Bowers & Wilkins – Company Profile and Signature 801 D4 Review
801 D4 Signature – Listening
Unlike the last time that Werner and I were visiting Bowers & Wilkins for the introduction of the original 801 D4, this time, we did not bring along any of our audio equipment. We both figured that this was not necessary since this was going to be an introductory listening impression of two models under identical circumstances and not a full review.
Inside the listening room were both the “regular” 801 D4 and the brand new 801 D4 Signature. First, Ronald would demo one pair, then the other, using a short playlist. After that, Werner and I were allowed to play with the system for a few hours.
Naturally, the two pairs of speakers are merely posing for the picture. When listening, we always had either the one pair or the other in position while the inactive speakers were relocated to the sides.
Review Context
The Bowers & Wilkins listening room is carefully treated on all the surface areas with a mixture of diffusion and absorption to achieve what Rainer referred to earlier as an accurately measured result as well as a musically pleasing performance. The resultant sound feels neutral and entirely uncolored, there are no reflections and there is absolutely no room boom, however, there is a distinct leanness in the bass and the gentlemen did acknowledge this. Nevertheless, this is something that both speakers will face, and as such, it should not affect the conclusion.
The digital source is a Mac Mini running Roon, connecting via an AudioQuest USB cable either to the Classé Delta Pre or the Marantz SA-10 SACD player according to taste. The former sounds more ballsy, concrete, and expressive, while the latter sounds more fluid, relaxed, and refined, and with these two perspectives, the system caters to different ears. The power amplifiers are the Classé Delta Mono. Incidentally, while their cooling fans were running at a low RMP, I could only hear them when really up close, not from 2 meters away, and certainly not from the listening position.
Listening
Starting with the “regular” 801 D4’s, the sound is solidly planted, robust, precise, linear, transparent, expressive, and very neutral. Just as noted the last time, these speakers absolutely do not have much in common with the older Nautili that I used to own so long ago. More specifically, I actually felt at the time they posed good competition to similarly-priced Magicos. As some of Rondald’s recordings highlighted beautifully, the 801 D4’s can sound full-bodied and tonally deeply saturated, or pure and intimate, but they will not add any character themselves. All the tracks of Ronald’s selection each exhibited their own unique character, whether small-scale or room-filling and large, the speakers never stood in the way of the performance.
With enormous anticipation, the speakers were swapped, and I have to say it was very comfortable for a change having this carried out by two “assistants” while remaining seated myself! Care was taken to position the speakers in the same positions and before we knew it, the system was back up and running.
With the Signature 801 D4’s in position, Ronald re-started the same playlist. Oh yes, this sure was different! Subtle, perhaps, but the differences were also rather more diverse than one may assume.
For starters, the bass was now tighter, cleaner, and more precise. I didn’t think the “regular” 801 D4 model had any character in the bass, but what character was there before, was now clearly eradicated, leaving only clean, pure sound, conveyed exactly as it is in the recording. Further, there was something special going on with the midrange, highlighted in particular with vocals and strings. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I would refer to it as a mix of magic and realism. On the one hand, vocals could now sound more intimate and convincing, and on the other, they could trade in some earthiness and take on more of an ethereal delivery. Rather intriguingly, with some tracks, I was now noticeably more emotionally involved. With other tracks that had a more rhythmic inclination, there was increased fluidity and reduced edginess, but along with it, also a subtly reduced sense of dynamic attack. With that, I think we are touching on what may be the most profound difference. Whereas the older 801 D3 had been felt by many to be on the hot and hard side, and the 801 D4 had neatly addressed this, the Signature 801 D4 moved further toward a smoother, lusher, and more fluid presentation. But I hasten to add that the Signatures are not just a polished version of the originals.
The regular 801 D4’s treble was already remarkably pure and refined. This Diamond tweeter is truly magnificent and certainly one of the very best tweeters that I have heard. But with the Signature version, the treble range was now even better integrated with the midrange, in other words, the two were more coherent. And while there is now a hint of warmth and increased lushness throughout the midrange and up, the bass remains tight and articulate, and involvingly propulsive. And across the board, the whole presentation is not just more refined, but also more transparent. You still hear everything that is going on in the mix, only in a more friendly manner.
Even in the face of their higher resolution and transparency, I can absolutely not imagine anyone accusing the Signatures of being clinical. Come to think of it, with the careful tweaking of the crossover and all the other subtle but important improvements aimed at further lowering the distortion, the speakers have taken on a delivery that is, more than ever, reminiscent of the refined luxuriousness for which sister brand Marantz brand is famous.
Busted! Here I am lying on the floor assisting Ronald in lowering the spikes for our extended listening session. (sneak pic by Werner Ero:-)
Further listening on our own confirmed all the aforementioned assertments but also brought to light some additional differences. For instance, while the bass was now beautifully crisp and tight, the midrange sometimes had a politeness that allowed for a lessened level of snap and pop with percussive instruments. In checking with Nico, we learned that the Signatures were still quite new and may not have had enough total playing time to really come into their own. With that in mind, it is highly plausible that they will also further loosen up and potentially become more extravert and expressive.
As mentioned, this was only a “first listening” impression and not an in-depth review. Ideally, I’d subject them to a more extended listening period in the context of my own system to really get to the bottom of their performance. Nico mentioned that it may be possible to arrange this at some point but given that the speakers are, for now, not widely available, that extensive review may not materialize any time soon.
In any case, based on what I heard, I can confidently state that the Signature version very successfully implements the essence of what Bowers & Wilkins have been aiming for since their inception, which is to achieve ever lower levels of distortion. Oh, and did I mention that these improvements come in what must be one of the most beautiful loudspeakers on the planet?
With thanks to Werner Ero for some of the best photos used in this review, including the one above:-)
The 800 Signature Series is now available from select dealers.
External Links
Nice article (and photos) to read!
I would expect a Signature set a bit later in the life cycle of the D4 series and also would find that more appropriate.
As an 801D4 owner, if I had the choice now, I would not choose the Signature. Simply because of the color. I don’t like the brown in itself. And I don’t like blue in my set, in which everything is black and grey/silver.
In my opinion, the Sound United set does not do justice to the quality of the speakers. I mainly refer to the server as Mac Mini (Antipodes anyone? ;)), but I would also pass the internal DAC in the Classé (or the Marantz) for a better stand alone DAC.
While I do agree with your assessment of getting the source and DAC on par with the speakers, for the purpose of the A/B listening impression it suffices.
Thank you for the well written review.
Would it be possible to share information on the listening room dimensions, the position of the speakers, the listening position and how much toe in was used.
This is always useful information for speaker reviews as it helps one understand the listening impressions. All of the detail on the music and associated hardware is to an extent lost without the room information.
Hi Ian, The room is custom-designed and fully treated but providing dimensions and positioning info would not be very helpful in my opinion as no two rooms sound alike. Please note that the intention of this article is to introduce the Signature model and to illustrate the differences between the two models. It is not a full review, which I would normally do in my own listening environment. That said, some more info can be found in my previous 801 D4 review.
Hey Christian,
Really well done a thorough history of the B&W Signature history and nice info on the factory and building process. And a very succinct review-ette on the D4 vs the Signature. I heard the D4s at Capitol Audiofest last year or perhaps the year prior, the world premiere I believe. These were also brand new and not broken in and shoe horned into a smallish hotel room not a proper showing and so I won’t pass any judgement.
One question I was totally fascinated and glad they are still producing the Nautilus speaker what an icon! Do you know if they’ve continued to refine the design over the years or is it unchanged?
Again thanks for a really fun article!
Cheers,
Jon
Hi Jon, thanks for the nice feedback, glad you enjoyed the article. You know, I actually had the same question about the original Nautilus and the answer was that the design has remained unchanged. A major reason for this is “why change a winning team”, especially given that everything is sold out half a year or more in advance of production… I guess they made a very good point with that:-)
I just acquired a new 801D4 for my new house, and would like to know the brand of the that the 801D4 in your pics are on. I was planning to order a rectangular stone plate, but this one looks nice!
Hi Joe, Not sure what you are asking about. The brand of… what item? The baseplate or footers, perhaps? The speakers are shown in their standard guise, using the standard castors and spikes that come with the speakers.