Bowers & Wilkins has updated the 800 Series Diamond, the top loudspeaker line, with a fifth-generation version it calls D5. The series keeps the bulbous, curved cabinets the company has built its identity on, shapes that trace the drivers packed inside rather than hiding them in a clean rectangular box.
The D5 is a top-to-bottom revision rather than a single new model. The update covers seven speakers, from the 805 D5 stand-mount up to the HTM81 D5 and HTM82 D5 home theater models, the latter carrying an extra center-channel driver. The physical and mechanical upgrades are pitched at holding the line's position at the top of the catalog.
The core of the range is the three-way floorstanders, the 804 D5, 803 D5, 802 D5, and the flagship 801 D5. That last one carries the longest history. It first appeared in 1979 as the 801, and the curved 801 D5 of today looks a long way from the arrow-straight design language of the 1970s, though the original was already breaking from its era. Its faceted cabinet introduced the stacked driver layout that became a B&W signature, separate enclosures for the 27cm woofer, 10cm midrange, and 26mm tweeter perched on top.
Four finishes arrive with the D5: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut, and Dark Walnut, each paired with aluminum components inside and out.
