Напольная акустика — B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) 802 D4

The 802 D4 is a three-way vented-box floorstanding loudspeaker in the 800 Series Diamond range from Bowers & Wilkins. The brand describes it as built to similar proportions as the 801 D4 and sharing the same Turbine Head midrange enclosure, but as a more affordable design overall, suited to stereo listening and to home theatre use.

Key specs that matter

It is fitted with a 25 mm diamond dome tweeter, one 150 mm midrange of the Continuum cone FST type and a pair of 200 mm Aerofoil cone bass units. Frequency range spans 14 Hz to 35 kHz, and the response from the reference axis holds within +/-3 dB between 17 Hz and 28 kHz. The on-axis sensitivity is 90 dB for 2.83 Vrms at 1 m. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm, with a minimum of 3.0 ohm. Bowers & Wilkins recommends amplifiers delivering 50 W to 500 W into 8 ohm on unclipped programme. At 90 dB and 1 m, second and third harmonic distortion is lower than 1 percent from 70 Hz to 20 kHz and lower than 0.3 percent from 100 Hz to 20 kHz. The cabinet is 1218 mm tall, 413 mm wide and 602 mm deep, and one speaker weighs 88.10 kg.

Engineering and use context

In the Turbine Head the midrange cone gets its own aluminium enclosure, which is damped and isolated from the bass box and from the tweeter. The midrange also uses the Biomimetic Suspension, which replaces the usual fabric spider to cut the air pressure such a spider creates behind the cone, and an Anti-Resonance plug. The tweeter housing on top is machined from one piece of aluminium. The main enclosure has a curved front and sides in one piece joined by an aluminium spine, and the Matrix bracing inside combines plywood panels with aluminium parts. The crossover board is fixed on an aluminium spine at the back, outside the air pressure of the enclosure, where the spine also draws away heat. An aluminium top plate with Leather by Connolly trim tops the cabinet, in black leather for dark finishes and light grey for lighter ones. Buyers choose from four cabinet finishes, including White and Gloss Black, each with a black or grey grille. Bass loading uses a Flowport.

Pairing

The chosen amplifier needs to handle the deep impedance dip and deliver power within the recommended span, and cable impedance should stay at 0.1 ohm or less. The HTM81 D4 is the centre channel Bowers & Wilkins designed for the 802 D4.

Alternatives

The Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 is the compact headed floorstander of the series, fitted with a 130 mm midrange and two 180 mm bass units in a 1165 mm cabinet.