With these flagship speakers,
diamonds are an audiophile’s best friend
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Ratings: 5/5
Price: $27,750
What makes it special? A diamond dome tweeter, innovative midrange driver, clever cabinet
design – and that’s just to start with
Tempted? A
flagship speaker with the full might of B&W’s engineering expertise behind
it sounds tempting enough to us
B&W
800 Diamond
The 800 Diamond is currently the best
speaker Bowers & Wilkins makes. A bold statement, indeed. But here’s why:
the 800 represent not just the ultimate expression of all the company’s
trademark technologies, but also ties the lot together in a performance that’s
as complete as we have ever heard. Innovative technology and great sound don’t
always go hand in hand. In the 800s’ case they do.
Let’s start with the drive units. It’s the
diamond tweeter that rightly grabs the headlines here. Not only does the use of
such bling make for great ad copy, it also makes good engineering sense.
Diamond’s innate rigidity helps to push any
break-up modes to far beyond normal hearing levels. It also self-damps well,
which makes for a better all-round performance.
At best, human hearing extends to about
20kHz. B&W’s aluminium dome tweeters reach all the way up to 30kHz before
their first break-up mode occurs. This diamond tweeter goes to 70kHz.
Decoupling runneth over
However, there’s more to this tweeter than
just the extravagant dome material. The drive unit sits in a decoupled external
pod, as does the midrange driver. Why? Decoupling the unit means that any
vibration caused by those massive bass drivers has less chance of distorting
the higher frequencies.
The tweeter is mounted at the mouth of a
tapered tube, the sleek Nautilus. The tube also has internal damping; the idea
is that any rearward output from the drive unit travels down this tube and is
absorbed, so none of it reflects back (through the driver) to corrupt the
forward output. The result is a cleaner, more detailed treble performance.
Take a closer look at the midrange set-up
and you’ll find more clever stuff. The drive unit uses a Kevlar cone, as is
B&W’s way. The company likes the woven fabric’s behaviour when stressed and
has spent years developing it.
In this case, using the Kevlar cone in a
dedicated midrange unit allows B&W to replace the standard rubber surround
with a high-density foam that damps the cone more effectively. The low level of
movement required for midrange frequencies helps make this possible.
The
innovative diamond tweeter (top) and simple crossover design give the 800 D a
style and tech savvy that’s almost unbeatable
The result is lower distortion levels and
better cone behaviour than more traditional designs.
As with the tweeter, the midrange driver is
housed in a decoupled unit that’s designed to reduce the distortion from
rearward radiation. Its curved external shape avoids the unwanted acoustic
effects caused by flat baffles and sharp cabinet edges.
Simplicity, the best
Twin Rohacell cones work in parallel to
deliver the low frequencies. They are housed in a beautifully built curved
enclosure, which is heavily braced to reduce resonance. And we do mean heavily
– each speaker weighs 102kg. They come fitted with castors, but you’ll still
need four people (or a couple of Geoff Capeses) to get them into place.
All four driver units are combined in a
3-way configuration with a high-quality but relatively simple crossover design.
Not only does this simplicity promise much better sound, but the reduced
component count means there’s more budget to spend on the remaining parts. And
the components used in the 800s’ crossover are distinctly top class.
In a small space, the 800s’ beautifully
taut bass stays controlled – go bigger and you’ll have a depth and definition
that’s hard to better. And it’s all delivered with breathtaking speed and punch
– provided your system is up to scratch, that is.
These B&Ws crave power, lots of it:
they’re nominally rated at 8 ohms impedance but can dip down to 3 ohms at
certain frequencies. So an amp with very good current delivery is a must.
It sounds enjoyable enough with the Pathos
Ethos integrated amp, but pair it with Bryston’s effortlessly capable 300W 4B
SST and things get a lot better, with the low frequencies gaining grip and
authority.
Step things up with the Inception OST,
and the 800s will deliver the huge dynamic sweeps befitting composer Hans
Zimmer’s staggering soundtrack.
But it doesn’t stop here. Connecting the
on-test $34,500 Krell Phantom II/402e pre/power combo (400W per side) shows
there’s more to come in temrs of volume, dynamic reach and bass grip.
While this is all impressive, it’s also
expected of a near 20 grand Floorstander from one of high-end’s major players.
Not anticipated, however, are the speakers’
agility and rhythmic drive when asked to replay, say, Major Lazer’s Pon de
Floor. This banging tune is hammered out with an immense enthusiasm and
terrifically precise timing. In short, we’re just not used to such
authoritative speakers sounding so incredibly responsive.
Offer up Kate Bush’s more delicate vocals
on 50 Words For Snow and the 800s show their sensitive side. Bush’s vocals
are intimately portrayed and rendered with all the finesse required, while the
album’s subtle dynamic shifts are handled with the utmost care.
And even more impressive is the B&Es’
ability to disappear within the soundstage better than any we’ve heard.
Yes, $27,750 is a lot. Yet compare the
800’s performance with that of its rivals and you might even think that B&W
has underpriced them.
We started by saying that these are the company’s
best speakers. But we’d go further than that. For us, there isn’t another with
such clarity, dynamic reach and volume levels anywhere.
In detail
Tweeter
Tweeter
The diamond dome diaphragm understandably
gets all the attention. It’s a great material from which to make a dome, and
the result is a terrifically detailed and refined sound. But it couldn’t be
achieved without the specially engineered decoupled tweeter pod or quad magnet
motor system.
Midrange
Midrange
The 15cm woven-Kevlar cone is surrounded by
a special foam that damps any internal resonances. Working at just midrange
frequencies means that the cone doesn’t have to travel far, so the lack of
surround flexibility is not an issue.
Bass drivers
Bass
driver
These twin 25cm drivers use a Rohacell
cone. Rohacell is a composite of carbon-fibre and foam, which is relatively
light and rigid – ideal for a cone material. The cones are driven by a large
75mm voice coil and a powerful dual magnet motor system.
Cabinet bracing
Cabinet
bracing
This is internal bracing taken to the
extreme. This lattice network of bracing adds much to the cabinet rigidity, and
to the overall 102kg weight. Feel the side of the enclosure when the 800 Ds are
playing at high volume levels and you’ll feel very little vibration coming
through.
Downward firing port
Downward
firing port
Those twin bass drivers are tuned using one
of B&W’s trademark dimpled reflex ports. The dimples are claimed to reduce
air noise when the port is working hard. It works, too. We didn’t notice any
extra noise, even when the speaker was properly put to the test.
