BOWERS & WILKINS 804 Diamond
Floorstanding loudspeakers
Unlike the previous generations of B&W’s the new Diamonds are real diamonds. Within its price range they rank amongst the best available loudspeakers and in certain aspects (airy detail, excellent soundstaging, responsiveness and openness) they can challenge even more expensive speakers. The spark thrown by the 804 Diamonds set me afire.
Funkce a forma
The 804’s are three-way speakers. The diamond tweeter is the only driver they share with the standmounted siblings. If you look closer you will notice that usual rubber surround of the midtone driver is missing. In B&W they decided to innovate their Kevlar drivers with FST (Fixed Suspension Transducer) technology that virtually makes the driver surroundless. The bending waves that travel from the centre of the driver towards its rim are cancelled by a special foam suspension and therefore completely absorbed rather than cancelled by sympathetic vibrations that yield another issues like mutual cancellations of sound waves. The new FST Kevlar driver is said to have faster response and much cleaner sound.
Also both 16,5cm woofers feature new technologies. Their cones are sandwiches of a polymer layer and carbon film reinforcements – the material is called Rohacell in B&W’s vocabulary. The bassreflex port fires at a listener from the depth of the heavily braced cabinet that utilizes B&W’s proprietary Matrix technology.
Aesthetically you should not have a problem with any of the B&W’s. The pair I had for this review was in red walnut veneer, however, the catalogue offers black piano gloss finish that can be spotted on the diamond tweeter’s enclosure, which I would have definitely preferred. Should you do not like either walnut or piano gloss, the only other option is cherry.
Nízké frekvence
I had a feeling that the Rohacell drivers of the 804 Diamonds were not up to the high standards of the diamond tweeter and Kevlar drivers and their bass is less precise and a bit detached. However, you have to know I am comparing to my Revel Ultima Studio2’s which is a completely different league – in their price range the bass of the 804 Diamonds is as good as the category and budget allows. Still, if you feel that the bass output is too strong or sluggish you can use provided foam plugs to fine tune the reflex ports.
Čistota rozlišení
B&W speakers never suffer from insufficient amount of reproduced detail – the new Diamonds not being an exception. However, there is a significant improvement that is most likely the result of the refinement of the tweeter. Now the detail is less illustrative (i.e. dry) and more sparkling (i.e. enticing). I would dare to say that the highs of the 804’s are something you would not expect from your standard B&W and not at all from a diamond tweeter. With the Diamond the highs are clean, extended and precisely brilliant, I would even say fluid (opposite to digital harshness) like your old vinyl. More important the upper part of the frequency response is seamlessly woven into Kevlar mids and therefore, as you may expect, the soundstage thrown by the Diamonds is expansive in all directions and despite it firmly locks individual spatial elements it still provides a lot of room for the individual instruments to breathe freely.
Tonální věrnost
The 804s are lively, dynamic and open sounding loudspeakers. The latest report of John Atkinson of Stereophile nicely speculates that rather than by measured performance the new B&W 800 Diamonds are tuned by human ears. Yes, it is a very correct observation.
Prostorovost
Apart from the addictive soundstaging capabilities the inner resolution is probably the other very attractive feature of the Diamonds. They use a magnifying glass to highlight microdetails of music material without sounding etchy or overexposed. I liked the way the Diamonds had portrayed soft events like pads of fingers touching strings of an electrical bass in Lucinda Williams’ Fruits of My Labor (World Without Tears). The sounds are harmonically rich and full of colors with the Diamonds (not heard from B&W’s before) including reverbs of a studio’s walls which provide extra information that becomes an unseparable part of the music.
Doporučení prodejci
Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877
Jasyko, Brno, 541 210 108
Profimedia, Opava, 553 759 017
Web výrobce: http://www.bowers-wilkins.com
Připojené komponenty
- Sources: C.E.C. TL-51XR
- Amplifiers: power amplifier - Mark Levinson No.432, preamplifier -Mark Levinson No. 360
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Kubala-Sosna Emotion
- Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio2
Galerie
ACOUSTIQUE QUALITY AQ Passion
Acoustique Quality has been around since early 90’s. The company’s loudspeakers were always close to what can be characterized a good value for money, with a bit of pre-2000 vibe. Speaker by speaker the guys in Acoustique Quality ...
Doporučení prodejci
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
ANTE Supersonic One
The Supersonics were visually inspired by Lamborghini Countach racer. The functional elegance of the Lamborghini does not come at budget costs and neither the Ante does. The price tag of €160,000 keeps the Supersonics in the company ...
Doporučení prodejci
Media Control, Bratislava, SK, +421 905 613 928
AQ Canto 5
An experience that moves your soul. This is how Czech loudspeaker manufacturer presents the brand-new Canto range. For the company, the Canto is a milestone, so important that they decided to dedicate a special website to it. The ...
Doporučení prodejci
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
AUDIO PHYSIC Avantera
The Audio Physic’s HHCM midrange drivers are fantastic. The realism of both male and female vocals through the Avanteras is nothing short of magic. The Avanteras skillfully blend a cocktail full of colors, sonority, textures, ...
Doporučení prodejci
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AUDIO PHYSIC Cardeas Plus+
Audio Physic's original Cardeas was like an album of a respected band that was recorded just because it had to be recorded due to a contract. Not like the album that was recorded because the band wanted to. I sighed with relief that ...
Doporučení prodejci
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AURUM CANTUS V6F
The Aurum Cantus V6Fs have the ability to dissapear from your ear-view - they move an orchestra to your living room instead and let you bathe in an expanding and transparent soundstage. After listening to the V6Fs you'll find ...
Doporučení prodejci
Hifi studio MeLissa, Brno, tel. +420 777 04 1313
AVANTGARDE ACOUSTIC Uno Fino
Should your priority is to blend the speakers with your interior and make them visually disappear, the Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Fino is not for you. I am not in favor of color lacquers on speakers and prefer natural veneers where ...
Doporučení prodejci
HI-FI studio TYKON, Ostrava, tel. +420 723 449 894
