. Behind the cone, the steel in the motor system has been upgraded to better handle the current and reduce distortion, while a single spider replaces the dual units used in the old models.
Finally, the cabinet bottom has a new aluminium plate, which reinforces it around the downward-venting Flowport, the heavier alloy plinth now has 360° castors for easy positioning, and threaded holes can accept long spikes to adjust the forward tilt of the speaker.
Yes, the 801 D4 may look very much like the 800 D3 it replaces, but it’s almost entirely different, as its performance owes to all the changes made by the B&W R&D team. PM’s listening room was powered by the formidable 350W Classé Delta pre/power amplifiers [HFN Jun ’21] and Melco N1ZS20 music library [HFN Jun ’17], proving that while they like a good clean power, they can produce amazing results when driven as such.
In fact, after placing the speakers in the long-established optimum position of the resident 800 D3s, we later pulled them a little away from the wall, which was easy to do with the new wheel arrangement, so powerful was the bass here from the Classé/B&W combination. While this didn’t change the weight of the available low end, which was always astonishing, it did make things a little tighter, and highlighted the excellent low-end clarity of the speakers.
With the studio tradition of the 801 series, the original was quickly adopted by Abbey Road as a reference. It seemed only fitting to start the audition with some classical music, in the form of the superb Octave Records two-volume set of Zuill Bailey playing Bach’s solo cello suites [Octave OCT-0008; DSD64]. There was an instant sense of wonder, a feeling of the instrument in space. I was tempted to turn up the volume a bit, as the 801 D4s consume a lot of power, and play very loud without strain. Thus the demonstration became more “real”, from the sound of the bow on the strings and the resonance of the strings to, of course, the body of the instrument and the acoustics around it.
The superb recording was conveyed with an extraordinary sense of presence and detail, but all for the benefit of the music, rather than distracting from it. These speakers never let themselves be listened to quickly. The 801 D4s draw you into the music, and don’t let go, their presentation being so captivating.
A familiar test track – Jerry Junkin/Dallas Winds’ recording of John Williams’ 1941 march [In The Movies; Reference Recordings RR-142, DSD64]. It was thrilling from the start, with the distant percussion under the opening woodwind phrase perfectly resolved. When the bass drum kicked in, it did so with a firm conviction and absolute speed, the snare drum’s snap and the crispness of the tuned percussion balancing the impact of the bass, and the wide dynamic of the track building on the excitement.
The mix of roaring low frequencies and absolute detail also served Max Richter’s Exiles [DG 00289 486 0445] well, in the “Haunted Ocean” track, where the bass really had a menacing presence and filled the room without being excessive or overblown, and still left plenty of space for the fine instruments above.
Loading Patricia Barber’s latest album Clique [Impex IMP7002; DXD], her vocal entrance in “Do We Dance?” was surprising for its focused intimacy. It just hung in the room between the speakers, accompanied by the stunning clarity of the bass, brushes and piano. The warmth of the atmosphere was lovely, as was Jim Gailloreto’s sax solo soaring out of the mix, precisely placed, with a wonderful breathiness and sense of the keys being worked.
Anna Fedorova’s new album Shaping Chopin [Channel Classics CCS 43621; DSD128], her reading of the three Mazurkas, Op.50, dealt with the scale and size of the piano in full. Every note, every touch was crystal clear, the instrument in the room giving a very convincing impression, and the expression of the playing well resolved.
A cross-section of the mid/high section of the original 801, the ancestor of the complex “head” unit of the 801 D4. Note the internal crossover. Switching to Charlie Watts’ lush sound meets the Danish Radio Big Band [Impulse! 0602557441932], the rendition of “Paint It Black” had a real depth to the sound of the massed forces. The solo guitar was well featured here, but most importantly Charlie Watts drove it with such restrained drumming, always leading the beat rather than simply cruising along behind. This was a low-key, beautifully produced track, which impressed with these super-eyecatching speakers, the controlled, precisely resolved soundstage and the excellent bite when required. As Charlie eased into “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, the speed of the big 801 D4s was evident: the drumming was so relaxed, yet so tight.
By contrast, Yes’s “Yours Is No Disgrace” opening salvo [The Yes Album; Atlantic WPCR 15903, DSD64] just blasted out of the speakers. The complex keyboards and driving, grumbling bass line fused with the drums to drive the track relentlessly, the harmonies wide open, as were the lyrics – for better or worse! Yes, the soundstage here was huge, and the low end from the two winged drivers both powerful and well controlled. These speakers also play very loud with enough amplification driving them, but they remain absolutely clean and clear – a fitting pinnacle for B&W’s latest 800 Series Diamonds.
The all-new 801 D4 drivers are more cohesive, more hi-fi, more flesh and bone, the improved tweeter is sweeter and cleaner, the midrange more realistic, and the bass control, power and dynamics are superb. The 801 D4 is pure luxury beauty; built like a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, with the performance of a McLaren. I think this D4 series topper is the epitome of the 800 series canon. Yes, the 801 D4 is the best flagship product Bowers & Wilkins has created to date.
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