Diamond dome tweeter
Thanks to diamond’s high stiffness to density ratio, the dome displays perfectly controlled, piston-like behaviour further beyond the upper limits of human hearing than ever before. The first breakup occurs at an unprecedented 70kHz
(in contrast, the equivalent frequency for standard aluminium domes is 30kHz). For high frequency clarity and detail,
no other tweeter dome comes close.
Tweeter on top
Our distinctive tweeter-on-top design makes sound acoustic sense. By isolating the tweeter from the cabinet, you ensure that sound waves are travelling in the direction they should: towards the listener, not across the cabinet surface. It also means the time-alignment with the midrange driver can be finely adjusted.
Nautilus tapering tubes
Not all sound generated by drive units is good sound. The kind that emerges from the back of a driver can bounce around and make a mess of the sound coming out of the front. Nautilus tapering tubes soak up wayward sound energy, reducing resonances to an insignificant minimum.
Kevlar midrange
As with all our high-end speakers, Kevlar® is the cone material of choice for the 800 Series Diamond - and with good reason. As we discovered way back in 1974, the same properties that allow Kevlar to stop a bullet also make it the ideal material for soaking up the standing waves in a speaker cone that can colour and distort midrange sound. Not only does it deliver a far cleaner sound, it can do so to a wider group of listeners.
FST™
The unique front suspension of FST drivers enhances Kevlar cones yet further. It acts like a circular shock absorber around the cone’s edge, soaking up resonances to leave the sound purer and more responsive. What you hear is astonishing clarity and definition.
Sphere/tube enclosure
The 800 and 802 Diamond’s heads are made of highly inert, granite hard Marlan®. Inside, the cavity absorbs unwanted sound from the driver. Outside, the glossy, curved surface helps disperse the sound, creating a solid, three-dimensional image.
Rohacell bass
Rohacell® is used extensively in the high performance automotive and aerospace industries, where its unusual combination of very low weight and very high resistance to bending stress make it the ideal choice for a multitude of applications. Those very same characteristics also make it an ideal material for the structural heart of the bass driver in every 800 Series Diamond 3-way speaker. For speed, stiffness and unshakable bass, it’s the bottom line.
Flowport
Flowport™ is a venting system that minimises air turbulence in the same way as a golf ball. Dimples on the surface generate tiny eddy currents, over which air can flow smoothly. The result: tighter bass and no ‘chuffing’.
Mushroom
800 Series Diamond bass drivers use a mushroom-type diaphragm construction, maximising strength and rigidity by bonding the cone, dust cap and voice coil into a stiff unit. This helps deliver low-end 'drive' and 'punch'.
Cabinet
For 800 Series Diamond cabinets, we’ve thought outside the box. By curving the cabinet, we’ve made it stronger, reducing the number of joins and other potential weak points and holding the drive unit assemblies still and secure. The curved surface also helps disperse sound waves and reduce resonance. And as if a naturally strong shell wasn’t enough, the cabinet walls are held firm
against exceptional vibration by their own internal Matrix™ skeleton.
Decoupling
In traditional speakers, vibrations generated by one driver can reach the others and affect their sound. In 800 Series Diamond speakers, tweeter and midrange drivers are decoupled from the structure by cushioning them in gel. So each drive unit can perform at its best.
Matrix
Matrix™ interlocking panels take cabinet bracing to the ultimate level. This three-dimensional honeycomb structure reinforces the cabinet in every direction. Coloration is cut - so there’s nothing to detract from performance.
Crossover
In a speaker, the better the mechanical design, the simpler the electronic design can be. In the 800 Series Diamond, the crossovers use the minimum number of components necessary for seamless integration of the individual drivers. The high-pass filters to all tweeters are just 1st-order – the simplest circuit possible. That simplicity allows us to choose crossover components of the highest calibre, hand-picked after exhaustive listening tests. By retaining the purity of the signal in this way, we can ensure an open, realistic sound.
More to explore
DB1
DB1 is the most advanced subwoofer Bowers & Wilkins has yet produced. Perfect for home theatre or the demands of an audiophile’s hi-fi system.
Nautilus
Nautilus is recognised worldwide as an outstanding loudspeaker that continues to shape the direction of the audio industry to this day.
PM1
The highly refined PM1 is a compact loudspeaker that offers audiophile-quality performance and features the new Bowers & Wilkins Carbon Braced Tweeter.
Society of Sound
Society of Sound Music members can access high-quality downloads curated by Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and the London Symphony Orchestra.
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