95%
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature
The 801 D4 Signature is an optimized version of our most advanced loudspeaker. It features meticulously evolved technology, carefully crafted design and unique finishes that culminate in the pinnacle of performance. This is Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Signature flagship loudspeaker.
- Diamond Tweeter
- Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top
- Continuum™ Cone FST™ Midrange
- Anti-Resonance Plug
- Biomimetic Suspension
- Turbine Head
- Matrix™
- Aerofoil™ Profile Bass Cones
- Flowport™
Optimized for perfection
The 801 D4 Signature is an optimized version of our most advanced loudspeaker. It features meticulously evolved technology, carefully crafted design, and unique finishes that culminate in the pinnacle of performance. This is Bowers & Wilkins' flagship loudspeaker perfected.
Diamond Dome tweeter
One of our most significant accomplishments over the past two decades, the ultra-stiff, supremely accurate Diamond Dome tweeter is the perfect combination of low mass, exceptional stiffness, and outstanding accuracy. Fifteen years after we introduced it, we haven't found a better tweeter dome technology.
Solid Body Tweeter
Our Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing features an elongated form with a longer tube-loading system and an all-new design of tweeter grille, producing an even more free and open sound with high frequencies.
Upgraded crossover
Our 801 D4 Signature uses upgraded rear-mounted crossover designs mounted on stiff aluminum spines. This isolates the sensitive capacitors from the unwanted effects of air pressure within the enclosure and makes for a very effective heatsink to ensure optimum performance when in use.
Aluminum top-plate
Every new 800 Series Signature model has a significantly upgraded cabinet design with an all-new, optimized aluminum top section for even greater stiffness. The same design also provides a perfect mounting point for Leather by Connolly cabinet detailing, with luxurious full-grain blue leather for our Midnight Blue Metallic models and full-grain black leather for our California Burl Gloss models.
Discover 805 D4 Signature
Although we always aim for acoustic excellence, we also create designs that are beautifully crafted, meaningful, and elegant. Our 805 D4 Signature is no exception, with its distinctive proportions, no-holds-barred construction, and luxurious detailing.
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
Professional Reviews 95/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
96/100
Build Quality
97/100
Value for Money
92/100
The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature delivers holographic imaging, deep, textured bass and startlingly clean dynamics on a reference scale. Its Diamond tweeter, Continuum midrange and twin Aerofoil woofers reveal layers of musical detail while maintaining weight and flow. David Price found the Signature’s bass grip, tonal insight and image focus meaningfully improved over the standard model.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Huge, precisely focused three-dimensional soundstage that lets the substantial cabinets disappear sonically.
Deep, fast and richly textured bass combines serious extension with excellent control and little sense of overhang.
Exceptionally revealing midrange and treble deliver clean transients, natural detail and expressive vocal presence.
Impressively inert, luxurious construction with upgraded damping, aluminum port hardware and exclusive high-gloss finishes.
&
Cons
Its upper midrange and treble can sound forward or bright for listeners sensitive to presence-region energy.
Needs powerful, high-current amplification to fully realize its bass control, dynamic ease and resolution.
Bass balance is placement-sensitive and can become overly prominent near room boundaries.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 96/100
Reviewers describe an exceptionally revealing, large-scale loudspeaker that combines deep, controlled bass with unusually vivid imaging, fine detail, and effortless dynamic expression. Its balance is fundamentally clean and coherent, though several listeners note a little extra upper-midrange or treble energy and stress the importance of careful room placement.
Bass
97/100
The twin 10-inch woofers are repeatedly praised for combining true depth and room-filling authority with speed, texture, and control. Reviewers describe bass as tight, rich, powerful, and free of overhang; however, Andrew Robinson found it could become overly pronounced or boomy when the speakers were positioned too close to boundaries.
Mid
95/100
The midrange earns consistent praise for clarity, speed, low distortion, natural timbre, and expressive vocal presence. Jason Thorpe notes a slight upper-midrange rise, with some trumpet material presented a little more prominently than expected, but he and other reviewers find it clean, coherent, and highly listenable rather than troublesome.
Treble
93/100
Reviews consistently find the diamond tweeter exceptionally open, extended, fast, and free from grain, with StereoNET calling it one of the best conventional dome tweeters heard. There is a recurring caveat that the upper midrange and treble can sound a touch forward, spicy, or bright depending on setup and recording.
Soundstage Imaging
97/100
This is a major strength: reviewers repeatedly report enormous, holographic soundstages, precise image placement, exceptional depth, and the ability for the large cabinets to disappear sonically. Instruments and voices are described as occupying stable, convincing positions across a stage that can extend well beyond the speakers and seemingly through the room.
Dynamics
96/100
The 801 D4 Signature is widely described as effortless, fast, and dramatic, from small transient shifts to very high playback levels. Reviewers praise its lightning-fast snap, substantial scale, clean output under pressure, and ability to deliver powerful bass transients without sounding strained.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
97/100
The cabinet, Turbine Head, aluminum details, upgraded port assembly, crossover work, and luxury finishes receive unusually strong praise. Thorpe reports feeling no enclosure vibration even at very high volumes, while other reviews describe the finish and engineering as luxurious, exceptionally solid, and topflight.
Value for Money
92/100
At approximately $55,000 per pair, this is plainly a costly loudspeaker and a substantial step up from the standard 801 D4. Even so, reviewers generally regard the Signature's audible improvements, engineering, and finish as compelling in its rarefied market, with The Ear calling it impressively good value against other high-end speakers and suggesting a boutique equivalent could cost far more.
Reviews
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
Zoom out the map to see more dealers
Authorized dealers for Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signature
- Resolution A/V — in-store — New York City, New York, United States (website)
- 3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
- Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
- Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
- Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acoustica — online and in-store — Chester, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
- AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
- Ahead Stereo — in-store — Los Angeles, California, United States (website)
and 276 more verified dealers