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Bowers & Wilkins Just Gave Its Elite Audiophile Loudspeakers a Hi-Fi Overhaul

The legendary British audio maker is calling it “the world’s most revered and iconic range of high-end loudspeakers.”

Black floor-standing speakers with white drivers and silver audio components on a wooden stand against a wood-paneled wall.Bowers & Wilkins
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By Tucker Bowe

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The 800 Series Diamond is Bowers & Wilkins’ most high-end loudspeaker range. It consists of seven passive speaker models, ranging from the compact 805 bookshelf to the gargantuan 801 floorstander, that are priced between $10,000 and $46,000.

For the last five years, the 800 Series Diamond D4 (or fourth generation) has been its latest iteration. But now the famed Danish hi-fi brand has revealed new models that it claims introduce “a host of new technologies and design refinements to further assert its status as the world’s most revered and iconic range of high-end loudspeakers.”

B&W’s 800 Series Diamond D5 range

Pair of large black floor-standing speakers with white drivers flanking two wooden racks holding silver audio components in a room with green paneled walls.
The flagship floorstanding speakers, the 801 D5, in Dark Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins

The seven models

Naturally, Bowers & Wilkins’s fifth-generation 800 Series Diamond range feels and looks quite familiar. It’s comprised of the same seven loudspeaker models, each featuring the brand’s signature Diamond Dome tweeter.

Two black Bowers & Wilkins speakers on stands flanking a wooden shelf with beige Marantz audio components below abstract wall art.
The 805 D5 bookshelf speakers in Dark Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins
Wood-finished Bowers & Wilkins speaker with silver cone drivers and a metallic tweeter on a gray leather pad.
The 805 D5 bookshelf speakers in Light Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins

In the 800 Diamond D5 range, there’s one two-way standmount speaker: the 805 D5. This is joined by four three-way floorstanding models (from smallest to biggest): the 804 D5, 803 D5, 802 D5 and flagship 801 D5.

For those looking for a home theater system, the range also features two center-channel speakers: the HTM81 D5 and HTM82 D5.

Pair of tall black floor-standing speakers with white and black drivers in a beige room with patterned tile floor.
The 804 D5 floorstanding speakers in Stealth Black.
Bowers & Wilkins
Pair of tall, beige floor-standing speakers with three drivers each in a room with dark wood paneling and modern white coffee tables.
B&W’s 804 D5 floorstanding speakers in Warm White.
Bowers & Wilkins

Four new finishes

The most obvious difference between the 800 Diamond D5 range and its predecessors is their look. Each speaker adopts a more luxurious and lustrous aesthetic, according to the brand, and features revised designs of the drive unit pods, tweeter body, trim rings and grilles. 

More notably, B&W is releasing the range in four new finishes: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut and Dark Walnut. (The latter is inspired by the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition, which was released last year.)

Glossy black floor-standing speaker with three drivers in a wood-paneled room next to a dark upholstered armchair.
The 803 D5 floorstanding speakers in Dark Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins
Tall wooden floor-standing speaker with beige drivers next to two beige Marantz audio components on a wooden shelf.
The 803 D5 in Light Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins

Aside from aesthetics, the 800 Series Diamond range has been updated with a number of acoustic, mechanical and electrical improvements, all of which aim to reduce vibration and minimize distortion.

The standout is a new Space Frame Bracing system comprised of parallel aluminum bracing rails bolted directly to the rear of the Matrix inside each D5 cabinet. B&W says this is similar to the aluminum bracing on the front of each loudspeaker, but it helps each deliver “an even more believable and three-dimensional sound stage.”

Glossy black high-end speaker with a mesh-covered woofer and a separate tweeter on top.
The flagship floorstanding speakers, the 801 D5, in Dark Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins
Pair of modern floor-standing speakers with wood finish and silver top sections in a warmly lit room with wooden floors and a low wooden table.
The flagship floorstanding speakers in Light Walnut.
Bowers & Wilkins

Other hi-fi upgrades

Further improvements include an “enhanced” Matrix bracing system (at the front of the speakers), which adds stiffness around each individual drive unit. The aluminum top plates of each speaker are revised and thicker, too. And each features new wiring and improved crossover components.

Exclusive to the four floor-standing models, each features an updated aluminum plinth with both constrained-layer and tuned-mass damping to further dampen vibrations.

Silver high-end speaker system with three circular drivers and a central tweeter on a matching stand.
The HTM82 D5 is the less expensive of the two center channel speakers. It costs $12,000.
Bowers & Wilkins
Glossy black speaker with three silver cone drivers and a small black tweeter on top.
The HTM81 D5 is the larger center channel, priced at $15,000.
Bowers & Wilkins

Finally, each loudspeaker features an updated tweeter grille mesh design for their Diamond Dome tweeters (first developed for the 801 D4 Signature). B&W claims the design “retains the same dome-protecting stiffness but is more acoustically transparent,” resulting in greater resolution and improved off-axis performance.

Pair of Bowers & Wilkins speakers with wooden cabinets and gray, sculpted upper sections with metal tweeters.
Bowers & Wilkins’ 800 Diamond D5 range will be available this fall.
Bowers & Wilkins

Availability and pricing

Not unsurprisingly, Bowers and Wilkins’ 800 Diamond D5 range is a little more expensive than its predecessors.

The 805 D5 bookshelf speakers start at $15,000/pair, while the four floorstanding speakers range from $15,000/pair for the 805 D5 (the smallest) to $65,000/pair for the flagship 801 D5.

The two center channel speakers, the HTM82 D5 and the HTM81 D5, will sell for $12,000 and $15,000, respectively.

B&W’s 800 Series Diamond D5 range goes on sale September 6th.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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