Bowers & Wilkins 803 Diamond 4 speakers REVIEW A DREAM COME TRUE
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2024
- This is video I am reviewing the Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 speakers which will represent the ultimate dream speaker for many music lovers and audiophiles all over the world. My take on this review is from what should someone expect and know if they are stepping up to this level of high end hifi speaker.
www.bowerswilkins.com/en/prod...
To buy Bowers & Wilkins speakers from. Crutchfield link here howl.me/cju8ZGHrnK6
I have been reviewing the Bowers 803 D4 with the Chord Electronics Ultima Pre and Power video review here • NOT EXPECTING THIS: Ch...
For my video at the Bowers Factory for the launch of the Diamond 4 range • NEW Bowers & Wilkins 8...
For my review of the Mission 770 speakers see here • MISSION 770 Speakers R...
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
3:49 803 D4
9:20 Sound Quality
17:15 Final Thoughts
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The HiFi System seen in this video
Acoustic Treatments from GIK Acoustics gikacoustics.co.uk/ref/9/
Bespoke Audio Passive Preamplifier • NEVER HEARD ANYTHING L...
Mission 770 speakers • MISSION 770 Speakers R...
NAD M23
Turntable AVID HIFi Ingenium Plug & Play • The BEST sounding VINY...
Phono Stage AVID Pellar
DAC in the video Chord Electronics Hugo TT 2 • Chord Electronics Hugo...
Chord Hugo M Scaler • Chord Electronics Hugo...
Wave High Fidelity cables
Power IsoTek EVO 3 NOVA / IsoTek Genesis One / IsoTek EVO 3 Titan
• NEW IsoTek EVO 3 NOVA ...
• IsoTek EVO3 Genesis On...
Tellurium Q Statement Analogue Cables • Perfect HiFi Cables?? ...
Power Cables Tellurium Q Silver, Silver Diamond
• Tellurium Q Silver Ult...
Tellurium Q Statement Digital cable.
Tungsten Grooves W70 Isolation Feet • REVIEW Tungsten Groove...
HiFi Racks - Quadraspire Q4 Evo • RACK FROM THE GODS HiF...
HiFi Racks Podium Reference.
Love the style of this review. A lot of great and detailed information, provided in a well laid out story. Thank you! 👍
THANKS TERRY🤗…YOUR EXPERIENCE IS VERY RELATABLE TO ME…
And taking all your thoughts into consideration…I HOPE YOU GET A PAIR SOMEDAY
I was able to get a pair of 802 D2…with my inheritance and I think 🤔 of my DAD EVERY TIME I GET TO USE THEM ❤️💚💚💚
Wanted to thank you for this video. More than any others, this video convinced me to get the B&W 8-3 D4s. I use the HTM82 D4 for center channel (for movies) and two DB3D subs. I drive these with a Marantz AV10 and Amp10, all connected to an Isotek Evo 3 Sigma power conditioner. I don’t have a dedicated room, so couldn’t do acoustic treatments (family room that is open on one side), but I absolutely LOVE these speakers. This was my retirement gift to myself and the soundstage and separation are just incredible. They are a joy to listen to if they are in someone’s price range.
I am really glad you are happy and I am really glad my video helped you find the happiness :)
Also wanted to add that I upgraded to the Marantz AV10/AMP10 and the result has been sonically stunning. Best audio I’ve ever heard in my life. Soundstage, separation and clarity are astonishing. Pragmatically, I think this setup is as good as I will ever have and I am loving it!!
Hello Terry, I've had a set of b&w 804 d3 in my av room in that last few months, although they sounded fabulous, I always come away wanting more, I found that my mini monitors that I've just built have better mids, than the 804's, probably because of the crossovers I built, great video Terry & lovely looking speaker👍
That has to be one of the best setups you've ever had in that listening room, especially with the Chord amps and Dac, I'd love to hear it.
Bought my 803Ds 2009 for 8000€ the pair (also Center HTM2D and sub ASW825), they where my first floorstander speaker and the first B&W with diamond tweeter. I am still so sattisfied with them. I drive them with 2 Audionet "AMP" monos...soundstage and basscontrol is awesome.
I love my B&Ws! Still very sattisfied after all these years👍🏻
Terry your videos are getting better over the years. You're a real pro these days. Another quality vid.
It would have been nice to see you put a set of floorstanding ATC's for the comparison.
Thanks very much for commenting and noticing I really appreciate it.
"Superlaxed"!
As ever your reviews are so wonderfully natural.
Looking forward to the Origin Live visit.
Love your reviews!!!!
I am a big fan of your channel and I wondering if you can share your opinion. I am hesitating in between the 803 D4 and the Marten Parker Duo, also have in the back the TAD, I know they are totally different but I am looking for a more forgiving and warm sound and obviously the best option because its a lot of money for me. I bought the McIntosh 2700 pre amp and the McIntosh MC1502 tube amp. Thanks
Fabulous review and beautiful camera work. Subbed!
It would be interesting to know what else would be on the audiophile bucket list. Another great review\video thank you.
That’s a great idea for a video :)
Excellent stuff 😊 top review 🙏
when having my first home i had already a lot of components and i had a room that seemed big but when putting a litle furniture and some sofa´s the speakers and my system was sounding perfect, but the speakers that i still have were huge and one at each diagonal corner took most of the room but no matter where i was the sound was incredible good a spec-1 and 2 and a pair of exclusive 2401 from Pioneer, if memory doesn´t fail me. This having a SP-1 from technics, a still good turntable a akai reel deck a crossfield X-165D and a CT-F1000 cassette deck
Terry, trying to decide between the Bowers 804D4 or stretch to the 803D4 speakers and the KEF Reference 3 Meta. Since you have a lot of time with both what do you prefer and why?
I'll rob a bank for these, I'm not even kidding they are stunningly beautiful.
Excelent review! Like you I bought an 805 10+ years ago for £1000 with stands and its been a bit of a love a love/hate relationship, buying and trying other speakers and a dozen amps. It’s was not until I finally stepped up to a decent front end (in this case the Rega Aethos) that the speakers found their form, sounding very effortless, smooth and coherent. Adding dual Rel T/9x improved the experience even further ❤️ I’m sure they would keep scaling with better gear. Unlike your description of the D4’s, I find the N805’s have a small lift in the lower mids, that bring a fullness to vocals I would not be without. I always say that people who think amps, sources, power supplies, cables or whatever sound the same, haven’t lived with an 800 series speaker 😄
Maybe you bought the pair off me :)
Funny…Every time I hear/see any B+W review I think: "Ya know they are built and look stunningly beautiful…but I just don't think that their sound signature is something that will satisfy my musical tastes." After "carefully" listening to your review, I think that once again that is the case here, for me. I am so glad that you enjoyed your time with them in YOUR space and you made a great review!!! 👍🏼
Hearing these speakers in person will certainly change your opinion. I know they’re expensive and I don’t have any hope of owning them in this lifetime, but listening to such a setup was an enlightening experience.
Do you think a powerful vintage amp would go well with them ?
Yet another great informative review, always wanted these speakers, but always chasing has the price keeps going up .
What are your room dimensions Terry, I’ve been advised these speakers do need room space for them to work to there full potential .
Great work keep it coming.
The room is about I think 15 or 17 feet long can’t remember, 12.5 feet wide and 8 something high
I have the Bryston 28 Cubed at 1100 watts Monoblocks ....so no worries with power when I get the 804's!
Yeah I think your good :)
When you say a bigger amplifier what are some that come to mind? I currently have it (the 803D3 that is) with a MC462 and it does sound inherently better and fuller than the class D ICEpower 800w/ch amp I had them with.
The MC462 is the epitome of a big amp dude so that is exactly what I was referring to
When is the review of the Dynaudio Focus 50 coming?
Looking forward to a Dovedale review 🙂
@Terry Amazin review, hope you can review the 805 D4 soon 🙂
I am currently considering between the 802D4 and 803D4, do you think it's worth spending the extra cash to get the 802D4 or would that be a waste money. Does the size of the mid-range of 5 inch vs 6 inch makes a difference? thank you in advance. I am looking to drive these units with the X3 Series 2
I think if you might suffer buyers remorse get the bigger ones they will be better and wont suffer the should I have syndrome. If you dont think you will care the 803 are still very nice man
Give them more power x5 minimum but an AB class wont make these fully shine with that aura that they are capable of.
What would’ve been really interesting is if you hooked them up to a basic integrated amplifier, just to hear your thoughts, I know it might seem pretty pointless having a pair of speakers like those on a say an Arcam A85, but reasoning in asking is building up a system slowly, buy the speakers first and so on, if it’d be at all worth while? Do you think running a set of those speakers or even a set of the older 800d with a small integrated amplifier like a Arcsm A85 would damage the speakers? I’ve heard the term clipping but don’t know what that means, I think you mentioned clipping once in your video.
These need a very good amplifier, I explained this whole situation of not good enough amplifier results in the intro 😎
What speaker cable do bowers like terry
I have the 805D4, driven by an Arcam FMJ Stereo Amplifier. I’m pleased with the results. Source being a NAD Masters M50.2 with an Arcam D33 DAC
The Arcam DAC was well underrated. One of their best ever products. Can’t quite remember how long they ran it for, probably two years or something 😂
I think the mid on the 803 d4 is sweet and the bass feels powerful without want for more. I disagree with a lot of the negative comments.
I don’t allow links to other channels but the video you linked to proves my point and that’s with the speakers up against the wall so with maximum room gain. Totally the non optimal position for the speakers.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem No problem, I removed my link. I wasn't trying to impede but showing some songs played to dissuade some of the negative comments.
Thanks for the many awesome videos you put out.
Great content...My system I have B&W 601 S3 speakers linked to Marantz PM5005 Amp and CD6007 CD - I find this set up for a relative newby to Audiophile great sound without crashing the bank. My next step up would be the Mission 770's but B&W do make great sounding speakers....again thanks
Terry, how far did you set the 803s apart and how far were you sitting away?
I totally agree with you in starting your review with the pricing of the B&W's. £18,000 for the 803 D4's vs £3300 (plus stand costs) for the Mission 770's.
Stereophile did a review including measurements of the 770's and a review of the B&W less expensive brother, the 804 D4.
The 803 D4's will be good sounding speakers. However at that price it's difficult to forgive any sonic weaknesses.
Historically the weakest areas of B&W speakers, including the upper end models has been the dynamic freedom, with them sounding shut-in / polite / soporific / flat / boring / unmusical compared to the best speakers in this area.
And I've not been convinced by the bass from B&W's. I wouldn't expect twin low efficiency 7" woofers in a slimline ported cabinet to do it for me in the bass.
I really respect B&W . A guy living close by owns a pair of 803D .
Although it sounds very nice and musical , I never got the goosebumps I experience with other speakers . I heard many B&W on shows and had the same experience.
I'm sure in the near future B&W will give me the bumps too !
That's likely due to the lean lower mids and upper bass Terry referred to.
They need shit loads of quality power to get the 3d goosebump stage
I wonder how these would sound with an Electrocompaniet AW 800 M
Terry - it’s just lucky when a CZcams reviewer shares your tastes and takes, and you are that for me. I have been running a set of 802D4’s for a year now (see my article Moving to the Bowers and Wilkins 802D4) and my impressions are very much the same as yours. They seem very content to be driven by my MC462, and have caused me to upgrade my primary source (now and Aurender N200) and pre-amp (now C2700). All with great reward - rewards that I simply would not have been able to distinguish without the 802D4, and I suspect would be the same with the 803’s. Next, a better, dedicated DAC. Maybe review the T+A DAC 200? 😊
Holy smokes we have the exact same system (802D4/MC462/C2700) - I just finished it up last week with the arrival of my MC462. It rocks!
If one buys a pair of monsters like this, how do you use a sub & amp driving these?
For example, I assume it's 500 watts to drive these full range.
But if you got like a 120 watt amp, do you just crossover at 80 hz with a sub, where 120 watt can drive everything above 80.
Then, do you upgrade the amp, and lower the crossover? Like upgrade to some 300 watt monoblocks, lower crossover to maybe 40 or 50?
Wish you would do a review of the 805 D4
I bet they sound incredible with movies. I have some Meridian dsp bookshelves that just sound amazing with films and it’s only a 2 ch set up
I have a pair of cheap CM6 S2 from 2015 paired with a Rel sub & until now still amazed at what this small bookshelves do musically.
I'm still using a pair of CM8 I bought in 2011 with a Velodyne sub. I blew the tweeters last year, and when I replaced the tweeters I had a good look inside the speakers. Don't underestimate the value for money on their build! The crossover uses parts similar to the current 700 S3 series, maybe just a hair cheaper in quality, but way better than you get in most current speakers at their price point. While I was inside I replaced the dampening material with Twaron Angel Hair, which is an aramid fiber based material with fantastic dampening qualities. It made the speakers sound €1000 more expensive. I also put dynamat on the speaker basket and tweeter housing to dampen potential ringing. I think it made the sound tighter, but it had a smaller effect than the new dampening material. The driver basket is made of cast aluminium, so B&W already made efforts to control ringing, making the dynamat potentially meaningless. But I did it anyway. So if you feel like doing some simple DIY upgrading you can probably make the CM6 S2 even more impressive.
@@PeterHas thanks for the suggestion but i am still very very satisfied with my CM6s & prefer to leave it that way. B&W manufactures all their drivers & they all look very robust & rugged yet still sound very refined & sophisticated. Its really insane that my CM6s can sound this good with only a simple 1st order crossover. Its a testament on how good the drivers are.
CM6/S2 are fantastic speakers, have them powered by a Yamaha amp and they sound fantastic…
@@ganck1147 It took me 11 years of ownership before I started tinkering with mine, so I guess it’s still too early for you to do the same!
@@patrickmeylemans9627 yes they are really fantastic but they need a good amp to strut its stuff. I remember heading down to the dealer & originally i wanted to buy 805D3 but after going back & forth a couple of times, i found that the much cheaper CM6 is just as good. Both were very close sounding. In fact the cm6 is even better than 805D2 that i also compared with. Far more open & transparent. I feel that cm6 is better than the later 705S2 too.
With the difficulty you had setting it up, I infer that the sweet spot is very small. Is this the case? With a speaker like that I would want a pretty wide listening area
Maybe it’s a little bit of that or maybe it’s just the distortion is so low you can hear when it’s not 100% where other speakers maybe you can’t because you can’t hear things so clearly. I think it’s a large % of the latter
@@PursuitPerfectSystem That makes them way too demanding for me. Maybe I'll just visit them at my local Best Buy.
🙋♂️actually I think the type of music 🎶 ( RECORDINGS )also can add or detract…
Living with them I have them setup properly and any time I can I sit in the SWEET SPOT 🍯…the rest of the time it’s not too bad 😁💚💚💚
Pursuit Perfect System, what music did you play on the 803 d4
I have the 804 D4s driven by a Gryphon Diablo 300 and the bass pressure in my untreated room is awesome without subs. The top end is grounded by the mids and bass presence that the Diablo coaxes from them. In other words yes the only limiting factor is source and amplifier quality - and ultimately room treatment, which is my next step with subs.
Wow I bet that’s an awesome amp/speaker combo!
Dial them in and make us a video to see the setup man
Good speakers don't need subs.
..... 'noodles for a decade' youre killin me, Smalls
Always love it when at least one person gets my jokes, they are subtle so it helps to know they are not all wasted :)
I thought that you had been invaded by the Borg, with the green lighting and those speakers. 😂 I really love the design of these B & W's and I have my eye on their standpoint two way model in wood veneer.
I’m keeping my mission 👍🏼
@@maddog31255 😂
Belle explication des ces belles dames j'ai possédé ces enceintes, c est un tres bon produit, mais le grave ne me semblait pas naturel, un manque expressif mis c est juste une question de gout , je suis passé à du haut rendement, bravo pour votre travail
I would love a video comparison between these and the Reference 3s you used to use.
Nice
Yo me conformaré con mis Mirage M-590i Bipolar que tengo Desde el año 1998.🇪🇸
802D3 powered by Accuphase E-470… and Dirac Live 3.0 on a miniDSP, the latter made the sound fantastic…
Over the years, I have compared “high end “ speakers to , say something like Bose. 401/6.2/901. I simply cannot justify paying that much for these high end speakers.
However, I’m a rocker.
It seem all these high end speakers never test rock/metal music.
Why?
Pleasingness is indeed the noun form of pleasing. A valid word.
well that was lucky :)
oh man, that sound on 8:55 has creeped me out. thou i was in headphones
Thats just in the music I used :)
Did you measure them with REW?
I did plan to do some in room measurements but ran out of time. Hence my comments about needing more time to properly understand and be able to explain what the 803 D4 are all about
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I did some with and without Dirac and it’s spectacular. I must admit that I have not the liberty to threat my room properly, the esthetics commission is rather strict here 👍
Nice review Terry as always but why only UK products in the last months ..some time ago i asked you to try for example an Eggleston speaker for a review and since then i haven t seen a single product not made in England .''This is the way ''as a soul says of you to promote only UK products and praise for them like the joke magazine What hi fi or there is a hand of manipulation of the UK industry to take advantage of your popularity in the social media .....I wish the otherwise excellent channel to get out of this path it has started to walk and regain the objectivity it had before.
Its nothing planned or intended regarding the kit being all British it’s pure coincidence. I didn’t even realise until you mentioned it. If it makes you feel better I have here kit from Italy, China/ Canada and Denmark so it’s not going to be like this going forwards. But I do have 3 amps incoming that are British designed so it’s just one of those things.
Sorry nothing planned for egglestone it’s nothing personal they seem great it just hasn’t happened.
how do they compare to ATC's?
ATCs much thicker lower range and lower mids , don't have screaming treble in your face .
B&W need to stick a Mission or better yet Dynaudio driver into their midrange to give it some more body. If they can integrate it with their excellent treble and bass, it could then be close to the world's best speaker.;)
Labor of love ' Geeez what build Quality thanks Terry
The first rule for audiophiles, so that they are not cursed in the constant search for better: the system at home is the best... at that moment. The second is about B&W: their better speakers have always asked for a bunch of watts and then they are a tour de force for other speakers - when the others "die", B&V keep marching on. Cheers!
A comparison to the sound of the ATC 50 scm you had would be nice, if even from memory.
Room has changed so much since my atc scm50 review. I think it was 3 years ago
@@PursuitPerfectSystem You got your swerve on. Good answer.
good to see some solid German engineering in the cross-over 😂
You named it, technically… that is why I prefer the D3 series, heard them besides each other and I would put my money on the D3
The better he speaker the more work required to dial them in.More information is coming at you.
The Laws of High Quality Audio.
1. The bigger the sound system the better.
2. The more powerful the sound system the better.
3. There is no such thing as a sound system that is too big.
4. There is no such thing as a sound system that is too powerful.
5. You will always find that no matter how big you build the system it is never quite big enough.
6. You will always find that no matter how much power you have there never seems to be quite enough.
7. No matter how deep and powerful the bass sounds, it will always seem to be not quite deep enough and not quite powerful enough.
8. No matter how clear and detailed the treble sounds, you will always feel that it could be improved.
9. Achieving audio perfection is absolutely impossible no matter how much money you spend.
10. No matter how much money you spend you will always feel that the system is not quite as good as it could be.
11. If you think that your system sounds perfect then there must be something seriously wrong with it or something seriously wrong with you or both.
12. All your friends think that your system sounds much better than you do.
13. The longer you listen to your own system the worse it seems to sound.
14. Any dissatisfaction with a new system, no matter how slight, will always become greater as time goes on.
15. Any new pieces of equipment added to the system will always sound excellent initially but nowhere near as good when you get used to them.
16. Regularly listening to poor equipment for extended periods is good because it seems to make good equipment sound much better.
17. Regularly listening to good equipment for extended periods seems to make poor equipment sound absolutely dreadful and probably worse than it really is.
18. Any person’s opinion on the sound quality of a system is completely worthless because someone else will have a different opinion.
19. Any alterations you make to the system to improve it, no matter how extensive, will never improve it to the extent you wanted it to.
20. No matter how good your system sounds, there will always be someone else with a system that sounds better.
21. You will always detect a difference between the sound qualities of two identical systems and never know why they sound different.
22. Any attempt to match different makes of equipment together will never work out quite as you originally intended.
23. Improving any individual part of the system will always make some other part of the system seem worse than it was before.
24. If you build a big listening room you will be very pleased with the result, but when you get used to it you will convince yourself that the room needs to be bigger.
25. An infinitely huge attempt to achieve perfection would at best only produce a system that was infinitesimally close to perfection, but still not perfect.
What about 26
Could never afford 803 d4 to much money, i use 702 s2 since 2 years with Hegel h390 very revealing cant listen to poor recordings but man good recordings feels like heaven
Jeez they've got big and gone up-market over the years. I had the OG N803's (cost £3.5K back in the day) now look at them!! No way i could afford them today !
Classe is good with Bowers
Agree. Classé Delta pre and power combo with 801’s D4 were the only time I was really impressed and drown into the music with these B&W loudspeakers...
No measurements?
I had planned to do some but ran short on time
Living off noodles, well that's one way to lose weight, but my ears would thank me! My wife wouldn't though
Stop grousing we all know you can afford a pair.
Chord and bowers never matched well for me to give a musical enjoyable well rounded result. Both clean and accurate but added together not good synergy. If you'd compare your passive or active atc50 or 100 for similar price to 803 instead of missions there would be no doubt the b&w's dont cut the mustard for the money. They start with a lot of faffing and continue to make you faff question and change other components to chase what the missions and atc's do out of the box. At £18k They should be impressive and awesome and have to be ripped from your clutches. Instead...whilst you appreciate them and you love the build...you don't love them.
got the 805 D3 cant be more happy, enough for me living in a apartment with 2x rel subs =)
2 Rels make them shine.
I use to Rels with AudioPhysics
con ejemplos se puede uno entender mejor
First👍
Not quite Martin. Nice try, lol
$23000 in U.S ...
I find these later models are too bright in sound. Wasn’t impressed when I heard them … disappointed actually.
Everyone have their own taste and I respect that, but I really cannot tolerate the B&W sound, regardless of the model. It is so disgusting and unnatural that really tortures me, almost making my ears to bleed.
Listen to them with nice Gryphon or some others and they dont sound like that, fussier speaker with the gear
I never heard the D4 version but the 803 D3 was laughable. Not even close to a full range sound. Hard and grainy that only people with a bad hearing could be mistaken to see it as detailed. I know the D4 series is an improvement (heard the 801 and 802) but B&W is expensive because they spend the most money in advertising. Even the 802 D4 is a big step down from the 801 so I imagine the 803 is even a lesser performer. At that price …. Ridiculous. But they have the looks and are surely well put together.
Thats why subwoofers are thing
@@andreasmoller9798 subwoofers can enhance any speaker. If the fundamental sound is flawed then so what.
@@andreasmoller9798 i could and probably will put subs with my atc50a. I don't neeeed to. I shouldn't neeeed to put subs on £18k full range large volume speakers to make them pallatable.
I own the 804 d3 and would agree that they sound very poor in most showrooms. When I got them home, it was an entirely different story. I suspect they were designed to be placed much closer to the front wall. Once dialed in and fed some serious power, no need for subs.
@@reynolds8532 What amp did you use? Do you like them much better now?