Bowers & Wilkins Speakers Owners & Discussion Thread

[Guest wusplay]

805 D3 standard ver have the same SQ with the prestige ver right?

I think newer generation may be coming soon, after all D3 is already 5 years old... Consider the product lifespan of D1 and D2 was shorter.  Even Dynaudio also updated the completing model Contour to i ver.

 

 

[Amon86]

805 D3 standard ver have the same SQ with the prestige ver right?

I think newer generation may be coming soon, after all D3 is already 5 years old... Consider the product lifespan of D1 and D2 was shorter.  Even Dynaudio also updated the completing model Contour to i ver.

 

The prestige has a bit more spacious for soundstage and abit more mids but not worth paying 2k more the standard version as the 2k you can save up on a primaluna dac or etc for better differences but the finishing on the prestige in person is very beautiful though

[DJQ]

a sucker for limited editions

 

b the Continuum driver is such a big upgrade over the Kevlar.. it isn't as coloured in the mids

 

c when I play music from my teenage years, B&W still rocks

 

Yeah, now that i remember. There was once Nic told me limited edition or special edition for the other brand. Customers will like wow, must buy to collect; because its limited edition guess you are 1 of them. i also got myself a limited edition other brand.

[petetherock]

805 D3 standard ver have the same SQ with the prestige ver right?

I think newer generation may be coming soon, after all D3 is already 5 years old... Consider the product lifespan of D1 and D2 was shorter.  Even Dynaudio also updated the completing model Contour to i ver.

 

 

Not so soon, there will be an update for the 6xx series first...

[ivanlyf_2011]

Not so soon, there will be an update for the 6xx series first...

 

I think the setting is about right (i.e. all the pieces are in place) that the next update will be 800 Diamond 4 series...but probably next year so as not to cannibalize sales from the 700 series prestige editions & 600 series anniversary editions.

 

But then again, COVID might have disrupted everyone's business development plans...so a further delay or a sudden bring forward may also be possible.

[Doggie Howser]

It is more likely they will be looking at something that competes against Magico or Wilson flagships.

[Guest wusplay]

Current D3 look great. Hard to imagine how B&W can make D4 look better.

Maybe I'll say the same for D5 when D4 is out.

[petetherock]

705 review:

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/speaker/bookshelf/bw-705-signature-stand-mounted-speakers-review/

 

 

Looks nice..

[cstanxpl]

B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition, WHF? best standmount speaker £400 to £750.

 

https://www.whathifi.com/awards/best-stereo-speakers-2020

[gg2401]

Hi I am new here... any reco's for getting B&W 803 speakers repaired. On site would be best... (or I'll eventually will have to get my back repaired too haha..)

[petetherock]

If you want on site, I why not go back to the dealer bro?

The Diamonds aren't some off the shelf speaker and since you did not tell us what's wrong, I think you need the Experts... pun intended...

[ivanlyf_2011]

Thought I would give an update on my B&W 805D3 amateur impressions after running them since August 2020....these impressions are all using the B&W 705S2 as a comparison and with classical music

 

Currently, the 805D3 speakers are mounted on the 705S2 speaker stands 

 

Differences against a 705S2:

 

Body of the sound: Immensely huge body in the sound of the 805D3 vs the 705S2.

 

Bass: Also a dramatic improvement - the bass goes deeper, more defined and more punch. However, i think the bass was uncontrolled when placed on the empty 700-series speaker stands. After using some Oehlbach footers, the bass is much better. Not sure if the better bass is also a more 'powerful' bass that requires further taming.

 

Treble: The treble performance is certainly better than the 705S2 but is not a consistent improvement across the board:

a) Violin: Slight improvement

b) Piano: Great improvement. For the sharp notes, the treble goes higher without sounding bright and is also more transparent.

c) Horns & woodwinds: Best improvement. The diamond tweeter really conveys the sound of the various wind instruments very well - the difference vs the 705S2's treble is greatest in this region.

 

Also: The 805D3 is more coherent in its sound vs the 705S2. It's quite obvious when listening to symphonies and the complex passages that are common in the closing. The 805D3 keeps things more coherent vs the 705S2.

 

That's all, feel free to ask further and I'll try my best to answer. Disclaimer though: I'm a amateur to this hobby and am a rather lazy hobbyist who doesn't bother to tweak and fine tune my system much.

 

[cstanxpl]

WHF? B&W 607 S2 Anniversary review

 

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/bowers-and-wilkins-607-s2-anniversary-edition

 

Not sure if can still post such reviews link now. If not, Mod, please delete it, thanks.

[frankn]

This is doing the rounds on FB B&W Fan page. I don’t think this is real but one does wonder when the D4 version is arriving 

[Yamaha_man]

 

spotted over on ASR forum. wonder how long until we get to hear these.

 

On the tech front, the loudspeakers include the company’s Continuum Cone, FST and Biomimetic Suspension technologies. The result of an eight-year research program, the composite Continuum Cone – used for both midrange and mid/bass applications – is combined with the company’s Fixed Suspension Transducer (FST) technology when used as a midrange drive unit in Bowers & Wilkins floorstanding speakers.

The newest innovation from Bowers & Wilkins is the all-new composite Biomimetic Suspension that replaces the conventional fabric spider with a minimalist composite suspension system. The technology greatly reduces unwanted air pressure (or sound) that a conventional fabric spider can generate in a midrange cone.

In all three-way models, midrange drive units include a highly stiff all-aluminum chassis featuring Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) to quieten any resonance. These complete drive units and motor systems are then isolated on sprung-mounted decoupling mounts, further restricting the flow of vibration into the assembly.

The 803 D4, 802 D4 and 801 D4 also include a stiff all-aluminum Turbine Head enclosure for their midrange drive units.

The HTM81 D4 and HTM82 D4 features an internal aluminum enclosure. Meanwhile, the company’s signature Solid Body Tweeter housing that is machined from a solid piece of aluminum now features an elongated form (almost 30cm/12 inches long) with a longer internal tube-loading system.

Lastly, the 805 D4 and 804 D4 now feature the reverse wrap speaker cabinet previously reserved for the larger floor-standing 800 Series Diamond models. The 804 D4 now joins the other floorstanding models in the 800 Series Diamond range by offering a downwards-firing Flowport bass port, exiting on to a new, stiffer solid aluminum plinth designed to offer a more solid foundation and to control unwanted resonance. The 804 D4 also has upgraded spikes and feet, with huge M12 spikes that are both more stable and stiffer than the outgoing M6 designs.

[Guest]

Interesting. Many of us in the press were invited to an online presentation a few weeks back - exciting things coming, all under embargo still of course. So we're not allowed to say anything

 

[fourlambs]

Hi All,

Who is the Australian distributor for B&W Speaker parts?

 

Contact details appreciated.

 

Thanks

Phil

[Guest]

2 hours ago, fourlambs said:

Hi All,

Who is the Australian distributor for B&W Speaker parts?

 

Contact details appreciated.

 

Thanks

Phil

 

You will always find distributor's information in our Brands Directory. In this case:

https://www.stereonet.com/au/brands/bowers-wilkins

 

Sound United Australia.

[Damranger]

HI all, after a listening session a month or so ago, i gave in and got myself a pair of 805D3's and I'm absolutely loving them. I haven't been able to find any FS805D3 stands and at the moment the speakers are sitting on a cabinet. I'm looking for stands to suit and I'd be keen to know what others are using.

 

It seems that a lot of third party stands have 160x160 top plates which is considerably smaller than the base of the 805s so stability worries me a bit but keen to hear others experiences.

 

Scott

[frankn]

It looks like the original matched stands were designed to have the speakers rigidly attached (not a bad idea imo). Do the speakers have threaded inserts in the speakers base panel to facilitate bolts?  If you were looking for 3rd party stands you’d want to have holes aligning correctly. 
Copied from a What HiFi review:

As before there is a dedicated stand – a smart combination of aluminium and MDF that suits the speaker well. Ours were mass-loaded to add stability, which proves worthwhile. The stands are available in black or silver.

They aren't cheap at £600, but unlike past efforts they work really well, and once the speakers are bolted on, we have no reason to doubt the effectiveness of the pairing. If you’re thinking of buying a pair of 805 D3s, consider the partnering stands an essential purchase.

 

@Grizzlymakes superb custom stands if you are interested. 

Edited August 20, 2022 by frankn
Extra info

[Damranger]

7 minutes ago, frankn said:

It looks like the original matched stands were designed to have the speakers rigidly attached (not a bad idea imo). Do the speakers have threaded inserts in the speakers base panel to facilitate bolts?

Thanks Frankn, yes they do. It wouldn't be hard to drill out a top plate to match but finding one with a decnt size is a little challenging. The Atacama Moseco XL might be ok but at their prioce they're approaching the factory stands

 

I've posted in the WTB and I'll send some emails off to the various B&W sellers. Someone may have an old set gathering dust in their store. Happy to hear others advice

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Damranger said:

It seems that a lot of third party stands have 160x160 top plates which is considerably smaller than the base of the 805s so stability worries me a bit but keen to hear others experiences.

 

I'm a big fan of the Solidsteel tripod style stands:

https://www.selby.com.au/brands/solidsteel/solidsteel-speaker-stands.html

Especially in the raw finish personally. 

According to the specs of the SS-5 stands - the top plate is 190mm x 190mm. Is that big enough?

[Damranger]

26 minutes ago, Marc said:

 

I'm a big fan of the Solidsteel tripod style stands:

https://www.selby.com.au/brands/solidsteel/solidsteel-speaker-stands.html

Especially in the raw finish personally. 

 

According to the specs of the SS-5 stands - the top plate is 190mm x 190mm. Is that big enough?

Thanks Marc, I looked at a raw pair of ss-6 stands yesterday and they do look sensational. I was tempted to grab them but their plates are 160x160 (as are the SS-7). Strange that the shorter stands have a bigger plate. I think the SS-5 are probably just a bit short at 525mm with spikes.

[Guest]

I also thought it strange the smaller stands had bigger plates.

Reach out to @Selby Acoustics - they might be able to swap out the larger plates from the smaller stands, to give you the config you need - assuming they're compatible. Worth asking the question. 

[Guest]

I'd own a pair!