Bowers & Wilkins Releases 801& 804 D4 Signature Speakers Demo Audible Improvements!

[gene]

Bowers & Wilkins invited Audioholics to the Masimo facility in Carlsbad, California to get a sneak peek of their new 801 D4 Signature speakers. The 801 D4 Signature is a three-way floor standing loudspeaker that builds on the specification of the 801 D4, but changes in the bass driver magnets, aluminum top plate, port, and grille have made significant improvements in the sound that was audible in our listening demo. But be warned, if you want to roll with these bad boys, it's gonna cost you $50k/pair!

The new Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature speaker builds on a heritage that stretches back to the acclaimed Silver Signature loudspeaker of 1991, originally developed as a posthumous tribute to the founder of the company, John Bowers. The new models build on the already exceptional performance and aesthetic benchmarks of the 801 D4 and 805 D4 models that form the basis of their respective designs, featuring carefully upgraded componentry plus luxurious and beautiful new finishes.

-Bowers & Wilkins

Read: Bowers & Wilkins Releases 801 D4 Signature Speakers Demo Audible Improvements!

 

[Trell]

Will there be any measurements available for this new speaker?

 

[gene]

 

[gene]

Will there be any measurements available for this new speaker?

I might get James Larson to review the 804 D4 Signature speakers. James???

 

[Bobby Bass]

Gene thanks for the preview. B&W have a polarizing look IMHO. You either love it or think no way it’s not for me. Love the burl wood and metallic blue finishes but at $50K it will unfortunately be an unrequited love. Hope James can do the measurements but he’ll probably need a crane to get the floorstanders up to his measuring platform.

 

[corey]

More audio for the .01%

 

[John Parks]

Oh my - those look gorgeous!

 

[Mikado463]

B&W speakers over the years have always been a love / hate in so far as listening experience for me. Not sure if it was listening environment or electronics ? But @ 50k they have some serious high end competition so they better be darn good !!

 

[j_garcia]

Saw this in the news this morning. Those are some great looking speakers. No doubt they sound great. I wasn't a fan of their lower lines, but always liked the CDMxNT and 800 series from old. A friends had the CDMs and heard 80xs in showrooms only. Never got a chance to hear the Nautilus.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah at this price point and aesthetic (if you find them beautiful), I wouldn’t even care how they measure.

The only reason I bought the 802D2 back then was for their aesthetics, not measurements (I knew Stereophile/S&V had their FR around +/-5dB) or sound quality (because there are better sounding and measuring speakers). And the only reason I sold them was because I didn’t feel like I had the real estate or money.

 

[GO-NAD!]

They certainly are beautiful.

 

[cpp]

Not really a big deal to 99% of the people since we can't afford them. But nice to read about new stuff, but why don't these companies make or put that research effort into products the 99% can afford. But these new speakers are "pretty" and would look "marvelous" in someones purpose built audio room. Me I like the Blue Metallic and it would go with the wife's' interior color scheme.

 

[John Parks]

Not really a big deal to 99% of the people since we can't afford them. But nice to read about new stuff, but why don't these companies make or put that research effort into products the 99% can afford. But these new speakers are "pretty" and would look "marvelous" in someones purpose built audio room. Me I like the Blue Metallic and it would go with the wife's' interior color scheme.
View attachment 62491

Maybe that's why they have the 800, 700 and 600 series. Can't afford the 80X? Try the 70X. Still too expensive, give the 60X a try. Speakers ranging from $50K on the high side to $800 for the cheapest bookshelf they currently offer. I'm not a B&W fanboy (never had a pair, but have auditioned quite a few models) but if one follows the history of the brand, they consistently "trickle down" tech and materials of their flagship line to their lower ranges.

 

[Swerd]

Maybe that's why they have the 800, 700 and 600 series. Can't afford the 80X? Try the 70X. Still too expensive, give the 60X a try. Speakers ranging from $50K on the high side to $800 for the cheapest bookshelf they currently offer. I'm not a B&W fanboy (never had a pair, but have auditioned quite a few models) but if one follows the history of the brand, they consistently "trickle down" tech and materials of their flagship line to their lower ranges.

I'm like j_garcia above. In the past I've liked the sound quality of the B&W 800 series, but not the price.

The CDM, 700, & 600 series speakers I've heard in the past had problems with the excessively high crossover frequency between the 6½" Kevlar driver and the tweeter. It was 3,500 to 4,000 Hz depending on the model. At either of those frequencies, that Kevlar driver emitted an ugly sounding break-up resonance that was easily heard. It was the source of the 'listener's fatique' that so many B&W owners suffered through.

The 800 series speakers also had the same or similar Kevlar mid-woofers, but without the ugly sound. Whatever B&W did in the 800 speakers was not done with the others. In my view, that's the absence of 'trickle down'. It was probably done because of the marketing people, not the tech people.

B&W has abandoned the Kevlar cones, but not their price structure. The 800 speakers are very expensive. The other series were overpriced in the past, and seem to be overpriced now.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Not really a big deal to 99% of the people since we can't afford them. But nice to read about new stuff, but why don't these companies make or put that research effort into products the 99% can afford. But these new speakers are "pretty" and would look "marvelous" in someones purpose built audio room. Me I like the Blue Metallic and it would go with the wife's' interior color scheme.
View attachment 62491

Pocket change to those damn rich people. I'd get both pairs to match the each room's aesthetics.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Aesthetically speaking, they are absolutely beautiful.

And I'll bet they sound good too.

 

[buckchester]

Another advertisement for an over priced under performing product. Gotta take the bad with the good with Audioholics...

 

[lovinthehd]

Curious, how did they do the demo of old vs new speaker ?

ps meant to ask specifically about level matching rather than physical placement and a position on the volume scale.

 

[cpp]

Pocket change to those damn rich people. I'd get both pairs to match the each room's aesthetics.

And get a custom made pair with a color I want, after all, its my money and I want it now !

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

And get a custom made pair with a color I want, after all, its my money and I want it now !

Do they even sell custom made?

Now you’re really dreaming.