Bowers & Wilkins is widely considered as one of the frontrunners in speaker engineering and sound reproduction, and they just introduced their new 800 Series D4 Diamond model speakers.
We’ll cover some of the new design and tech highlights here.
Improved Matrix Design / Cabinet Bracing
B&W have used internal pieces to brace the cabinet of their speakers for decades – now in the D4 is the addition of aluminium pieces. This design reportedly eliminates cabinet flex at lower frequencies, allowing for more accurate sound reproduction at those ranges.
Reverse Wrap Cabinet
All new stereo pairs now include this design. Sheets of wood are bonded together, then bent to form a one-piece shell that curves towards the rear of the speaker – greatly reducing internal resonance.
External Crossovers
All stereo pairs now have external crossovers mounted to the back of the Reverse Wrap Cabinet in a large aluminium casing. This reduces the chance of air pressure disturbing internal electronics of the crossover, allows for more space inside the cabinet and acts as a heat sink for the crossover components.
Anti Resonance Plug
The D4 series woofer is upgraded with a new Anti Resonance Plug – preventing the driver from flexing as frequencies drop, generating a more accurate bass with less distortion.
Biomimetic Suspension
Midrange drivers use something called spiders. In short, the speaker’s voice coil (the coil of wire attached to the apex of a loudspeaker cone) is affixed to the inside of the spider, keeping it centred at the bottom of the basket frame. The spider is usually made from fabric and is a solid yet flexible material with ridges.
B&W found that the spider acts like a small speaker driver itself while it moves back and forth in the cone – adding a small level of distortion. 15 years of research led to a new design – allowing for all the benefits of a typical spider, but is completely open to prevent it from making a sound of its own.
This attention to detail and decades of innovation is the reason why Bowers & Wilkins is the preferred brand in the top production and mastering studios worldwide.