The very first Bowers and Wilkins signature edition was released in 1991. Many signature speakers have followed, each one having its unique features and finishes, and the series is a sort of a legend among speakers and sells out quickly. There have only been seven signature releases since the line was announced 33 years ago. The 801 D4 is the latest speaker and has more than a paint upgrade.
Review
The Bowers and Wilkins 801 D4 Signature has many upgrades over the standard 801, it has a new cabinet with a modified downwards firing port. The speaker got crossover updates, it has a new Aluminum top plate for the tweeter to rest on. It also gets two new finishes, Midnight Blue Metallic, and California Burl Gloss.
The B&W 801 D4 Signature is extremely big. It is 48 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and has a depth of 24 inches, you can’t miss its presence if it’s in a room. It has two 10-inch bass drivers, a 6-inch cone, and a 1-inch Diamond Dome tweeter. It is a full-range loudspeaker with a frequency response of 15Hz-28kHz, and no subwoofers are required.
You cannot cut corners with power when you have the B&W 801 D4 Signature. You will need a very good amplifier to make sure your money is worth it when using this speaker. You also have to make the placement just right if you want to get everything out of these speakers. Bowers and Wilkins recommend having the speakers about 10ft apart, and a distance of at least 18 inches from your walls. B&W’s suggestion is perfect as these speakers sounded the best when they were placed this way and facing straight, moving the speakers 18 inches from the walls resulted in a more balanced frequency response. Bowers and Wilkins also recommend removing the grilles for intense listening sessions, which I also agree with.
Of all the Bowers and Wilkins speakers, the 801 D4 Signature is one step above everything. When set up correctly, the speakers are a window to some of the best music you have ever experienced. For a loudspeaker of this size, it has an intricacy which makes it better than almost all the speakers at this price point. Its bass equals two subwoofers, and the sound will fill up your room, with dynamics that compete with some of the best extremely expensive loudspeakers I’ve used.
With two 10-inch woofers, the speaker has so much bass and does so much more than hitting the low notes. The woofers showcase incredible detail that I had never heard from any speaker before.
A speaker crossover is a critical component that you never see but greatly impacts the overall sound quality. The B&W 801 D4 Signature has much more bypass capacitors than the standard 801, which results in lesser distortion and generates a much cleaner sound across the midrange and the treble.
Verdict
The B&W 801 D4 Signature is so good that I think many recording studios will have it. Anyone will instantly fall in love with these speakers just after a brief listening session because the Bowers and Wilkins engineers have created an amazing loudspeaker that pushes the boundaries of sound. The B&W 801 D4 Signature speakers retail for $55000, and are very much worth it.
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