Blog

Bowers & Wilkins with Abbey Road: An Enduring Partnership

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this story to the market. We’re immensely proud of our partnership with our friends at Abbey Road and we think the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition is the perfect way to celebrate that.” Giles Pocock, B&W Vice-President of Brand Marketing

The Gramophone team is delighted to take part in celebrating a collaboration between two incredible brands: Abbey Road Studio and Bowers & Wilkins. The Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition speaker takes their iconic 801 D4 Signature speaker, and re-frames it in homage to the birthplace of some of the most iconic recordings in music history, the “home of music making”: Abbey Road Studios.

We are happy and humbled to announce that Bowers & Wilkins have chosen Gramophone for the public unveiling of this historic product, and we would be honored to have you join us. You can be among the very first to audition this outstanding speaker. On Thursday, July 17th, from 6 – 9 pm, in conjunction with Bowers & Wilkins factory representatives, we present an evening of musical enjoyment at our Timonium, Maryland showroom. Click here to RSVP.

The 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition is a reference-quality loudspeaker, based on their world-famous and highly sought after 801 D4 Signature. An exclusive production run of just 140 pair are being crafted in their Worthing, England manufacturing facilities. The 801 D4 Signature is an up-scaled version of the famous 801 D4, the flagship product used as a monitor speaker in Abbey Road Studios. The first 801 speaker was introduced in 1979, and quickly took the audiophile community by storm.

In 1980, founder John Bowers brought a pair of these first 801’s to Abbey Road Studios. He wanted to personally demonstrate for them his new achievement in sonic accuracy. The audio technicians and engineers at Abbey Road were impressed with the clear and undistorted sound of this new product. Soon the worlds’ most famous recording studio became the first to install the 801’s as their main monitor speakers. 45 years later, Abbey Road now has the sixth generation of this iconic speaker model. 

For many in the music industry, and many like us who are simply passionate about music, Abbey Road Studios are not just a recording studio – they are THE recording studio. Founded in 1931 by the Gramophone Company (no relation to our Gramophone LTD brand), Abbey Road Studios boast a stunning list of famous musicians who have recorded there, among them: Pablo Casals, Glenn Miller, Cliff Richard, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga…the list goes on. Their talented staff, and their passion for sonic excellence, are in many ways as important as the high quality of the acoustic facilities.

“Abbey Road’s relationship with Bowers & Wilkins is a decades-long celebration of sound and technology. I’m delighted we have collaborated to create the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition together, honouring our shared history with an outstanding representation of the values, heritage and credibility of both our brands.” Jeremy Huffelmann, Abbey Road General Manager

What sets the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition 801 apart? Based on their flagship 801 D4 Signature Series loudspeaker, Bowers and Wilkins add a beautiful Vintage Walnut cabinet. The upper section features a custom red Leather by Connolly finish. These skilled experts have supplied the leather for many renowned British automobiles over the years, including Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar and others. 

The beautiful red finish echoes the red leather chairs found throughout Abbey Road Studios. Each speaker has an identifying back plate that identifies it as one of just 140 pair, and each buyer receives a commemorative book which goes in-depth on the collaboration of Bowers & Wilkins and Abbey Road Studios. Most residentially-oriented speakers, of course, simply won’t work in pro studio environments, as they are not capable of reproducing the nuances and details of the music. But the 801, and its descendants, is far from an ordinary speaker. 

The remarkable Bowers & Wilkins 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition speakers are priced at $70,000 per pair, and are available for purchase now. We can’t wait for you to hear them, and we look forward to seeing you in Timonium on Thursday July 17th, 2025. Please celebrate this remarkable product and some great music with us – RSVP here.