Bowers & Wilkins 804D5 Speaker

Whether it’s jazz, classical music, rock, or singer-songwriter music, the performance remains consistently compelling. Recordings change, instruments change, tonal balances change, but the speaker always maintains exemplary tonal accuracy. No musical genre seems to be favored over another. It’s a rare quality, one found only in truly mature speakers.

One of the most memorable moments of our listening session was listening alongside Maestro Danilo Rea. From the very first tracks, his attention was focused precisely on this aspect. He repeatedly emphasized how the natural way the speaker reproduces the piano is one of its absolute strengths. For a musician, he told us, the quality of the midrange is probably the most important element of a playback system, because that’s where the timbre, the touch, the harmonic weight of the instruments, and much of the emotion contained in a recording reside.

Listening with Danilo Rea

For his listening test, Danilo drew inspiration from the Signature Diamond (and the 805 D3) speakers he normally uses. His assessment was extremely clear. While acknowledging their qualities, he identified the new 804 D5s as a step forward in terms of naturalness, tonal consistency, and the ability to reproduce the musical message as a cohesive whole. In particular, he was impressed by the continuity between the midrange and treble and by how effortlessly the speaker tracks even the subtlest dynamic variations of the piano. Several times during the listening session, he remarked that these new 804 D5s possess a special charm—a greater capacity for emotional engagement than the Signature Diamond models he has known for years. It’s not simply a matter of greater resolution or a wider frequency response, but something harder to describe and unique to great speakers: the ability to bring music to life.

Of course, no project is without its limitations. The 804 D5s are not designed to fill large rooms or spaces larger than thirty or thirty-five square meters, especially if high sound pressure levels are desired. In such cases, the laws of physics inevitably require turning to the 803 D5s or even higher-end models in the series. Within their ideal environment, however, they achieve a balance that has very few rivals. They offer a full, controlled bass, a wide and stable soundstage, a midrange that sets the standard, and an overall refinement that allows them to handle any musical repertoire without ever giving the impression of being a compromise.

At the end of the listening session, one feeling stands out above all others: that of having listened to one of the best speakers Bowers & Wilkins has ever produced in this price range. The 804 D5s don’t impress because they do anything spectacular, but because they do everything with extraordinary naturalness. They disappear from the room, allowing only the music to shine through, and manage to engage both the listener’s intellect and emotions. That’s exactly what you’d expect from a great speaker—and perhaps even a little more.

Technical characteristics:

Type: 3-way bass-reflex
Speakers: 1x 2.5 cm tweeter, 1x 13 cm Continuum midrange, 2x 16.5 cm Aerofoil woofers
Frequency response: -6 dB, 20 Hz–35 kHz
Sensitivity: 89 dB
Harmonic distortion: <0.3%
Impedance: 8Ω (minimum 3Ω)
Recommended power: 50W–1000W
Maximum recommended cable impedance: 0.1Ω
Dimensions: 1101 x 308 x 392
Weight: 40.3 kg

Price: €19,000 per pair

Manufacturer: Bowers & Wilkins

Distributor: Marantz Italy