The Flagship Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5 Loudspeaker Could Be Yours for $65,000 USD
Summary Bowers & Wilkins has unveiled the 800 Series Diamond D5 at HIGH END Vienna, the fifth generation of its flagship loudspeaker range and the most technically advanced the brand has ever produced The seven-model range introduces Space…
Summary
- Bowers & Wilkins has unveiled the 800 Series Diamond D5 at HIGH END Vienna, the fifth generation of its flagship loudspeaker range and the most technically advanced the brand has ever produced
- The seven-model range introduces Space Frame Bracing, Enhanced Matrix cabinet stiffening, an all-new aluminium top plate, tuned-mass damping plinths, and Signature-specification components cascaded across the full lineup
- Four new finishes arrive with the D5: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut, and Dark Walnut, with the flagship 801 D5 priced at $65,000 USD and the range available to buy from September 9
Bowers & Wilkins has unveiled the 800 Series Diamond D5 at HIGH END Vienna, the fifth generation of its flagship loudspeaker range and the brand's most significant product launch in its 60th anniversary year. Available to buy from September 9, the seven-model range spans from the 805 D5 standmount at $15,000 USD to the flagship 801 D5 at $65,000 USD, with extensive acoustic, mechanical, and electrical improvements applied across every model.
The engineering brief for the D5 was systematic rather than singular: identify every structural weakness in the D4 and address it with purpose-built aluminium solutions. The most significant new introduction is Space Frame Bracing, a system of parallel aluminium rails periodically reinforced longitudinally and transversely, bolted directly to the rear of the Matrix inside each D5 cabinet. It works in conjunction with the Enhanced Matrix, a new aluminium bracing system applied to the critical front section of the cabinet around each individual drive unit. Together with an all-new aluminium top plate featuring thicker ribbing sections and revised decoupling mounts, the three systems give the D5 what Bowers & Wilkins describes as the most mechanically quiet enclosure it has ever produced.
The floor-standing models receive a substantially revised plinth using a combination of constrained-layer and tuned-mass damping, with the tuned masses individually specified for each plinth's unique properties. The lower edge of each plinth has been extended downward to conceal the wheels and spikes beneath the loudspeaker, and stabilising outriggers now sit inside the plinth itself, contributing to both performance and visual refinement. The 804 D5 receives the range's most significant individual upgrade: an internal aluminium midrange enclosure for its Continuum Cone FST assembly, derived from the Turbine Head structure of the larger floorstanding models. The result is a more open midrange presentation that more closely emulates the spatial character of the headed models above it in the range.
Across the full lineup, Signature-specification components have been cascaded from the 800 Series Signature loudspeakers wherever possible. The Diamond Dome tweeters receive the latest generation of tweeter grille mesh from the 801 D4 Signature, which retains dome-protecting stiffness while improving acoustic transparency and off-axis performance. Every midrange, bass/midrange, and bass drive unit benefits from lower distortion motor systems based on Signature-specification components. Crossover components and wiring harnesses have been upgraded throughout, with the crossover assembly now mounted on an all-aluminium plate rigidly coupled to both the cabinet and the Space Frame Bracing.
The four new finishes give the D5 a visual identity that matches its engineering ambition. Dark Walnut, inspired by the limited-production 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition, replaces Satin Rosenut and pairs with Leather by Connolly trim and dark metal detailing. Stealth Black offers a consistent dark aesthetic across all surfaces. Warm White evolves from the previous generation with warmer, more modern tones and champagne-coloured detailing. Light Walnut completes the range with the same champagne metal detailing and a complementary painted Turbine Head. Production tolerances have been tightened across all finishes, with visible surface transitions minimised, fixings concealed, and panel gaps reduced throughout.
The D5 arrives as Bowers & Wilkins marks 60 years since John Bowers founded the company in 1966 with the stated purpose of delivering a flawlessly accurate rendering of the original recording. That philosophy has remained constant across five generations of the 800 Series Diamond range, each one building on the last with the same underlying brief: eliminate every source of unwanted noise, vibration, and coloration, and let the recording speak for itself.
The Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5 range is available to buy from September 9 online and via authorised retailers worldwide.
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