New B&W serie 800 !!!

[KahunaCanuck]

Regardless of your feelings to the new 800 series, a few upset posters on internet forums are not a true indication of the sales potential for the new line. The units aren't even at the dealers yet!

I plan to reserve my judgement of them until I have seen and heard them at my dealer.

[Race Car Driver]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m65DpqwJgM

[KyaDawn]

I'm on strike, and won't be buying the new 805D's until they offer it in black ash. I really can't believe they did away with black ash, particularly since the 805D is such a natural speaker upgrade for the rear channels, and for those who already have their front speakers in black ash.

Black Ash...are you listening B&W?

I think that's a big part of it right there, where it seems B&W is steering away from the notion of the new series being "compatible" with the "D" series, but rather, that the new "800 Series Diamond" is something different altogether and that we should "upgrade" ALL our speakers, not just the ones without the diamond tweeters.

[WelshOne]

I wonder what all this means now for the 2nd hand market of the range?

Will these changes increase the value/desirability of the 2nd hand range?

I for one would like a new sub, but I dont think I can or want to afford the DB1, which means i'll be looking for a used 855/825? Im sure others may feel the same?

In fact im pretty confident most of us here would like to improve our models given the chance, but if that meant buying new meant buying the whole new matching setup, thats a serious lot of cash and consideration.

I doubt ill be in the luxury position again to buy a whole new 800 series set up at todays prices?

Cue the violins............ :lol:

[Ken49r]

I wonder what all this means now for the 2nd hand market of the range?

Will these changes increase the value/desirability of the 2nd hand range?

I don't think the price will increase 2nd hand. I may be selling mine and moving on to another brand. There are others that sound just as good.

The reason I got into the 800"S" series was sound, looks, price. Now B&W has nothing to offer in that price range, and even if they come out with a new 700 series that matches the sound of the 800"S" series they won't look the same as my current speakers. I have no interest in buying used and having black ash L/R, cherry center speaker, and rosenut surrounds due to availability.

I think it was a bad business decision to drop the "S" series and black ash veneer but only time will tell.

[KyaDawn]

I don't think the price will increase 2nd hand. I may be selling mine and moving on to another brand. There are others that sound just as good.

The reason I got into the 800"S" series was sound, looks, price. Now B&W has nothing to offer in that price range, and even if they come out with a new 700 series that matches the sound of the 800"S" series they won't look the same as my current speakers. I have no interest in buying used and having black ash L/R, cherry center speaker, and rosenut surrounds due to availability.

I think it was a bad business decision to drop the "S" series and black ash veneer but only time will tell.

I wonder how many people thought the same thing when they switched from the Nautilus series to the "D/S" series. Having said that, the veneers were the same so there wasn't that issue with black ash.

[Race Car Driver]

I dont see what the fuss is all about in buying used. For the price of 2 new speakers I can get 2 used and a damn nice used amp etc etc.

Anyways, ignore me, I am just a bargin hunter who waits for deals.

[george_k]

Anybody know if they raised prices on the 805 stands (certainly hope not)?

[beden1]

I think that's a big part of it right there, where it seems B&W is steering away from the notion of the new series being "compatible" with the "D" series, but rather, that the new "800 Series Diamond" is something different altogether and that we should "upgrade" ALL our speakers, not just the ones without the diamond tweeters.

If you're correct, then one direction I can go at this point is to add another pair of the first generation 803D's for my rears, in order to match the voicing in the diamond tweeters and the black ash finish. Or, buy a used pair of 802Ds or 800Ds for my fronts and move the 803Ds to the rear.

I had decided that I really like my fronts setup as is with the HTM2D, and kind of wanted to get off of the speaker upgrade trail. The problem with adding larger speakers, is the center will not be as well matched, and then there is the increased power demands.

[Ken49r]

Anybody know if they raised prices on the 805 stands (certainly hope not)?

From $600.00 to $700.00 pair.

[KyaDawn]

I thought $600 was already really pushing it, but $700 for a pair of stands...wow! Maybe black costs more than silver? :B One way of looking at it, however, is now that the 805s have nearly doubled in price, the ratio of the cost of the stands have actually gone DOWN when compared to the cost of the speakers!

[style]

Hallo Brook,

I have the same ???point in my head:
a new 805D as rear -> for the diamant / but is not "only the diamant in the new linie 8 = all speakers to be replaced??
(the stand from the "old" 805s are the same for new linie) = money saved!

a 804D: and if the xover&co.is changed the 804d wil be better from the 803D at today in my (and your) room???

I have Rosenut (front) and the 805 in black ask( rear)and the black from new 8 is only in piano lack -> you go place a black ask & piano black combination?

a "old" 802D in (black ask for you -rosenut for me)and the 803D to the rear, with the Htm2D we go have a perfect match.but are the 802D really the target??? I like my 803D andwith the Classe they have a great sound!

I MUST listen the new 804D to decide!!

what's your opinion??

Omar

[beden1]

Hallo Brook,

I have the same ???point in my head:
a new 805D as rear -> for the diamant / but is not "only the diamant in the new linie 8 = all speakers to be replaced??
(the stand from the "old" 805s are the same for new linie) = money saved!

a 804D: and if the xover&co.is changed the 804d wil be better from the 803D at today in my (and your) room???

I have Rosenut (front) and the 805 in black ask( rear)and the black from new 8 is only in piano lack -> you go place a black ask & piano black combination?

a "old" 802D in (black ask for you -rosenut for me)and the 803D to the rear, with the Htm2D we go have a perfect match.but are the 802D really the target??? I like my 803D andwith the Classe they have a great sound!

I MUST listen the new 804D to decide!!

what's your opinion??

Omar

Omar,

I would like to have all speakers match in color/finish. My rear speakers are cherry 703s, and they don't look terrible, but for the price of the new speakers, I don't think I'm asking too much for them to match.

The other thing that was mentioned, is whether the sound of new diamond series will match our original diamond speakers?

I forget what the price of the new 804D's will be, but maybe the best bang-for-the-buck will be a matching pair of 803Ds?

[worldys]

b&W imitates the imitator

bit of irony for this sunday morning, i was cruising ebay and found this b&w imitator (notice the silver ring around the tweeter), i first remember seeing this obvious 805 knock-off a few years ago, lo and behold, in 2010 b&w decides to follow the design ethos from a cheap chinese knock-off

i side with majority in this forum and vote against the the silver rings and cheap looking piano finish, maybe if enough of us complain to our dealer, b&w will introduce the option of black rings and a black ash finish

[Gremal]

I didn't think about B&W's new look in that context. Yes, the non-wood finish does look a bit like those cheap knock-offs.

[KyaDawn]

bit of irony for this sunday morning, i was cruising ebay and found this b&w imitator (notice the silver ring around the tweeter), i first remember seeing this obvious 805 knock-off a few years ago, lo and behold, in 2010 b&w decides to follow the design ethos from a cheap chinese knock-off

i side with majority in this forum and vote against the the silver rings and cheap looking piano finish, maybe if enough of us complain to our dealer, b&w will introduce the option of black rings and a black ash finish

Wow, that's stunning. If you hadn't mentioned it was a knock-off, I would at first glace thought it was 805 Diamond, with only the black phase plug being the giveaway. Even the stand is black! Having said that, it doesn't fit the shape of the 805 like the real stands do.

Let's just hope B&W doesn't continue this madness and start taking design cues from this... :rofl:

[kaitkei]

For you guys making such a big deal over the silver rings, well what do you think about these 800 Diamonds!?

http://nexus404.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads2/2010/01/Bowers-wilkins-800-series-diamond.jpg

[KyaDawn]

Are those RED rings? 8O If you ask me, those are worse than the silver rings. :roll:

Sad to say, but it almost seems like B&W is taking design cues from Cerwin Vega.

[wettou]

Are those RED rings? 8O If you ask me, those are worse than the silver rings. :roll:

Sad to say, but it almost seems like B&W is taking design cues from Cerwin Vega.

They look great in a club :T

[KyaDawn]

That previous picture was a fake. :roll:

Here's the real one.

[KyaDawn]

I haven't seen this "blog" mentioned yet, but it's on the official B&W site and in the comments, you'll see responses from guys from B&W.

http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/theinsider/?p=368

Here's what one said about the new 802 Diamond:

Hello. I thought I’d take this opportunity and give you a little bit of information on the differences between the previous 802D and the 802 Diamond that is replacing it.

The most striking improvement over the 802D is to the bass, where the performance has been noticeably cleaned up. This is down to the new drivers with the dual magnet design, which give lower distortion at higher listening levels. As always, improvements in one area of the frequency range seem to improve others and this can be explained by the improved way the drivers blend together.

[Mark-n-b]

DB1 UK price

"THUD"

That was the sound of me falling off my chair...........

How can there be such a justified price with all the aftermarket tech available now to help EQ your sub, antimode, SMS, REW etc etc?

Surely $4500/£3500 could buy any capable sub/s (bigger drivers/cabinets,) and change to purchase EQ?

Thanks for the replies

I found it in my sent items in the end. :crush:

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for your email enquiry regarding the UK availability of the fantastic new B&W DB1 subwoofer.

We expect the UK to have availability of the DB1 from early 2010 with an expected retail of around £3500.00.

The DB1 subwoofer is perfectly partnered to the 800 Series and considered for high-end installations.

with kind regards

Product Support - UK Sales

[WelshOne]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the heads up.

Ive just been told (yesterday) by my dealer that its looking like £3250, and a 2 month wait............

[jamesdaman]

does no one still know the specs of the new speakers???

[kaitkei]

I haven't seen this "blog" mentioned yet, but it's on the official B&W site and in the comments, you'll see responses from guys from B&W.

http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/theinsider/?p=368

Here's what one said about the new 802 Diamond:

I read that "blog" already and how is one suppose to know what is real and what is fake on the internet anyways. :roll:

That is all fine and dandy with the bass being cleaned up which is likely to be a great improvement over the old 802D's, but there no mention of the actual bass extension. I wish B&W would publish the specs already.

[1oldguy]

I haven't seen this "blog" mentioned yet, but it's on the official B&W site and in the comments, you'll see responses from guys from B&W.

http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/theinsider/?p=368

Here's what one said about the new 802 Diamond:

LOl Cleaned up hey........So all this time they were selling us very expensive speakers that weren't up to par?I doubt that.

[Relentless]

As I look pass the ugly new look I think about what sound improvements they can have. The 802D with a new crossover and updated drivers could get rid of that mid bass bloat issue and make a major improvement of that speaker. Now the 800D with updated drivers and crossover will probably be a subtle change. If they wanted to update the 800D they should of gone to 2-12" drivers. I think they could be just as fast and have better slam.

[hifiguymi]

The problem with bigger woofers is a bigger cabinet. That would have meant a redesign and I don't think they are at the point in the 800 Series.

Eric

[kaitkei]

As I look pass the ugly new look I think about what sound improvements they can have. The 802D with a new crossover and updated drivers could get rid of that mid bass bloat issue and make a major improvement of that speaker. Now the 800D with updated drivers and crossover will probably be a subtle change. If they wanted to update the 800D they should of gone to 2-12" drivers. I think they could be just as fast and have better slam.

+1

Yes the mid bass bloat/bloom/boom or whatever you want to call it is what kept me from purchasing the 802D's in the first place, and the 800D's would have been too much speaker for my room.

Ugly new look because of those silver rings? :huh: I mean that is about the only thing that has changed from the previous 800 series? And really how hard would it be to make them black anyways?

[KyaDawn]

I read that "blog" already

Good for you, but others haven't which is why I put up the link. :B

and how is one suppose to know what is real and what is fake on the internet anyways. :roll:

No one's criticizing you for putting up the fake picture, even though it was ridiculous! :rofl: If anything, it was a good laugh!

That is all fine and dandy with the bass being cleaned up which is likely to be a great improvement over the old 802D's, but there no mention of the actual bass extension. I wish B&W would publish the specs already.

Tell me about it. 8)

[KyaDawn]

LOl Cleaned up hey........So all this time they were selling us very expensive speakers that weren't up to par?I doubt that.

Yeah, it's always funny to me how brands will hype up a current product (i.e. 802D), but then trash them when they bring out a new version (802 Diamond). Not limited to B&W and definitely not limited to hi-fi in general.

If you read the other comments, the B&W guys are trying to play down the silver rings, saying things like they are barely noticeable. Which if so, then what's the point of even putting them there in the first place? :B

[KyaDawn]

Yes the mid bass bloat/bloom/boom or whatever you want to call it is what kept me from purchasing the 802D's in the first place, and the 800D's would have been too much speaker for my room.

So what speakers did you buy?

[1oldguy]

Yeah, it's always funny to me how brands will hype up a current product (i.e. 802D), but then trash them when they bring out a new version (802 Diamond). Not limited to B&W and definitely not limited to hi-fi in general.

If you read the other comments, the B&W guys are trying to play down the silver rings, saying things like they are barely noticeable. Which if so, then what's the point of even putting them there in the first place? :B

A man who understands what I'm saying. :T

As for the silver rings B&W by that statement now realize what a blunder it was to go that route and are trying to down play it.
It's a tricky thing to mess around with what has become a very classic,classy look.Simply horrible IMHO.Silver Rings/No Way.

[scanido]

Is B&W Deleting Posts?

I haven't seen this "blog" mentioned yet, but it's on the official B&W site and in the comments, you'll see responses from guys from B&W.

http://blog.bowers-wilkins.com/theinsider/?p=368

Here's what one said about the new 802 Diamond:

I could of sworn i saw a few posts that were refering to the silver rings and the direction they took on the finishes being offered, now i do not see those posts anymore! :E

I hope they are not deliberately down playing the criticism of this new line.

[Hammie]

For you guys making such a big deal over the silver rings, well what do you think about these 800 Diamonds!?

http://nexus404.com/Blog/wp-content/...es-diamond.jpg

I can't see them...

[KyaDawn]

I could of sworn i saw a few posts that were refering to the silver rings and the direction they took on the finishes being offered, now i do not see those posts anymore! :E

I hope they are not deliberately down playing the criticism of this new line.

If that's true, then shame on them. :evil:

What they should have done was do a "beta test" with their customers like A/V component companies do to get feedback on the silver rings before they settled on them.

If they in fact had did that, then they need to find a new market research company! :B

[Grasynoll]

I think they make the CM series look cheap, let alone the 800's

[KyaDawn]

I can't see them...

Yeah, it wasn't linked correctly. Here's the photo below:

[Relentless]

+1

Yes the mid bass bloat/bloom/boom or whatever you want to call it is what kept me from purchasing the 802D's in the first place, and the 800D's would have been too much speaker for my room.

Ugly new look because of those silver rings? :huh: I mean that is about the only thing that has changed from the previous 800 series? And really how hard would it be to make them black anyways?

Yea those silver rings are ugly and distracting to me and a monster mistake by B&W.
How big is your room? I had 802D's and 800D's in the same small room on the same equipment and could never go back to the 802D's. Yes...the 800D's are that much better in my opinion.

[dan87951]

I like the gloss black but not a fan of the rear posts or silver ring!! Kinda ironic the cheap ebay 805 knock off had the silver ring LOL. To me there new rear posts and silver ring kinda cheapin the whole look but I got nothing to worry about because im not buying at these prices..

[ninja12]

B&W has decided it's time for a change to the 800 Series, and that's cool which was to be expected. However, I think the worse mistake out of all was with the 805 Diamonds. I think their thinking was really narrow. They have the new piano black 800 Diamond Series, and that's fine. They produce the 805 Diamond Series to match, and that's fine. The problem is is that most customers have 803Ds, 802Ds, 801Ds, and 800Ds that are not piano black and may have been wanting to upgrade to an 805D if B&W had produced them in Black Ash, Rosenut, and Cherry to match the colors of their current customer's speakers. As a result of not doing that, I think B&W has lost out on some serious revenue. I would've thought that would've been a very easy business decision to produce 805Ds since they have sold so many 800 Diamond Series Speakers.

Anyway, I wish B&W good luck on their new look. I'm sure the sound is still amazing. But, I have reached the point of satisfaction and will enjoy my 802Ds and HTM1D. For me, any upgrade would be marginal at best which would definitely not justify forking over at least 16K-18K, after selling my 802Ds, in order to get the 800 Diamonds. However, my next concern would be about the timbre of the HTM1D matching with the 800 Diamonds. Well, anyway the cost is unjustifiable for me.

[Skyblue]

B&W has decided it's time for a change to the 800 Series, and that's cool which was to be expected. However, I think the worse mistake out of all was with the 805 Diamonds. I think their thinking was really narrow. They have the new piano black 800 Diamond Series, and that's fine. They produce the 805 Diamond Series to match, and that's fine. The problem is is that most customers have 803Ds, 802Ds, 801Ds, and 800Ds that are not piano black and may have been wanting to upgrade to an 805D if B&W had produced them in Black Ash, Rosenut, and Cherry to match the colors of their current customer's speakers. As a result of not doing that, I think B&W has lost out on some serious revenue. I would've thought that would've been a very easy business decision to produce 805Ds since they have sold so many 800 Diamond Series Speakers.

Anyway, I wish B&W good luck on their new look. I'm sure the sound is still amazing. But, I have reached the point of satisfaction and will enjoy my 802Ds and HTM1D. For me, any upgrade would be marginal at best which would definitely not justify forking over at least 16K-18K, after selling my 802Ds, in order to get the 800 Diamonds. However, my next concern would be about the timbre of the HTM1D matching with the 800 Diamonds. Well, anyway the cost is unjustifiable for me.

Well, isn't that a fairnuff argument. As of yet noone has actually heard the new speakers and improvements, if any, seems marginal. And then there's really no point in upgrading at all.

As for myself I have 805s's. They are really nice, and I'm going to upgrade to either 802Diamonds or 800Diamonds. So for me the revision came just in time

[KyaDawn]

The problem is is that most customers have 803Ds, 802Ds, 801Ds, and 800Ds that are not piano black and may have been wanting to upgrade to an 805D if B&W had produced them in Black Ash, Rosenut, and Cherry to match the colors of their current customer's speakers

This affects only black ash owners. The 800 Diamond will still come in rosenut and cherrywood.

[beden1]

This affects only black ash owners. The 800 Diamond will still come in rosenut and cherrywood.

Please don't remind me...black ash owner. 8O

[wettou]

I find interesting how B&W Marketing position the new serie as brand new the only thing that changes are a few parts inside. It is the same identical construction as the 800 Nautilus that are more than ten years old



You have to admit they look nice :T

B & W's new 800 Diamond speaker.

British speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins doesn't revise its top-of-the-line 800 Series models often. It must have been a good five years ago when the company first introduced diamond tweeter equipped models.

The 800 Series speakers are not only highly regarded by serious audiophiles, but also they can be found in the best recording studios and mastering houses in the world including Abbey Road Studios in London, George Lucas' Skywalker Sound in California, and here in New York City at Sterling Sound. I've heard the 800 at Sterling, so I know it really deserves to be a benchmark design for audiophiles and professionals. Also, the 800 series is also drop-dead gorgeous. The just announced diamond tweeter models are the sixth-generation 800 Series, but only the second with diamond tweeters. The new 800 line is also the first to feature diamond tweeters in every speaker in the seven-model range.

Why diamond? The vast majority of dome tweeters used in other speakers, including very high-end models, use either cloth or metal dome designs, but thanks to diamond's superior strength, the 800 Series tweeter produces less distortion and greater high frequency extension and resolution. The new diamond tweeter uses a quad-magnet design that offers superior efficiency, and greater dynamic range than the previous models' tweeters. Therefore, when the drummer whacks a cymbal or the trumpet player really wails, you'll hear it.

The new 800 series woofers and midrange drivers have also been improved. The crossover networks now feature silver and gold capacitors; these capacitors, selected by B&W engineers are said to provide a dramatic increase in sound quality. 8O


It will be interesting to see when Kal and others have an opportunity to do a side by side comparison to see if the MARKETING claims are real! I hope they are not so I don't have to upgrade with three new 800Ds :B


The 800 Series models are manufactured in the "U.K. " not China as some feared at Bowers & Wilkins new cabinet factory in Worthing, West Sussex. All seven speakers are available in three finishes: Rosenut, Cherrywood, and Piano Black.

The 804 Diamond, the skinnier alternative.


The 805 Diamond "bookshelf" model is the most affordable speaker in the line and retails for $5,000 per pair.

The 804 Diamond is the smallest tower in the range, and has a similar footprint to the 805 Diamond when placed on a stand.

The larger 803 Diamond provides people with more conservative taste many of the benefits of the 800 Series Diamond's range-topping models, but in a more traditional floorstanding design. It uses three 7-inch bass drivers rather than the 802 Diamond's twin 8-inch cones.

The 802 Diamond is the home-friendly version of the 800 Diamond. It offers many of the benefits of the flagship speaker, including the distinctive head unit, but with a reduced footprint that fits in living room environments better.

The 800 Diamond is the flagship of the range, and is the latest incarnation of the speakers used in Abbey Road Studios. This no-compromise performer is better than ever, benefiting from all of the series-wide developments and featuring significantly improved bass thanks to a new voice coil and bass realignment that provides fuller and more consistent bottom end performance. The 800 Diamond sells for $24,000 per pair. or $12,000 each for three of them (cost to dealers $7,200)


The new 800 Series line also features two dedicated center channel speakers for home theater use. Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond speakers will be available in February.