Quick Look: B&W Signature 805

Everybody that knows great hi-fi equipment would surely put loudspeakers from the revered English firm B&W (slowly morphing over toward the use of its original name Bowers & Wilkins) at the top of a short list of great audio products. Nearly four years have passed since Bowers and Wilkins’ introduction of its world-class Nautilus Series of loudspeakers. To mark the British firm’s thirty-fifth anniversary, B&W unveiled its ‘Signature’ 800 Series of Nautilus loudspeaker models, the flagships of the 800 family. Continuing the celebration, B&W recently introduced the smaller and less expensive Signature 805, endowing the 800 Series family with a newly refined speaker bearing the full ‘signature’ series treatment.

The Nautilus 805 is perhaps the loudspeaker that fills the broadest consumer range since the 800 Series’ initial introduction. It is relatively compact and remarkably good looking, yet still delivers the virtues of clarity and extension that made the 800 series family so widely accepted in high-end audio and home-theater systems.

The Signature 805 incorporates three major categories of advancements: (1) new drivers, (2) improved crossover componentry and, (3) a new enclosure; not to mention beautiful new “signature” exterior finishes. Driver refinements begin with the tweeter, which utilizes the now-famous Nautilus tapered-tube loading (which reduces unwanted back-wave radiation) enhancing clarity and detail, as well as B&W’s familiar and attractive “pod” mounting. This contributes in no small way to the reduction of image-destroying reflections. Compared with its predecessor, the Signature 805 tweeter extends high end response by nearly an octave, to a fully DVD-A/SACD-ready 50 kHz. It accomplishes this by employing a stiffer (yet lighter) connection between the dome and the aluminum drive system.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Signature 805 woofer utilizes B&W’s widely acclaimed woven-Kevlar diaphragm material for unmatched strength-to-mass. This pairing, along with B&W’s beautiful craftsmanship, heavy internal damping, and rock-solid construction provide great freedom from internal standing waves that can “muddy” your sound. The Signature 805 bass driver plumbs the low frequencies with a magnet structure 40 percent larger and similarly more powerful than its precursor, it yields quicker, more agile bass response and even greater dynamic potential.

For the Signature 805 crossover, the B&W engineers were satisfied with changes to only a few key components from those in the already highly developed Nautilus 805. The new, handpicked crossover capacitors are more compact versions of the ultra-low-loss devices used in the original Signature 800. Combined with high-power film-type, heat-sink-equipped resistors, these make the signature difference, for subtly improved overall transparency and bottom-end detail.

When B&W went to refine their proven 'Matrix' Enclosure and its internal construction, consisting of a complex assembly of interlocking bracing, they were truly challenged to find much room for improvement. In the end, the Signature 805 development team did achieve further stiffness gains through several small construction details and materials choices. Attention to these many small details can spell the difference between a merely good, and a truly great product.

The Signature 805’s exterior finishes are another story, offering the same choice of drop-dead-gorgeous, hand-selected, hand-rubbed finishes as the original Signature models: gray Tiger’s Eye or red Bird’s Eye veneers. To me, the gray Tiger’s Eye is especially striking. I would suggest that you ask your B&W dealer for an audition and I doubt you will be disappointed. Always remember, you get what you pay for. Costly, labor-intensive details do lead to expensive products, but in the true audiophile world the Signature 805 is a relative bargain at its suggested list price of $1750 each. Two of the 805s are great for music and stereo, but mated with a good subwoofer, five of these beauties would offer killer surround sound for home theater use and probably merit a volume discount from your happy dealer. At the least, while you are there, be sure to ask for one of B&W’s catalogues. The catalogue itself is a work of art. JL