NEWS: B&W unveils its modern marble - the Diamond Signature

They look unlike any other speakers on the market, are built from exotic materials, take the equivalent in man hours of three months per speaker to make and cost £11,000 a pair. Clearly B&W's new Signature Diamond speakers aren't exactly designed for the mass-market - only 1000 pairs will be made - but they're claimed to be the finest two-way floorstanding design the company has made in its 40-year history.

Jointly designed by B&W's Senior Development Engineer John Dibb and Kenneth Grange, who has been responsible for the industrial design of some of the company's most striking products - as well as the InterCity 125 train and the Kodak Instamatic camera - the speakers took as their starting point the acoustic requirements set by Dibb, around which Grange has woven what can only be described as a very distinctive look.

The speakers use elliptical and cylindrical tubes to form their enclosures, the main tube standing 1m tall and having a downward-venting Flowport reflex opening. The 'cabinet' is designed for minmal footprint and diffraction, and is finished in either white or a Japanese-inspired 'Wakame' dark veneer, while within it uses B&W's trademark Matrix bracing.

The 18cm mid/bass unit has a pure Kevlar cone with what's said to be a noiseless phase-plug at its centre, while the Diamond Dome 25mm tweeter is loaded with a Nautilus tube to its rear, and mounted in a pod carved from Italian Grigio Carmica or Belgian black marble, this material being chosen as much for its acoustical and mechanical properties as its looks and feel. The nature of the marble means every speaker will look slightly different.

Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.

Latest in AV
Google TV Streamer on a white background
Google TV's latest update adds a secret feature that could hint towards new hardware
iPhone 16e in black and white on a white background
Apple Event 2025: the new iPhone 16e (not SE 4), but no new HomePod or AirPods
LG QNED91 65-inch LCD TV
HDMI 2.2: everything you need to know about the new TV connection
Sky Glass Gen 2 on stand with Rewind logo
Rewind: hi-fi treats from McIntosh and TEAC, Sky Glass TV Gen 2, Apple launch announcement and more
Apple HomePod 2
3 Apple audio and home cinema products we want, but probably won't see, at the iPhone SE 4's anticipated launch
Samsung HW-Q990F soundbar package on a grey backdrop sitting below a TV
Google and Samsung’s Dolby Atmos rival should be coming to Android TVs, too
Latest in News
A grey WiiM Vibelink Amp on a wooden cabinet between two bookshelf speakers.
The WiiM Vibelink Amp is WiiM's first integrated amp with no streaming elements
Q Acoustics 3050i
Save £650 on this five-star Q Acoustics 5.1 home cinema setup
Optoma Photon Go on white background
Optoma's new on-the-go projector is set to be one of the cheaper USTs on the market
Marantz Cinema 30 AVR
Our Award-winning reference Marantz AVR is still selling at its best price ever
Meze Audio Poet
Meze's open-back Poet cans arrive, and they want to bring your music alive
Side view of Marantz CD6007 on wooden rack with magazines in background
This Award-winning Marantz CD player is back at its Black Friday price