B&W 800 User Manual

A legend reborn  Everything  moves  on.  Even 

when you’ve reached the pinnacle of technological 

achievement,  there are  always new  goals to aim 
for, new standards  to set.  In  1979,  we redefined 
what’s  possible  in sound reproduction with  the 
very first 800 Series speaker –  the  Matrix  800.

In  1998, we re-wrote the rulebook all over   again 
with the Nautilus™ 800 Se ries. But we didn’t stop 
there. We continued to refine and experiment, and

now we’ve raised the benchmark yet again. The 800 
Series Diamond harnesses the unique properties of 
diamond througho ut the range, producing a sound

of unheard-of accuracy and realism. At  Bowers & 
Wilkins, the quest for perfection never en ds.

The e volution of exc ellence 
Introdu cing sup erior drive 
units  housed  in sepa rate 
chambe rs, the  Matrix  800’s 
unprece dented s ound quality 
made  the speaker a  fixture   
in to p recordi ng studi os and 
the h omes of discer ning aud io 
enthus iasts. W ith th e Nautil us 
800 S eries and now  the 800 
Series  Diamond , the  tradition 
contin ues.

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Simulated acoustic Frequency response

The miracle material It can cut stone and grind 
glass. It’s a superb thermal conductor. And it’s  the 
magic ingredient in  every model in the  new 800 
Series Diamond range. Our acoustic research expert 
Dr Gary Geaves explains why diamond is the ultimate 
tweeter material.

Simulated acoustic Frequency response

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Simulated acoustic Frequency response

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Comput er simul ations show 
that  the response of  a 
diamon d dome  (right)  more 
closel y matche s the  behaviour 
of th e hypothetical  perfect 
tweete r than  an alum inium 
dome  (left).

Tell us about tweeter design – what are you
trying to achieve, and what are the main
challenges to overcome?

Our aim here at Bowers & Wilkins has always 
been  to design transducers that accura tely 
reprod uce the signal. It’s really quite easy to 
create a sound but it’s much more difficult to 
reprod uce a  signal accurately. When it comes 
to tweeters, th is aim translates  into creating  
a device that moves as a  rigid piston over  
the audible frequency range – in  other words, 
the range  below   20 kHz.

As you go up in frequency, you reach a 
point where the tweeter stops behaving in a 
nice, controlled way and it starts to  resonate. 
The frequency at which this occurs is  usually 
called the break-up frequency. As you  go 
beyond the break-up frequency, you encounter 
more and more resonance. The  problem with 
resonance is that it imparts a character to the 
speaker, which  is obviously  not what you want 
when  you’re aiming to  accurately reproduce  
a signal.

So the main challenge in tweeter design  
is to overcome the problem of resonance.   
And you do this by trying to push the break­up frequency as far above the range of human 
hearing as it can p ossibly go.

What have you been doing to get around
this problem?

For a long time, Bo wers & Wilkins have used 
aluminium dome  tweeters. Aluminium’s a  really 
good  material t o use, because it’s relatively 
light and  stiff, and it results in a relatively high 
break-up frequency. Over the years we’ve be en 
able  to optimis e the  mechanical design. For 
example, for th e second generation 800  Series, 
we  managed to improve the break-up  frequency 
from about  23 kHz to 30 kHz.

It was then that we   noticed something 
odd.  We found that, with each improvement 
in break-up frequency, the resulting tweeter 
sounded much cl eaner. Not  that  surprising, 
you might  think   – but we  found this  really 
curious because,  as I’ve already said, human 
beings can only   hear  up to 20 kHz. Improving 
the break-up frequency from 23 to 30 kHz 
shouldn’t have made any difference to the 
audible sound q uality. And yet  it did. So 
we started to wonder  why this was, and if 
there  might be ways of raising the br eak-up 
frequency much higher.

How did you go about trying to raise the
break-up frequency level? What sort of
design approaches did you consider?

We started  off by thinking about the  size, shape 
and positioning of the tweeter. Now, the easiest 
way to improve the break-up  frequency is to 
make  the tweete r much smaller. The problem 
with  that  approach is  that, to get the same 
output over the   same  bandwidth, you have to 
drive the  speak er a lot harder. The  dome  has to 
move  a lot more. And when  that  happens, you 
run into problems with linearity, distortion and 
power compression.

An alternative approach might be  to use 
a supplementary tweeter in addition to   your 
main  tweeter. We did consider this, but we 
found it just complicated the situatio n. Instead 
of compensating for the deficiencies o f a main 
tweeter, the su pplementary tweeter  just  added 
its own set of problems. There was al so the 
potential for i nterference between the two 
tweeters. In th e end, this approach just didn’t 
seem  consistent with our principle of keeping 
things simple.

How did you hit on the idea of using
diamond as a tweeter dome material?

We discovered the benefits of dia mond thanks 
to a process called finite  element analysis.  It’s 
a tool that’s widely used in the aerospace and 
automotive industries to create virtual computer 
prototypes, so you can carry out  experiments 
before committing  to a real  physi cal prototype.

By using finite   element analysis  we were 
able  to look more closely than ever before at 
how a speaker reproduces sound. We could 
examine in deta il how the whole  structure 
vibrates, and t he acoustic field  that results from 
the vibration.  We were  also  able to look at the 
motor systems i n loudspeakers. This allowed 
us to come up  with new  ways to optimise 
sensitivity, improve linearity, and design better 
shielding.

It was by using fin ite element analysis that 
we first simula ted the response of a perfect, 
rigid tweeter, made  from an infinitely stif f 
material. This  is a material that doesn’t exist 
in reality  – but that’s another beauty  of finite 
element analysis; you can do things that y ou 
can’t  do in the real world. So we started to look 
at tweeter dome   materials we could use instead 
of the aluminiu m – materials that shared similar 
properties to the hypothetical perfect dome. 
And we found that t he ultimate material – the 
absolute closest  match in terms of its rig idity 
and dynamic sti ffness – is  diamond.

So what are the benefits of using diamond
tweeter domes?

As I said,  with aluminium, we were getting a 
maximum break-up frequency of about 30 kHz. 
Pretty amazing, when you consider the human 
hearing threshold is 20 kHz. But by using 
diamond, we were able to go far, far higher than 
that, creating a tweeter that breaks up at 70 kHz.

However, diamond  doesn’t just have a 
much  higher break-up frequenc y – it also 
outperforms   aluminium within  the range of 
human hearing.  When you compare the 
response of a diamond  tweeter with the perfect 
hypothetica l rigid tweeter, the results are very 
similar below 2 0 kHz. And this means  that you 
can hear a dramatic improvement in sound 
quality.

The resulting tweeter sounds  more 
effortless, and yet more detailed,  and has 
a much more realistic soundstage  than the 
standard aluminium tweeter.

Dr Ga ry Geaves, Head  of Research,  
Bowers  & Wi lkins

HTM2  Diamond

HTM4  Diamond

Diamon ds all round  The 
800 S eries Diamond f amily 
encomp asses sp eakers of all 
sizes  and applications, from 
mighty  studio  monitors to 
booksh elf spea kers that will  fit 
snugly  into domestic  spaces 
of an y size. But wh ile every 
speake r is different,  they ha v e 
two k ey features in  common: 
a twe eter made from  pure 
diamon d, and  sound q uality 
that  will leave you  speechle ss.800 D iamond 802 D iamond 803 D iamond 804 D iamond 805 D iamond

A diamond is born

Making diamond  the natural way takes volcanic 
temperatures and pressures, and around two 
billion years.  Hardly ideal if you want to produce 
it for manufact uring purposes, let alone form 
it into the precise shape required for a tweeter 
dome. Luckily, scientists have found a way 
around this. Chemical vapour  deposition is  
a technique tha t allows diamond to be grown,  
like  a crystal,   under laboratory  conditions.

The process starts with the former – the dome 
of metal on which t he thin layer of  diamond is 
grown. Each former is  meticulously inspected 
and weighed bef ore being transferred to a 
specially designed furnace,  where gases  are 
super-heated and pressurised. Out of  the gases 
forms a carbon frost (diamond crystals), which 
grows  on the surface of the former to create  
a super-fine, ultra-hard diamond dome.

Making the cut

Once  the diamon d has  formed, it  is precision­cut by laser to remove any surface irregularities 
and to make sure that the  geometry of each 
tweeter dome ex actly matches the  next.  The 
diamond domes a re then cleaned in four stages 
in an ultra-son ic tank, before a  protective 
platinum coating  is applied  to the surface.

Each  diamond do me is  rigorously tested and 
inspected for t he tiniest signs of imperfection. 
Only  when  a dome ha s passed every test do 
we give it the fina l seal of approval – its own 
unique serial n umber. From this  number we can 
trace the  entire history of its manufacture, right 
back  to the former  on which it was grown.

A head for sound

Nautilus tubes

Not all the sound g enerated by tweeter drive 
units is good sound.  To soak up wayward 
sound energy an d reduce resonances  to a 
minimum, every  tweeter in the 800 Series 
Diamond is moun ted on top of the cabinet, and 
uses  the taperi ng tube design from Bowers & 
Wil kins’ trailblazing Nautilus speaker. Added to 
this, our  new quad-magnet design  improves 
sensitivity, which reduces compression  and 
brings music to   life. So all the sound you hear 
is good sound.

The teardrop-shaped midrange  head is a 
distinctive   feature of  both the top-of-the-range 
800 Diamond and   the 802 Diamond. Moulded 
from Marlan™, a synthetic, mineral filled resin, 
this  granite-hard  enclosure i s sprayed with 
seven coats of lacquer and polished by han d 
until it’s as  smooth as glass.

Quad ma gnets  For the 
800 Series Diamon d we 
have redefined the science of 
magnet motor design. In the 
tweeter, a unique quad magnet 
design (in red, above) focuses 
the magnetic energy right 
where the voice coil sits, and 
keeps the driver running cool 
and smooth.

Shock waves

Kevlar® is known as the wonder fabric in 
bulletproof vests. But, as Bowers  & Wilkins 
discovered, no material is better  suited to 
disrupt the sta nding waves that cause distortion 
and coloration  in the midrange. To enhance  the 
properties of Kevlar yet further, we’ve added 
something very  special. The  FST™ acts like 
a circular  shock absorber around  the cone, 
almost totally  absorbing the sound-smudging 
bending waves t hat travel outwards to the 
cone’s perimeter. A midrange driver never 
sounded cleaner, or  more responsive.

Rock solid

Force of at tract ion The 
bass dri vers in the 800 Seri es 
Diamo nd range are powere d 
by a brand new dual ma gnet 
motor system (i n red, top) 
creati ng a more symmetric al 
magnet ic field and redu cing 
harmo nic distorti on.

The 800 Series Diamond bass driver is a 
formidable piece  of engineering, designed  
to preserve the speed  and ‘slam’  of the most 
demanding bass  lines. The cone material is 
Rohacell®: a sophisticat ed composite  of the 
kind  normally u sed for aircraft and performance 
cars. The  new dual  magnet design reduces 
distortion for  more natural and consistent  
bass  character. For  unsha kable bass,  
it’s the  bottom line.

Deep breath Deceptively simple

Bass  needs air to b reathe.  But if turbulence 
occurs as  air moves in and out of a speaker’s 
reflex port, you’ll hear extraneous noise –  
and,  as you turn the volume up, the bass   
won’t  be as tight or well-timed as it should be.  
The Flowport™ in the 800 Series Diamond 
minimises turbulence in the  same  way as a  
golf  ball. Dimp les on the surface generate tiny 
eddy  currents, over which air can flow smoothly 
and,  above all,   silently.

Gold/Silver/Oil Mund orf 
capac itors in the high­frequ ency crossove rs, for 
improve d signal to tweeter s 
and supe rior sound qua lity.

The way a speaker’s crossover is constructed 
speaks volumes  about the quality  of its 
mechanical components. What to look fo r is 
simplicity. The rule is, the  better the design  of 
the drive  units , the  simpler the design of  the 
crossover can afford to  be. And the quality  
of the 800 Series D iamond drive  units is such 
that  we’ve been   able  to make the speaker’s 
first-order crossover one of the  simplest –  
and best – we’ve ev er produced.

Natural strength

You won’t find many  straight lines in nature – 
for good reason. Continuous,  curving surfaces 
create stronger structures with the  same 
amount of  mater ial. In the 800 Series Diamond, 
the curving cab inet forms a solid outer shell 
that  shrugs off vibrations and re sonance. Add 
an internal Matrix™ system that braces the 
structure like the ribs of  a ship’s hull, and you 
have  a speaker that’s more than capable of 
standing firm u nder pressure.

An ear for quality Developing  and assembling 
great drive units  is one  thing. But it’s  up to the 
crossover to make sure those drivers are singing 
harmoniously together. According to top development 
engineers John Dibb and Tom  O’Brien, designing 
the perfect crossover is a job that requires patience, 
fine judgement and many hours o f listening.

Why is simplicity so important in
crossover design?

John Dibb: John   Bowers once said that we’re 

not trying to give  the most in a loudspeaker, 
we’re  trying to lose the least. That was many 
years ago, but it’s just  as relevant  today. The  
key to loudspea kers is not losing the fine  detail 
in the sound.

Our aim is to  create an illusion of reality by 
giving the list ener accurate auditory clues – and 
to remove the distortion and colouration that 
can mask this information. We’ve been able to 
enhance our mea surement techniques to the 
point where we know more than ever ab out the 
factors that ca use distortion and colouration 
in drive units.   Nowadays, drive unit design 
has become so advanced that it has virtual ly 
eliminated these  phenomena. In turn, this has 
allowed us to keep  crossover design as pure 
and simple as possible.

However, when d rive units are working so 
well, this high lights another potential  challenge: 
the difference in the sound  of the di fferent 
components within the crossover. We need   
to make sure that the components  we choose 
for a speaker’s crossover are the very best   
ones  for the job.

What role does listening play in the
design process?

Tom O’Brien: You can get  two identical-looking 

components,   specified exactly the same way  
on paper, but one will have a com pletely 
differ ent sonic characteristic  to the other. And 
the only way that i t’s possible to pick out the 
ones  that  sound   the best is by listening to them 
one at a  time, over   and over again.

This  listening  process  can take a long time.  
It can take weeks,  sometimes months, to fully 
balance the sys tem and fine-tune  it until we’re 
happy with it. We have to  try the systems 
out in many different rooms,  and on different 
equipment, with a huge variety of music.

I think it’s a  great testament to our  attention 
to detail  that recording studios  such as Abbey 
Road, Deutsche  Grammophon and Decca, 
among others, h ave used our speakers for 
a long time to moni tor their music. It’s the 
ultimate test t o hear the master tape of a 
record ing that’s been done minutes ago, 
and check  that it’s close to reality  of the 
performance   in the studio.

John  Dibb (above) an d Tom O’Brie n (left ) ,  
Bowers  & Wi lkins de velopment  enginee rs

Art meets science

At our dedicate d cabinet-making factory  in the 
UK, state-of-the-art technology is   fused with 
traditional   craftsmanship. While a  single 35mm 
thick sheet of ply  is pressed into shape for the 
main  cabinet bo dy of  the 800 Series Diamond, 
its final  skin of real wood veneer is selected 
by hand from only the top  10% of veneers 
available. All  of the wood we use is sourced 
from sustainable forests.

Perfect partner

If you’re planning to  use the 800 Series 
Diamond as part   of a home theatre set-up, 
there’s every chance that you take your film 
viewing enjoyment very seriously indeed. 
In which case, you’re  also  going  to need a 
seriously good  subwoofer. One with the  power 
needed to  deliv er the mightiest movie sound 
effects, but also one  with  the finesse and 
precision to match the incredible realism of the 
800 Series Diam ond. Not an easy  balance to 
strike. But one   that  the DB1 subwoofer handles 
with  ease.

Despite its relatively  compact size, the DB1 
delivers awesome  bass power, thanks to a 
unique design i ncorporating two opposing   
12 inch drivers , and  its own built-in 1000W 
digital amplifier. Digital  Signal Processing 
keeps the  outpu t dynamic and accurate,  while 
equalizatio n software fine-tunes the speaker 
to match the character of your listening room. 
Power. Responsiveness . Control. Put them 
together, and you’ve got a su bwoofer that’s  
the ideal  match   for the 800 Series Diamond.

Take contro l  The  DB1 
allows  you to make  minute 
adjust ments de pending 
on yo ur personal lis tening 
preferen ces, or  optimis e the 
speake r for whatever  you  
are li stening  to: mus ic, movi e 
or ga mes. Adjustments can 
be ma de on  the DB1’s OLED 
displa y, or  via a  computer   
with  the downloadable   
SubApp  software .

Where it all begins

In leading recording studios around  the world, 
music that will   soon  be heard everywhere  
is heard first through  800 Series   speakers.  
At Abbey Road, sound  engineers depend  
on the speakers , safe in the knowledge that 
what  they  hear in t he control room is  as close 
as possible to the  sound of the performance   
in the studio. In C alifornia, Skywalker Sound  
is where Hollywood puts music to  movies.  
And they do it on the u ltimate surround  
sound system, f eaturing Bowers &  Wilkins  
800 Series spea kers.

Peter Cobbin, recording
engine er, Ab bey Road
Studio s: “The  B&W 80 0

Series  is the only  speaker   
I hav e found that a llows  
me to  accurately lis ten to   
how t he original per formance   
has b een recorded.”

800 Diamond

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Midrang e Woven 
Kevlar  midrang e driver.  
FST s urround.  Spherical  
head  enclosure  moulded   
from M arlan.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing 
system  for cabinet s tability.

The speaker of choice for the world’s most 
demanding recording studios,  and a  legend 
among serious s ound enthusiasts everywhere, 
the 800 Diamond   is the top speaker in the 
range – and very probably the finest speaker 
you will ever hear.

Rohace ll bass
driver s  Rohac ell foam /

carbon  fibre composite bass 
driver. Dual magn et motor 
system . 75mm  voice c oil.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Rosenu t Cherry wood Piano  Black Gloss

802 Diamond

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Midrang e Woven 
Kevlar  midrang e driver.  
FST s urround.  Spherical  
head  enclosure  moulded   
from M arlan.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing 
system  for cabinet s tability.

Rohace ll bass
driver s  Rohac ell foam /

carbon  fibre composite bass 
driver. Dual magn et motor 
system . 38mm  voice c oil.

If you’re looking for  a speaker with the power, 
clarity and presence of the mighty 800 
Diamond, but yo ur listening  area can’t quite 
accommodate   its studio-sized  proportions,   
the 802 Diamond   is the answer. Retaining  
the groundbreaking  spherical  head design  
of its bigger brother, it’s the  closest you’ll  
get to true studio  sound at home.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Rosenu t Cherry wood

Piano  Black Gloss

803 Diamond

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Midrang e Woven 
Kevlar  midrang e driver. FST 
surroun d.

Rohace ll bass
driver s  Rohac ell foam /

carbon  fibre composite bass 
driver. Dual magn et motor 
system . 38mm  voice c oil.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing 
system  for cabinet s tability.

The 803 Diamond   might look almost as 
imposing as the   802 Diamond, but thanks  
to its smaller footprint and more traditional 
cabinet design, it will fit more  easily into  
a home environment. With three massive   
7 inch Rohacell   bass  drivers, it delivers almost 
as much bass as the   802 Diamond, filling 
even  the larges t of domestic rooms with rich, 
stunningly lifelike sound.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Rosenu t Cherry wood

Piano  Black Gloss

804 Diamond

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Midrang e Woven 
Kevlar  midrang e driver. FST 
surroun d.

Rohace ll bass
driver s  Rohac ell foam /

carbon  fibre composite bass 
driver. Dual magn et motor 
system . 38mm  voice c oil.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing 
system  for cabinet s tability.

The elegant flo orstanding 804 Diamond 
offers a commanding acoustic  presence, and 
incorporate s diamond tweeter  technology for 
the first  time.   A true three-way  design, it also 
features two Rohacell bass units and a woven 
Kevlar FST midr ange driver. This combination 
ensures that it delivers pin-sharp clarity all the 
way up the frequency range.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Rosenu t Cherry wood

Piano  Black Gloss

805 Diamond

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing 
system  for cabinet s tability.

You asked for it. And now you’ve  got it.  
The 805 Diamond   is an industry world-first for

a speaker  of this s ize and at this price  point  –  
the only one of its   kind  to incorporate true 
studio-grad e technology  in the form of  a 
diamond dome tw eeter. Experience remarkable, 
lifelike sound  from a  discreet speaker that fits 
almost anywhere.

Kevlar Bass/Mi drange

Woven  Kevlar bass/ 
midran ge drive r.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Rosenu t Cherry wood

Piano  Black Gloss

HTM2 Diamond HTM4 Diamond

If you’re looking for a centre-channel dialogue 
speaker to use as part of an 800 Diamond  home 
theatre set-up, HTM2 Diamond provides all the 
clarity and richness you need for larger viewing 
spaces. That’s down to a three-way design 
featuring two dedicated bass drivers – and,  
of course, a diamond dome tweeter.

Perfect for smaller  viewing areas, the HTM4 
Diamond centre-channel speaker will seamlessly 
balance the sound  in an 800 Diamond home 
theatre set-up, thanks to highly advanced, 
complementary technology like  a Kevlar bass/
midrange driver and  – for the first time ever –  
a diamond dome  tweeter unit.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Midrang e  Woven  Kevlar 
midran ge drive r. FST  surround.

Rohace ll bass drivers  Rohace l l 
foam/c arbon fi bre composite 
bass  driver. Dual  magnet  motor 
system . 38mm  voice c oil.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing syst em 
for c abinet stability.

Terminal Oxygen Free 
Copper  (OFC)  terminals for 
improve d signal  quality.

Crossov er  Gold /Silver/O il 
capaci tors in  high-frequency 
crossov ers, for  improve d 
signal  to tweeters a nd 
superi or sound  quality.

Diamon d tweete r  Diamo nd 
dome.  Nautilus  tapering tube 
design . Quad  magnet  motor 
system . Tweeter-on-top 
geomet ry.

Kevlar Bass/Mi drange  Woven 
Kevlar  bass/mi drange driver.

Matrix   Inter nal brac ing syst em 
for c abinet stability.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port  technology 
for o ptimum bass per formance 
and m inimum turbulence 
distor tion.

Flowpo rt  Refl ex port 
techno logy for  optimum bass 
perfor mance an d minimum 
turbul ence dis tortion.

Rosenu t Cherrywood Piano  Black Gloss Rosenu t Cherry wood

Piano  Black Gloss

Specifications

Technical features

Description

Drive Unit s

Frequency ra nge

Frequency res ponse

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic d istortion

Nominal im pedance

Crossover fre quencies

Recommended amplifier power

Max. recomme nded cable imp edance

Dimensions

Net weight

Finishes

800 Dia mond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone FST midrange

Sphere/tube midrange enclosure

Rohacell c one bass

Dual magne t bass driver motor

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

3-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø150mm (6in) woven Kevlar cone F ST midrange

2x ø250mm (10in) Rohacel l cone bass

-6dB at 25Hz and 33kH z

32Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 45Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 80Hz – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 3.1V)

350Hz, 4kH z

50W – 1 000W into 8V on unclipped programme

0.1V

Height: 1180mm (46.5in) inclu ding rollers

Width: 450mm (17.7in)

Depth: 645mm (2 5.4in)

102kg (225 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

802 Dia mond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone FST midrange

Sphere/tube midrange enclosure

Rohacell c one bass

Dual magne t bass driver motor

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

3-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø150mm (6in) woven Kevlar cone F ST midrange

2x ø200mm (8in) Rohacell cone bass

-6dB at 27Hz and 33kH z

34Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 40Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 70Hz – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 3.5V)

350Hz, 4kH z

50W – 5 00W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 1135mm (44.7in) not including feet

Width: 368mm (14.5in)

Depth: 563mm (2 2.2in)

72kg (159 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

Technical features

Description

Drive Unit s

Frequency ra nge

Frequency res ponse

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic d istortion

Nominal im pedance

Crossover fre quencies

Recommended amplifier power

Max. recomme nded cable imp edance

Dimensions

Net weight

Finishes

803 Dia mond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone FST midrange

Rohacell c one bass

Dual magne t bass driver motor

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

3-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø150mm (6in) woven Kevlar cone F ST midrange

3x ø180mm (7in) Rohacell cone bass

-6dB at 28Hz and 33kH z

35Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 50Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 90Hz – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 3.0V)

350Hz, 4kH z

50W – 5 00W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 1164mm (45.8in) not including feet

Width: 306mm (12in)

Depth: 457mm (1 8in)

41kg (90 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

804 Dia mond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone FST midrange

Rohacell c one bass

Dual magne t bass driver motor

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

3-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø150mm (6in) woven Kevlar cone F ST midrange

2x ø165mm (6.5in) Rohace ll cone bass

-6dB at 30Hz and 33kH z

38Hz - 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 90Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 120H z – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 3.0V)

350Hz, 4kH z

50W – 2 00W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 1020mm (40.2in) not including feet

Width: 238mm (9.4in)

Depth: 351mm (1 3.8in)

27kg (59 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

Technical features

Description

Drive Unit s

Frequency ra nge

Frequency res ponse

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic d istortion

Nominal im pedance

Crossover fre quencies

Recommended amplifier power

Max. recomme nded cable imp edance

Dimensions

Net weight

Finishes

805 Dia mond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone bass/midrange

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

2-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø165mm (6.5in) woven Kevlar cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 42Hz and 33kH z

49Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 100Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 150H z – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 4.7V)

4kHz

50W – 1 20W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 418mm (16.5in)

Width: 238mm (9.4in)

Depth: 351mm (1 3.8in)

12kg (26 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

HTM2 Di amond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone FST midrange

Rohacell c one bass

Dual magne t bass driver motor

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

3-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø150mm (6in) woven Kevlar cone F ST midrange

2x ø180mm (7in) Rohacell cone bass

-6dB at 35Hz and 33kH z

41Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

90dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 80Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 100H z – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 3.1V)

350Hz, 4kH z

50W – 3 00W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 329mm (13in)

Width: 841mm (33.1in)

Depth: 387mm (1 5.2in)

31kg (68 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

Technical features

Description

Drive Unit s

Frequency ra nge

Frequency res ponse

Dispersion

Sensitivity

Harmonic d istortion

Nominal im pedance

Crossover fre quencies

Recommended amplifier power

Max. recomme nded cable imp edance

Dimensions

Net weight

Finishes

HTM4 Di amond

Free-mounted diamond dome tweeter

Nautilus t ube tweeter lo ading

Quad magne t tweeter moto r

Kevlar bra nd fibre cone bass/midrange

Matrix cab inet

Flowport

2-way vent ed-box system

1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequen cy

1x ø165mm (6.5in) woven Kevlar cone bass/midrange

-6dB at 42Hz and 33kH z

49Hz – 28kHz ±3dB on reference axis

Within 2dB of reference response

Horizontal: over 60º arc

Vertical: over 10º arc

88dB spl (2.83V, 1m)

2nd and 3rd harmonics ( 90dB, 1m)

<1% 100Hz – 100kHz

<0.5% 150H z – 100kHz

8V (minimu m 4.7V)

4kHz

50W – 1 20W into 8V on unclipped p rogramme

0.1V

Height: 279mm (11in)

Width: 486mm (19.1in)

Depth: 287mm (1 1.3in)

12.5kg (27 lb)

Cabinet: Cherrywood

Rosenut

Piano Blac k Gloss

Grille: Black clot h

Technical features

Description

Drive Unit s

Frequency ra nge

Frequency res ponse

Amplifier power output

Rated powe r consumption

Standby po wer consumption

Input impe dance

Signal/noise

Functions

Inputs

Dimensions

Net weight

Cabinet finish

Grille

DB1

Rohacell cone drivers

Balanced drive

Digital Signal Processing

Room acoustics compensation

1000W Class-D amplifier

Active balanced-drive closed-box subwoofer system

2x ø300mm (12in) Rohacell cone long-throw

-6dB at 15Hz and 250Hz

±3dB 17Hz – 145Hz

1000W continuous

300W

1W

15kV

>100dB

5 Presets

Input sensitivity

Gain

Low-pass filter frequency

slope

phase

Graphic equalisation

Room compensation

Auto on/standby

Trigger on/standby

Trigger preset switching

RS-232 automation control

Stereo Line In (2x RCA Phono)

Mono (LFE) Line In (RCA Phono)

Mono (LFE) Line In (XLR balanced)

Height: 490mm (19.3in)

Width: 460mm (18.1in)

Depth: 410mm (16.2in)

44kg (97lb)

Cherrywood

Rosenut

Gloss blac k

Black clot h

01/10 PU23175

www.bowers-wilki ns.com  Kevlar is a regi stered tradem ark of DuPont. 

Rohacell is a registered tra demark of Röhm 
GmbH & Co. KG. Marlan is a registe red 
tradem ark of Polylac Hol land bv. FST,  
Nautil us, Flowpor t and Matrix are trademarks  
of B&W Group Ltd.

Copyr i ght © B&W Group Ltd.  
Stand s featured withi n this brochure are  
not suppl ied with the speakers. E&OE.  
Desig n by Thomas Manss & Com p any. 
Produc tion by Mibrand. Pri nted in UK. 
B&W Group Ltd rese rves the right to ame nd  
detail s of the specific ations without notice  
in line with tec hnical developments.