Enter the Studios and Step onto the Stages on Which Your Favorite Music Was Made: British-Built Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 Floor-Standing Loudspeakers Deliver "True Sound"
The Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 floor-standing loudspeakers pose an enticing question to listeners everywhere: What would it be worth to you if you could experience your favorite recordings — and all the favorites to come — as if you were truly hearing them for the very first time? While high-end audio equipment is no stranger to such lofty goals and grand claims, the difference with 803 D4 is that it actually delivers on the promise. Devised under the premise of playing with what Bowers & Wilkins deems "True Sound," 803 D4 serves the artist's original intent by reproducing music with extraordinary levels of transparency, detail, force, resolution, and accuracy that bring you into the studio — or onto the concert stage.
As the most compact-headed 800 Series Diamond model with a dedicated midrange enclosure, the 45.9 x 14.1 x 20.1-inch (HWD) 803 D4 comes with the advantage of fitting in most rooms while skimping on none of the qualities for which Bowers & Wilkins' flagship speaker line is known. From its sophisticated internals to its show-stopping exterior, the 137-pound 803 D4 trumpets all the leading-edge technological innovations — the all-aluminum Turbine Head that houses the Continuum midrange cone; advanced Matrix bracing with interlocking panels for superb reinforcement; all-new Biomimetic Suspension that dramatically reduces unwanted air pressure and coloration; reverse-wrap cabinet for unprecedented inertness — that Bowers & Wilkins developed during the past decade for optimal performance. (Read more about these hallmark features below.)
Better still, the three-way 803 D4 doesn't discriminate when it comes to genre. Its advanced driver array handles any kind of music with extraordinary depth, dynamics, openness, air, and balance. Specialists in playing with stunning frequency extension and recreating three-dimensional soundstages, Bowers & Wilkins' one-inch diamond dome tweeter and famous solid-body Tweeter-on-Top housing — milled from a single block of aluminum and sculpted into an elongated form with a long tube-loading system that lessens rear diffraction — accompany a five-inch Continuum cone FST midrange and two seven-inch Aerofoil woofers. They're among the reasons 803 D4 touts an enviable 16Hz-35kHz range. But what might startle you most is how utterly true to the source 803 D4 remains in both the analog and digital domains. To quote the legendary Staple Singers, 803 D4 will "take you there."
Like its siblings in the 800 Series Diamond, 803 D4 adheres to a thought process wherein Bowers & Wilkins engineers believe everything involved with the speaker's construction can impact the end result. That obsessive passion explains why 803 D4 is made entirely in Bowers & Wilkins' dedicated factory in England — and why all of its components went through years of sophisticated testing and analysis before they were approved. Such painstaking devotion also accounts for why many of the world's foremost music institutions and recording studios — Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Records, Interscope Records, 20th Century Fox, Sony, MIT, Sterling Sound, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra to name just a handful — choose to use the 800 Diamond Series family in their everyday pursuits.
Visually, 803 D4 possesses the kind of looks that will command the attention of any room. These speakers have the kind of lines, finishes, materials, and stop-dead-in-your-tracks curves modeled by the world's most desirable supercars. Just consider the Leather by Connolly detailing, choice of four different hand-applied colors, or rear-mounted crossover mounted on stiff aluminum spines — a unique touch that isolates the sensitive capacitors and acts as a strategic heatsink. The speaker's unique architecture also means reflections and colorations are practically an afterthought; also note that the tweeter housing is decoupled, as is the housing for the midrange turbine head. On paper, Bowers & Wilkins' engineering feats impress. In practice, they help make music sound as if it is being made in your room in real time by real artists.
And Bowers & Wilkins didn't forget about practicality. To simplify setup and placement, 803 D4 arrives supplied on wheels to aid with correct positioning. Once you get the speaker where you want in your room, in-built spikes and corresponding floor cups are at the ready. A set of stabilizers provide extra security and assist in holding the speakers in place. Want more peace of mind? 802 D4 includes a five-year manufacturer warranty.
Experiencing music through a pair of 803 D4 towers is something that cannot be properly conveyed with words or images. We'd love to talk more with you about these truly special components. To learn more, and arrange for a risk-free in-home audition, please call one of our audio consultants today.
Turbine Head: A B&W Trademark
Hear the sound, not the cabinet. Separate midrange enclosures have always been a feature of 800 Series models. The latest all-aluminum Turbine Head housing takes that concept to the next level. This phenomenally stiff and inert housing for the crucial midrange cone is carefully damped to avoid unwanted resonances and decoupled from both the bass enclosure and the tweeter body. The result? Extraordinarily realistic midrange sound.
Solid Body Tweeter: Not Just for Looks
The latest edition of Bowers & Wilkins' iconic Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing features an elongated form with a longer tube-loading system, producing an incredibly free and open sound with high frequencies. The carefully decoupled housing is milled from a single solid block of aluminum to better resist resonance.
Matrix Bracing: Reinforcing the Point
Trademarked Matrix bracing uses interlocking panels to reinforce loudspeaker cabinet walls in all directions internally, reducing resonance and creating a more believable soundstage. Every loudspeaker in 800 Series Diamond benefits from an upgraded Matrix design that combines solid plywood construction with aluminum bracing to reinforce key stress points.
Reverse Wrap Cabinet: A Wicked Curve
When it came to designing the ideal shape for the 800 Series Diamond cabinet, Bowers & Wilkins did a U-turn. Instead of a flat-fronted speaker with a curving back, the company produced a cabinet with a front and sides formed of one continuous curve — and held together with a spine of solid aluminum. Fewer joins make for a stiffer, more inert structure, and a curved front means less baffling around the drive units. The upshots: sound dispersion is improved, and cabinet reflection reduced.
Biomimetic Suspension: Thinking Outside the Box
Sometimes, making a big difference takes unconventional thinking. Bowers & Wilkins' all-new Biomimetic Suspension revolutionizes midrange-cone performance by greatly reducing the unwanted air pressure and coloration that a conventional fabric spider can generate. The resultant transparency needs to be experienced in order to be believed.
Decoupled Midrange: An 800 Series Diamond Hallmark
Every 800 Series Diamond loudspeaker (save for 805 D4) has a dedicated midrange cone using several proprietary Bowers & Wilkins technologies: the Continuum FST cone, Biomimetic Suspension, and midrange decoupling. The latter ensures minimal interference from the operation of the loudspeaker's bass units.
Aluminum Top Plate: The Ideal Match
Every stereo model in the 800 Series Diamond range has a significantly upgraded cabinet design with an all-new aluminum top plate for even greater stiffness. The same design also provides a perfect mounting point for the all-new Leather by Connolly cabinet detailing.
Rear-Mounted Crossover: No Detail Overlooked
All stereo models in the 800 Series Diamond range use rear-mounted crossover designs mounted on stiff aluminum spines. This isolates the sensitive capacitors from the unwanted effects of air pressure within the enclosure and makes for a very effective heatsink to ensure optimum performance when in use.
Description: 3-way vented-box system
Drive units:
1x ø25mm (1in) Diamond dome high-frequency
1x ø130mm (5in) Continuum cone FST midrange
2x ø180mm (7in) Aerofoil cone bass units
Frequency range: 16Hz to 35kHz
Frequency response: 19Hz to 28kHz (+/-3dB from reference axis)
Sensitivity: 90dB (on axis at 2.83Vrms at 1m)
Harmonic distortion, 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m on axis):
<1% 80Hz – 20kHz
<0.3% 100Hz – 20kHz
Nominal impedance: 8Ω (minimum 3.0Ω)
Recommended amplifier power: 50W – 500W into 8Ω on unclipped programme
Max recommended cable impedance: 0.1Ω
Dimensions (HWD): 45.9" x 14.1" x 20.1"
Weight: 137 lbs.
User Manual (PDF, 12.5 MB)