It’s the time of year for saving money!
No, I am not talking about 179 miles per hour around the Nurburgring or impressing actress-waitress-model types while idling at Sunset and Doheny – I am talking about fine tuning a classic. The B&W (they call themselves Bowers and Wilkins these days in reference to their founder but they are always B&W to me) 800 Diamond is the latest update to the B&W Matrix series flagship that started way back in 1979. Physically, the speaker is the same dimensions as the past version but nearly 50 pounds lighter. There is a new piano gloss black finish option but the real changes are under the hood. The Bowers and Wilkins 800D have a new Quad Magnet Motor System, a new 10 inch bass driver, all new crossovers and vastly upgraded parts.Audiophile editor and 4K filmmaker, Andrew Robinson, did a solid review of the Bowers and Wilkins 800 Diamonds last week. Click Here here to read.
Bowers and Wilkins has taken a fine design and polished it up for top level performance at what I dare to call a value. I know. I know. $24,000 per pair isn’t exactly a pair of Paradigms or Aperion Audios but when compared to the top performers in the audiophile world – the Bowers and Wilkins 800Ds are right in the conversation with a price a little higher than say MartinLogan CLXs and Revel Ultima Salons and a little less than Wilson Audio’s lauded Sasha WP speakers. Bowers and Wilkins took something fantastic and had the guts to go one step beyond which is exactly what Porsche has done with the 911 for decades. Small revisions. Better parts. More luxury. Less weight. New technology. Audiophila is about perfection and Bowers and Wilkins have spent a generation getting to where they are today and that’s pretty damn good.
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