The launch comes on the first day of High End 2016 in Munich, and B&W intends the 800 D3 to be a fitting speaker to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. It heads up the new 800 Series, which was launched last year.
The 800 D3 sits above the 802 D3, 803 D3, 804 D3 and 805 D3, borrowing much of the technology from the 802 D3 but with two 10in bass drivers compared with the two 8in units found in the 802.
As a result, it’s a wider, deeper speaker, despite being only fractionally taller and heavier. This is in part due to the new plinth, constructed of solid aluminium. This lightens the load, while also further helping to dampen any resonance.
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While the instantly recognisable Continuum cone, Turbine head and solid-body tweeter are the same here as on the 802, the new 800 D3 flagship has redesigned, larger bass drivers.
A new carbon-fibre construction makes for a stiffer Aerofoil cone with reduced distortion, while there’s an upgraded motor, crossover and voice coil.
With a promise that it will deliver serious bass weight, improved scale and greater resolution, the B&W 800 D3 comes with a whole world of superlatives, which befit the price tag and founder John Bowers’ aim to deliver ‘True Sound’.
Available from July in piano gloss black, satin white and rosenut, the B&W 800 D3 will set you back £22,500 for a pair.
