Bowers & Wilkins Introduces 800 Series Diamond D5

Bowers & Wilkins has announced its all-new flagship 800 Series Diamond range. Representing the fifth generation of 800 Series to use the Diamond Dome tweeter, the new D5 range introduces a host of new technologies and design refinements to further assert its status as one of the world’s most revered ranges of high-end loudspeakers.

The new 800 Series Diamond range features seven models, beginning with the two-way 805 D5 stand-mount speaker. That’s joined by a series of three-way floorstanding models, including the 804 D5, 803 D5, 802 D5, and the 801 D5. For home theater use, the HTM81 D5 and HTM82 D5 provide a pair of high-performance center-channel speakers to complete the range.

All of the finishes in the new range have been revised from the outgoing D4 lineup. An all-new Dark Walnut finish, inspired by the limited production 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition, replaces the Satin Rosenut in the D5 portfolio. With complementary dark metal detailing and black Leather by Connolly trim, it makes a new statement in considered, modern luxury. Also joining the line-up is a Stealth Black finish, complemented by dark metal detailing offering a more consistent aesthetic across all of the dark surfaces and materials. In addition, Warm White joins the range, evolved from the previous generation of white loudspeaker with warmer and more modern tones imbued with champagne-colored detailing. The portfolio is completed with the new Light Walnut finish, which also adopts the champagne-colored metal detailing combined with a complementary painted Turbine Head assembly. Black and White finish DB Series subwoofers adopt the new Stealth Black and Warm White finishes to better match their loudspeaker siblings.

Bowers & Wilkins has announced its all-new flagship 800 Series Diamond range - Bookshelf

In addition to the new finishes, the new D5 range benefits from even tighter production tolerances designed to improve on an already exalted level of perceived quality. Visible transitions between surfaces have been minimized, while fixings have been hidden and panel gaps have been greatly reduced, creating a more seamless and premium finish. Even the paint quality and process have been improved, delivering an even richer and more lustrous finish, especially on the new Stealth Black cabinets.

New and Evolved Technologies

Wherever possible, critical performance-enhancing componentry from the 800 Series Signature loudspeakers has been cascaded to the new D5 range, resulting in more openness, lower distortion, heightened resolution and superior dynamics. In addition, extensive measurement and simulation work by the research team at the Southwater Research Establishment (SRE) has uncovered even more opportunity to deliver cabinet-based enhancements that further reduce the acoustic impact of the loudspeaker enclosure. Thanks to its extensive use of aluminum components, including all-new Space Frame Bracing to the rear of the cabinet, the new D5 generation of 800 Series Diamond features the best-performing and most mechanically “quiet” enclosure that Bowers & Wilkins has ever created.

Technology highlights include:

Space Frame Bracing: Featuring parallel aluminum bracing rails that are periodically reinforced longitudinally and transversely, the Space Frame Bracing system bolts directly to the rear of the Matrix inside each D5 cabinet. It performs a similar function to the aluminum bracing to the front of the loudspeaker, by stiffening the inside of the enclosure and thereby further reducing the unwanted impact of vibration and cabinet-borne resonance. The result is an even more believable and three-dimensional sound stage.
New Plinth With Tuned-Mass Damping: All floorstanding models in the new D5 range include a substantially revised aluminum plinth that has been carefully re-profiled to match the form of each corresponding loudspeaker cabinet. In a further nod to improved aesthetics, the supporting legs underneath the loudspeaker gain a new high-quality metal trim while the lower edge of the plinth has been extended downwards to help conceal the wheels and spikes below the loudspeaker. To improve performance, each plinth is designed to resist unwanted vibration using a combination of constrained-layer and tuned-mass damping.
All-New Aluminum Top Plate: Greatly benefiting from the modelling and simulation work that was carried out on the 801 D4 Signature, the new D5 design introduces a substantially revised aluminum plate that braces the top section of each cabinet. With thicker aluminum ribbing sections for greater stiffness, more mechanical location points to optimize coupling to the top of the enclosure, and revised decoupling mounts to support the Turbine Head or Solid-Body-Tweeter assembly, the outcome is improved mechanical behavior at the top of each cabinet.
Enhanced Matrix: Building on the already stiff Matrix Bracing system found in the 800 Series Diamond range, the new Enhanced Matrix adds greatly increased stiffness to the critical area at the front of the cabinet around each individual drive unit. Using thick sections of aluminum that have been carefully profiled to brace around each drive unit aperture and further stiffened with ribbed sections to the rear, the Enhanced Matrix joins the newly introduced Space Frame Bracing and all-new aluminum top plate in providing massive increases in cabinet stiffness and commensurate reductions in unwanted noise.
Aluminum Mid-Range Enclosure (804 D5): Marking one of the most significant new technology introductions in the range, the new 804 D5 has been substantially revised to include an internal aluminum enclosure for its Continuum Cone FST assembly. Derived from the Turbine Head structure used on all larger floorstanding models in the 800 Series Diamond range, the aluminum enclosure both isolates the midrange assembly and provides a consistent mechanical decoupling point for the drive unit itself. The result is a more free and open sound from the Continuum Cone midrange that more effectively emulates the spatial presentation of a true headed model, such as the 803 D5. At the same time, the 804 D5 retains the more conventional aesthetic that marks it out as the most discreet choice of floorstanding model in the range.