The new 802 Diamond is the best loudspeaker that Bowers and Wilkins has ever made
The latter are now made from oxygen free copper (OFC) and give superior results to the more easily machined brass that is almost universal. The speaker actually comes fitted with ball-castors, but a reversible spike/foot kit with the option of nylon studs or massive, wicked spikes is also supplied.
The plinth is shaped to mimic the shape of the curved and reasonably slim enclosure, while the spikes are set well in from the sides. Lateral stability is, therefore, not great, especially with that massive Marlan 'head' well off the ground, but its total weight of 72kg is unlikely to be knocked over accidentally.
$15,000
The bass enclosure is formed from a single piece of 26mm plywood, shaped in a continuous curve around the sides and back. It comes in a choice of three finishes: rosenut or cherry wood veneers, or high-gloss piano black.
Inside, Matrix 'honeycomb' bracing further increases rigidity. Besides the very compact motors described earlier, the twin 200mm drivers each have 150mm diameter 'sandwich' diaphragms, with thick cores of Rohacell structural foam laminated between woven carbon fibre.
A port fires downward between the base and the plinth to add further bass output. The midrange unit is virtually unchanged in this model. It's unique 'free edge' design known as an FST (fixed suspension transducer), in which the outside edge of the 140mm diameter woven Kevlar cone rests against a foamed polymer damping ring.
This is housed in a sizeable and very heavy teardrop shaped sub-enclosure, made from mineral-loaded Marlan (a mineralloaded polymer) and finished in high-gloss black. The internal shape is essentially a combination of a sphere and a cone, which is claimed to be very effective at dissipating the rearward radiation from the driver.
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