Bowers & Wilkins has launched the CI800 Series Diamond, incorporating the same technology from the company’s flagship 800 Series Diamond into in-wall and –ceiling models. Three new models feature Diamond dome tweeters, Continuum midrange drivers, and Aerofoil bass cones to deliver audiophile performance from virtually invisible loudspeakers.
For the first time, a custom installation range benefits from tweeters made from diamond. This exceptionally stiff and light diaphragm helps ensure pure, distortion-free treble. Decoupling the tweeters from the body of the loudspeaker also reduces unwanted vibrations from the other drive units, for sound that is more precise and accurate.
The CI800 Series Diamond also introduces the Continuum cones, a new midrange driver technology. Continuum, the result of an eight-year research and development project and first introduced in the flagship 800 Series Diamond, delivers heightened midrange transparency and enhanced vocal delivery.
The range’s only three-way loudspeaker also benefits from using ultra-light yet stiff low-frequency Aerofoil drivers. These drivers use carbon-fiber skins encapsulating a syntactic foam in an all-new computer-optimized curved geometry.
The CI800 Series Diamond features back boxes that are fully Matrix braced, for extra rigidity and improved performance. The boxes also include bi-wirable cables that are guided to the terminal panel through tubes and connect to the baffle with a multi-pin connector. This means that the installation can be done in two stages, so the more delicate elements of the speaker can be located once the trades have finished on a build.
Additionally, the range has been developed to fit into existing CI800 Series back boxes enabling customers who purchased the original loudspeakers to upgrade easily.
CWM8.3 D is a three-way in wall speaker, featuring a decoupled Diamond dome tweeter, a 5-inch Continuum FST midrange drive unit, and two 7-inch Aerofoil low-frequency drivers. The central baffle is rotatable, so CWM8.3 D can be used in either vertical or horizontal alignment. It has an MSRP of $3,700 each (back box $800).
CWM8.5 D is a two-way in wall speaker, and features a decoupled Diamond dome tweeter and a single 7-inch bass/mid Continuum driver with anti-resonance plug. It has an MSRP of $1,900 each (back box $600).
CCM8.5 D is a two-way in ceiling speaker that features a decoupled Diamond dome tweeter and a single 7-inch bass/mid Continuum driver with anti-resonance plug. All the drive units are located in a continuously rotatable mini-baffle, which allows the user to “toe in” the drive units of the loudspeaker for the best performance. It has an MSRP of $2,400 each (back box $600).
All models are expected to be available this summer.
