Bowers And Wilkins 805 D3

The smallest speaker in the 800 Series Diamond range is also one of the most groundbreaking. Packed with cutting-edge technologies never seen before in a speaker of its class, it's the only stand-mounted speaker in the world to feature a diamond dome tweeter. For lifelike spaciousness and detail, no other small speaker comes close. That elegant cabinet retains the previous 805's proportions but is subtly reshaped, and the internal bracing known as Matrix is revised to improve rigidity and resistance to vibration. Improvements in simulation software mean that the engineers were able to fine-tune cabinet performance to an even higher degree than before, trying different iterations before settling on a specific design. Overall build quality is excellent. B&W is no stranger to fine cabinets, and this one upholds that admirable tradition. The cabinet edges are crisp and everything fits together with well-engineered precision. It feels immensely rigid while the quality of finish is excellent. There are three standard finishes; the gloss black of our review sample, a satin white and rosenut. As before there is a dedicated stand a smart combination of aluminium and MDF that suits the speaker well. Ours were mass-loaded to add stability, which proves worthwhile.

Diamond tweeter Anti-resonance plug Continuum cone bass mid Solid body tweeter Tweeter on top Optimised matrix 2-way vented-box system 1x 25mm (1 in) diamond dome high-frequency 1x 165mm (6.5 in) Continuum cone bass midrange Frequency range 34Hz to 35kHz Frequency range +/- 3dB 42Hz to 28kHz 88dB SPL (2.83Vrms at 1m) 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m on axis) THD <1 % 70Hz - 20kHz THD <0.6% 120Hz - 20kHz 8 Ohm (minimum 4.6 Ohm) 50W - 120W into 8 Ohm on unclipped programme 424mm (16.7 in) 238mm (9.4 in) 345mm (13.6 in) 12.6kg (28lb)