The latest version of the venerable 801 loudspeaker from Bowers & Wilkins, which debuted in 1979, is the 801 D4 Signature. In his review of the 801 D4 Signature, published on SoundStage! Ultra last December, senior editor Jason Thorpe writes that the original model made a deep impression on him and many others and that it was among a small group of “landmark stereo components that changed the direction of audio.” The 801 was indeed a seminal loudspeaker, one that set the course for Bowers & Wilkins. It has undergone many revisions over the years and has introduced design elements that are now found in other models.
The $55,000 801 D4 Signature (pair price in USD) is an enhanced version of the $42,000 801 D4 loudspeaker, which remains in production. Enhancements include improvements to the motor system of its two 10″ bass drivers, replacement of the wood port panel at the bottom with an aluminum one, for improved rigidity, and upgrades to several crossover components.
Two exclusive finishes differentiate the Signature model aesthetically from the standard model: Midnight Blue Metallic, a shiny blue derived from the company’s legendary Nautilus loudspeaker, and California Burl Gloss, a dark, high-gloss finish with an exquisite wood pattern. Another aesthetic difference, albeit a minor one, can be seen on the top of the cabinet’s bass section: in the Signature model it is overlaid with Connolly leather, an upscale brand that counts Ferrari and Aston Martin among its clients; in the standard model it is clad in generic leather.
Otherwise, the two 801 D4 models are essentially the same. Both are three-way designs that employ a 6″ midrange driver with the company’s much-touted Continuum cone and a 1″ tweeter with a diamond dome. Unlike the original 801 and some of its successors, which housed the tweeter and midrange in what Jason calls a “robot-head module,” these drivers are now mounted in separate cylindrical enclosures that taper off elegantly toward the rear (a Bowers & Wilkins innovation first introduced in the Nautilus and later integrated into the 801 and other models). Like every Bowers & Wilkins 800-series speaker, the 801 D4 and its Signature counterpart—cabinets, drivers, crossovers, and most other components—are all manufactured in Worthing, England.
Jason auditioned the 801 D4 Signature pair with a Hegel Music Systems H30A stereo amplifier and Crystal Cable Art Series Monet speaker cables. In his review he recounts that his immediate listening-impression of the speakers was akin to a “smack in the chops” that left him “speechless from the first few notes.” It was unlike anything he had heard before. He spent the next two weeks trying to figure out exactly what it was in the Signatures’ sound and presentation that made them have such a profound impact.
After much listening and deliberation, Jason concluded that the Signatures’ “effortless, dynamic snap . . . from the midrange right up through the lower treble” and the extraordinary speed of their midrange and tweeter account at least in part for their impactful sound. He got a good sense of these attributes listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “Do You Love Me?” from Let Love In, streamed via Tidal: “The opening synth and guitar washes shot from the 801s with an electric flash that was almost visible. Those notes had a nearly three-dimensional presence, so much so that it almost seemed as though there was some sort of signal processing going on.”
The 801 D4 Signature undeniably has a distinct sonic character, which Jason describes as a “slight rise in the midrange that could easily be problematic but is far from troublesome here.” He expounds on the Signatures’ midrange in deliciously evocative language: “there was such speed and clarity to the midrange that it sounded like a sort of soft, fluffy cotton candy, like silky, creamy meringue, with a crisp outer shell that exploded with sugar crystals that melted as they struck my ears.” To Jason, that slight rise in the midrange is “a feature, not a bug.”
Jason highlights the speaker’s “complete lack of distortion across the entire midband,” its “seamless transition at the crossover point into the lower treble,” and the exceptional imaging he experienced with the Signature pair, which he attributes to the speaker’s “extremely linear off-axis response.”
The Occasion by Harkness, on vinyl, sounded “dense as all get-out,” Jason writes. The soundstage was huge. Harkness’s guitar was imaged right at the center; the trombones, thanks to the Signatures’ “snappy, expressive midrange,” far to the sides beyond the speakers. Little flittering flourishes showed between the speakers, he recalls, with “remarkable variety in depth and position.”
Continuing with vinyl, Jason describes listening to Chet by Chet Baker, the “juiciest-sounding album” in his collection: “Baker’s spitty, breathy trumpet tone came forward a touch . . . sounding just a bit higher in level than I’m used to.” Still, he notes, it remained “clear, expressive, and utterly without grain.” At the other end of the audioband, “Paul Chambers’s upright bass filled the room, rolling out from the speakers with power, depth, and precision.”
Jason’s impression of the Signatures’ bass was reinforced when he listened to Hellfire by Black Midi, streamed from Tidal. Again, he observed that the bass was “tight and deep, with just the right amount of juiciness, the right dose of rich pudding—not too much, not sloppy or loose in any way.” He describes the attack transients in the bass as sharp and quick, “like the twitch that interrupts a very light sleep,” and the ensuing notes as having “a world of texture.” Reflecting further on the Signatures’ bass performance, he adds, “From the bass right up through the midbass, the 801’s low end proved the perfect foil for that expressive, lightning-bolt midrange. In some ways, the entire frequency range and presentation of the 801s are larger than life. These speakers inject energy, wild lightning, and deep thunder into the music, but they do it proportionally.”
From the first notes, the 801 D4 Signature speakers captivated and enthralled Jason, and he is as passionate about them today as he was while he had them. His admiration for this speaker earned it a Reviewers’ Choice award, when the review was published, and a 2024 Product of the Year award in the Hall of Fame category (the Hall of Fame award is presented to products with outstanding sonic performance that have either been on the market for an exceptionally long time or are the latest incarnation of a historically significant model). This month, based on Jason’s review and undiminished enthusiasm for the 801 D4 Signature, we award it our Recommended Reference Component designation.
Manufacturer contact information:
B&W Group, Ltd.
Dale Road, Worthing
West Sussex BN11 2BH
England, UK
Phone: +44 (0)1903-221-800
Bowers & Wilkins North America
5541 Fermi Ct. N.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: (800) 370-3740
Website: www.bowerswilkins.com
