The new Bowers & Wilkins HTM82 D4 may be Bowers & Wilkins most compact centre-channel speaker, but it shares the design DNA of its larger siblings, including the Reverse Wrap cabinet and Matrix™ bracing.
The combination of the two technologies ensures a quieter, more acoustically efficient and better-sounding speaker than ever.
Reverse Wrap cabinet
Instead of a conventional loudspeaker box, their cabinets are made from a continuous curved section of wood, with the drive units mounted at the heart of the curvature.
This stiffer, more inert structure resists mechanical resonances far better and also ensures better dispersion of sound.
Continuum™ cone midrange
Introduced as a huge evolutionary change for them in 2015, the Continuum cone midrange drive has swiftly become a fundamental element in every Bowers & Wilkins loudspeaker.
With exceptionally low noise, it ensures outstanding resolution without coloration or masking of detail.
Decoupled midrange assembly
Bowers & Wilkins HTM82 D4 has a dedicated midrange cone using three key Bowers & Wilkins technologies: the Continuum cone, Biomimetic Suspension and midrange decoupling, the latter ensuring minimal interference from the operation of the loudspeaker’s bass drivers.
The result is outstanding clarity.
Specifications Bowers & Wilkins HTM82 D4
Technical features Diamond tweeter
Solid body Tweeter-on-Top
Continuum cone FST™
Anti-Resonance plug
Biomimetic Suspension
Matrix™
Aerofoil cone bass units
Flowport™
Description 3-way vented-box system
Drive units 1x ø25mm (1in) diamond dome high-frequency
1x ø130mm (5in) Continuum cone FST midrange
2x ø165mm (6.5in) Aerofoil cone bass units
Frequency range 33Hz to 35kHz
Frequency response
(+/-3dB from reference axis)
45Hz to 28kHz
Sensitivity
(on axis at 2.83Vrms at 1m)
89dB
Harmonic distortion 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m on axis)
The sleepy coastal town of Worthing in South England might not look like a hotbed of 1960s freewheeling experimentation, but for audio fans it’s a place that’s synonymous with innovation.
Thanks to the first Bowers & Wilkins speakers built here in the early years of the company, music lovers could experience albums such as Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds in new, mind-expanding depth and clarity
1966: Beginings
John Bowers begins assembling speaker systems in the workshop of his electronics shop in Worthing, South East England
Following an inheritance of £10,000 from a satisfied customer, John Bowers sets up his own loudspeaker company
1966: P1
The first Bowers & Wilkins loudspeaker. The profit from P1 allowed the company to invest in new calibration equipment
1968: Domestic Monitors
The DM1 and DM3 were launched to bring high quality audio to more customers, at an affordable price point
1970s: A decade of milestones
With the company established and growing fast, Bowers & Wilkins developed its reputation for innovative design backed up by world-leading R&D.
They introduced new forms and design concepts including Tweeter-on-Top, new cone materials such as Aramid fibre, and it all culminated in the launch of the iconic 801, soon to become the reference speaker of choice for many of the world’s leading recording studios
1970: DM70
With its curved cabinet, the DM70 changed the shape of loudspeaker design
1980s: The application of science
Extensive investment in research led to the establishment of the company’s dedicated R&D facility in Steyning.
The era of MTV pop superstardom and bombastic stadium rock also saw Bowers & Wilkins buck the trend and introduce something small and unobtrusive: the “compact monitor”, or CM1
1990s: Rewriting the rulebook
The 1990s saw the pioneering work of the Steyning research team realised in spectacular fashion with the launch of Nautilus™, a speaker that rewrote preconceived notions of speaker design.
It also saw major product launches at both ends of the spectrum, with the unveiling of the highly regarded entry-level 600 Series and the flagship Nautilus 800 Series
2000s: Expansion in to new categories
The decade that brought us iPods and smartphones saw them embrace the new world with the launch of the iconic Zeppelin.
They also expanded into the car audio category and transformed the performance of their 800 Series with the development of the Diamond-dome tweeter
2015: 800 Series Diamond
The latest version of their flagship introduced a complete redesign and revolutionary new technologies, such as the Continuum™ cone
