Blog

On Wednesday, July 22, guests joined us at the Gramophone Experience Center in Timonium for an early listen to the new Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5, months before the speakers officially arrive.

The gathering was kept intentionally small: clients, industry friends, and members of the Bowers & Wilkins team, all in one room to spend an evening with the newest generation of a loudspeaker line that has set the standard for decades.

Food, Bourbon, and a First Listen

Things kicked off with BBQ, bourbon, and plenty of conversation before the main event.

Once everyone found a seat, the Bowers & Wilkins team walked us through what went into the new 800 Series Diamond D5 and the thinking behind this generation's changes. Then the lights went down and the listening began.

A curated playlist carried the first part of the session. After that, we handed the evening over to our guests and played their requests. Hearing everything from audiophile reference recordings to personal favorites gave the room a real range of material, and gave everyone a different angle on what these speakers are capable of.

Nights like this are why we host listening events in the first place: good food, good company, and music given the attention it deserves.

The Playlist

Curious what we played? Here's the full playlist from the session:

TIDAL

SPOTIFY

QOBUZ

About the New D5 Generation

The approach wasn't to start over. It was to take a speaker already trusted in world-class recording studios and, with sixty years of engineering behind it, make it more transparent and more engaging still.

The Gear

For those who want the details, here's the system we used:

LOUDSPEAKERS:
● Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 Diamond Series Floorstanding Speakers
● Bowers & Wilkins 803 D5 Diamond Series Floorstanding Speakers
● Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 Diamond Series Bookshelf Speakers

COMPONENTS:
● Marantz MODEL10 Integrated Amplifier
● Marantz LINK 10n Streaming Preamplifier
● Marantz SACD10 CD Player

CABLING & POWER:
● AudioQuest speaker cables, interconnects, and power conditioners.

Thank You

To everyone who spent their Wednesday evening with us, and to the Bowers & Wilkins team who made it happen, thank you.

Getting people in a room to listen together is one of the best parts of this business, and this night was a great reminder of that. We hope to see you at the next one.

The new 800 Series Diamond D5 arrives at our Timonium, Columbia, and Gaithersburg showrooms in September. If you'd like to learn more or reserve a pair, we'd be happy to help.

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