Bowers & Wilkins Unveils 801 D5 Flagship Loudspeakers for $65,000. Perfection Refined?

It’s hard to believe it has been 47 years since Bowers & Wilkins first released their iconic 800 series loudspeakers with the original 801 in 1979. The speakers developed such a reputation for precise, natural sound virtually overnight that Abbey Road Studios brought a pair in to serve as their studio monitors while recording and mixing classic albums by The Beatles and Pink Floyd and legendary soundtracks like John Williams’ “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” (Brief aside, you haven’t heard the “Raiders” soundtrack until you’ve heard it on a pair of B&W 801 speakers).

Today, at the High End HiFi show in Vienna, the legend continues with the unveiling of seven new models in the brand new Diamond D5 version of the 800 series loudspeakers. Price for the new models start at $15,000 USD/pair for the 805 D5 stand-mount (bookshelf) speakers up to $65,000/pair for the flagship 801 D5 towers. The price for the flagship is certainly a bit higher than what the “Series 80, Model 801” sold for in 1979 ($2,850/pair) – even when adjusted for inflation – but 40 years of good old-fashioned British sonic research and engineering has brought these speakers to their highest levels of both performance and industrial design.

The company unveiled a full suite of D5 800 series speakers at the show, not only for two channel music listening, but also for home theater implementations with dedicated center channel speakers that provide a perfect tonal match to other speakers in the line. Whether you’re upgrading a classic two-channel HiFi system or building out a custom home cinema, there’s an 800 series D5 speaker (or twelve) for you, as long as your financial situation can accommodate the hefty price tags.

The Diamond D5 line-up is the fifth generation of the 800 series loudspeakers to use the company’s diamond dome tweeter which is primarily responsible for the speaker’s open airiness, realistic sound staging and sonic transparency. The company says the new 800 Series Diamond D5 range introduces “extensive acoustic, mechanical, and electrical improvements aimed at taking the already category-defining performance of the outgoing range to all-new heights.”

Most of the enhancements have been inspired directly by the company’s highest performance “Signature Series” D4 loudspeakers. And most of the tweaks are designed to further reduce unwanted cabinet resonance and vibrations. Some of these refinements and technology highlights include:

• Space Frame Bracing
• New Plinth with Tuned-Mass Damping
• Improved All-New Aluminum Top Plate
• Enhanced Matrix Internal Bracing
• New Aluminium Mid-range Enclosure (804 D5)
• Signature specification grille mesh and drive unit motor systems
• Upgraded wiring harnesses and crossovers
• All Aluminum crossover mounting plate

More details on each of these enhancements can be found on the Bowers & Wilkins web site.

In addition to the sonic refinements, the Diamond D5 line-up features an new luxurious and lustrous aesthetic with four new finishes: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut and Dark Walnut.

The Reference Loudspeaker for Denon and Marantz

The Bowers & Wilkins 800 series speakers aren’t just featured in recording studios, and in the homes of well-heeled audiophiles and music lovers worldwide, they’re also used as reference speakers by sister companies Denon and Marantz. Every time a new Denon or Marantz A/V product is being developed, the company’s “sound masters” do extensive listening sessions at the company’s headquarters in Japan to evaluate the performance each piece of new gear. And the final approval from each soundmaster is only given after listening to each on Bowers and Wilson flagship 800 series speakers.

At a recent visit to these offices, we got to see (and hear) so many demos of the previous generation 801 D4 speakers playing vinyl and hi-res audio music tracks with top notch Denon and Marantz amps and receivers that we were trying to figure out how to sneak a pair out and hide it in with our carry-on luggage (but alas, they were too big for that).

Full Lineup and Pricing of Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series D5 Speakers:

• 801 D5 | £43,000 / $65,000 / €50,000 per pair
  The new no-holds-barred flagship three-way tower loudspeaker from Bowers & Wilkins.
• 802 D5 | £32,500 / $45,000 / €37,000 per pair
  Smaller version of the 801, but with the same cabinet proportions as the flagship for a slightly more compact and more affordable option with minimal compromises.
• 803 D5 | £25,500 / $35,000 / €30,000 per pair
  An even more compact “headed” three-way loudspeaker design with both the midrange and tweeter separated from the main bass cabinet for optimal isolation in a smaller overall footprint than the larger tower speakers.
• 804 D5 | £16,000 / $25,000 / €18,000 per pair
  The company’s most compact (and most affordable) three-way floor-standing tower in the Diamond D5 line-up.
• 805 D5 | £10,000 / $15,000 / €12,000 per pair
  The two-way 805 D5 stand-mount loudspeaker is ideal for smaller spaces or for more compact home theater systems that use powered subwoofers for low frequency response and effects.
• HTM81 D5 | £10,000 / $15,000 / €12,000 each
  A high performance three-way center channel for use with 801 and 802 D5.
• HTM82 D5 | £8,000 / $12,000 / €10,000 each
  A slightly more compact three-way center channel for use with 803 and 804 D5.
• FS-805 D5 | £1,600 / $2,000 / €1,800/p
  High-performance speaker stand, for use with 805 D5.
• FS-HTM D5 | £1,100 / $1,500 / €1,300 each
  Center-channel speaker stand for use with HTM81 D5 or HTM82 D5 for ideal speaker height.

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