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By Joe Finn

Bowers & Wilkins is one of the most iconic brands consumer electronics. Their flagship 800 Diamond series products have been used in London’s famed Abbey Road recording studios for five decades. Skywalker Sound at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, and hundreds of other recording studios around the world, have used them too.  

Bowers & Wilkins has now announced upgrades to all models in their flagship 800 Series, the 5th generation 800 Diamond D5, scheduled to begin shipping in fall of 2026. The announcement comes from the Vienna High End Audio show. The new products are slated for acoustic, mechanical, aesthetic and electrical upgrades. What are they changing in going from the 800 Diamond D4 to the Diamond D5? Let’s check out the upgrades 

First, the aesthetic appeal: D5 will be available in four new finishes: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut or Dark Walnut The top section of every stereo model features an aluminum top-plate, covered in all-new Leather by Connolly trim selected to suit each cabinet finish.

Next, the cabinet upgrades: every model in the new 800 Series Diamond benefits from an upgraded Matrix design, that combines solid plywood construction with aluminum bracing to reinforce key stress points. This should translate to you hearing less cabinet resonance, and more of the music you love.  

Another cabinet change involves stiffer enclosures, with a feature they are calling Aluminum Space Frame Bracing rails on each cabinet. You’ll experience less mechanical vibration, resonance, and hear clearer music, with a more immersive soundstage.

Additionally, 800 Diamond D5 will include a new aluminum top plate with a damping collar. This structural reinforcement supports the midrange and tweeter better, for clearer vocals and other midrange instruments. 

Bowers & Wilkins plans to include optimized midrange / bass drive units, with upgraded motor systems, in all 5 models, similar to the upgraded drivers in the 805 D 4 Signature models. This indicates less overall distortion, particularly in the critical midrange area, for a smoother listening experience. 

We look forward to the upgraded, rear-mounted crossover networks. Mounted on stiff aluminum spines, the crossover capacitors and other components are well isolated from internal air pressure inside the cabinet. Additionally, this offers a heatsink effect. Sonic performance is less likely to change as you crank up the music. Heat that would normally build inside the cabinet is dissipated with natural convection.  

Upgraded aluminum plinths with tuned-mass damping are included in each of the four floor-standing models. The 804, 803, 802, and 801 D5 cabinets each feature constrained layer damping materials, plus harmonic absorbers individually tuned for each cabinet. This should translate to your hearing clearer bass notes, with better soundstage and imaging, as dampers and absorbers dissipate mechanical energy that would otherwise feed back into the speaker. You want to hear your music, not added distortion.

One model, the floor-standing 804 D5, also gets a new aluminum midrange enclosure. The Continuum cone midrange driver on 804 D5 is de-coupled from the cabinet by thick aluminum sections. This should offer clearer sounding vocals, pianos, guitars etc. 

Bowers and Wilkins is one of the strongest speaker brands in all consumer electronics, and the 800 Diamond Series is their benchmark - the absolute finest speakers they make. We’re eager to see these new models, which should arrive in the September/October time frame. We’ll keep you posted. Thank you for spending time with us today.