Bowers & Wilkins launches CI 800

See nothing, hear everything

High-performance custom installation series featuring core Bowers & Wilkins technologies. Utilizing Carbon Braced Tweeters, FST™ midrange technology, Matrix™ enclosures and audiophile-grade crossover components. Two in-wall models and one in-ceiling model provide discreet flexibility for people who desire reference sound with minimal visual impact.

N. Reading, MA—Sept. 2012—Bowers & Wilkins is proud to announce the arrival of CI 800. The flagship custom installation series that sets a new standard for installation loudspeaker performance. Delivering audiophile quality to people who demand high-resolution audio, but whose decor does not accommodate traditional free-standing speakers.

CI800 is the result of an extensive project by Bowers & Wilkins engineers at the renowned Steyning research facility in West Sussex. Their considerable challenge was to deliver the exemplary quality levels associated with the reference quality 800 Series Diamond – the speaker of choice of major recording facilities such as London’s Abbey Road Studios – in loudspeakers designed to fit into walls and ceilings.

“Over the past several years, Bowers & Wilkins has completely refreshed our custom installation product offerings,” notes Doug Henderson, Vice President Sales & Marketing. “We have literally saved the best for last. The CI 800 models are the result of two years of effort by the best design team in the business. I think people will find their level of acoustic performance shocking. They are not simply great sounding custom speakers, they are great sounding speakers period.”

The CI 800 range comprises three speakers, with one in-ceiling and two in-wall models. All speakers in the range feature core Bowers & Wilkins technologies, many of which appear in an installation loudspeaker for the first time.

Foremost among these technologies is the introduction of the Bowers & Wilkins Carbon Braced Tweeter. Previously only found on the high-performance PM1 loudspeaker, the Carbon Braced Tweeter takes the already high performance of Bowers & Wilkins aluminum domes to a whole new level. It uses a ring of ultra-thin wound carbon fiber to brace the tweeter dome, and as a result raise the break up of the aluminum dome to around 40KHz, which has a dramatic effect on the audible frequencies below 20kHz. We are confident it’s the sweetest sounding tweeter yet heard in any custom installation loudspeaker.

In addition, the tweeters in all CI 800 models are Nautilus™ Tube Loaded designs, and are fully de-coupled from the rest of the speaker assembly, as in the 800 Series Diamond. This ensures that the LF units do not transmit unwanted vibrations, which might compromise high frequency performance. The result is a level of clarity unheard previously in custom installation speakers.

The midrange drivers are made from Kevlar®, dyed blue rather than Bowers & Wilkins traditional yellow for visual discreetness, and use the Anti-Resonance Plug from PM1. The result is pristine midrange performance with natural sound reproduction just the way the artist intended you to hear it.

The dedicated midrange driver in the CWM8.3 also features Bowers & Wilkins FST™ technology, a surroundless suspension technique that improves the cone’s response time, further enhancing midrange performance.

The CWM8.3’s dedicated bass units use carbon-reinforced Rohacell® cones, as found on the 800 Series Diamond, while Bowers & Wilkins Flowport™ technology dramatically reduces unwanted ‘chuffing’ effects at the low end.

The crossovers used in all CI 800 models are also of audiophile quality. They are as close to first order as possible, and share ultra premium components with the 800 Series Diamond for high-performance sound every time.

Finally, one of the biggest challenges facing Bowers & Wilkins engineers in translating the high-performance of the 800 Series Diamond to the CI 800 range was ensuring a consistency in every installation. Relying on the wall cavity as the speaker enclosure was not an option. Indeed, as with quality free standing speakers the enclosure is a vital component in the overall system design. For the CI 800 range fully engineered Matrix™ enclosures were developed, adapted to custom application requirements. A great deal of time was spent optimizing materials to get the stiffest possible structure while providing optimum volume for the deep bass response. The results are plain to hear. These are in-walls that rival the very best in-room speakers at their price points.

The CWM8.3 is a three-way, in-wall loudspeaker, conceived to offer the highest possible performance for a customer requiring reference quality sound, without seeing the source. It features a Carbon Braced Tweeter, a 5in Kevlar FST drive unit and two 7in carbon fiber reinforced Rohacell low frequency drivers. The central baffle is rotatable, so the CWM8.3 can be used in either vertical or horizontal alignment. It is an ideal choice for music and theater applications.

Bowers & Wilkins CWM8.3

The second in-wall model in the new CI 800 range is the CWM8.5. This two-way loudspeaker features a Carbon Braced Tweeter and a single 7inch bass/mid Kevlar driver, with anti-resonance plug. It also features a single Flowport. The CWM8.5 will be ideal for high performance stereo use but has the dynamic and deep bass capabilities that will also allow it to work well as a main channel in a theater context in spite of its small visual footprint.

Bowers & Wilkins CWM8.5

The CI 800 Series features a single in-ceiling model, the CCM8.5. This two-way model features a 7in bass/mid driver, again in blue Kevlar. The 1in Carbon Braced Tweeter features an innovative ‘wing’ design, which allows for the time alignment, required to produce the best possible performance from an in-ceiling speaker. All the drive units are located in a unique continuously rotatable mini baffle, which allows for the custom installation version of ‘toeing in’ the loudspeaker toward the listening position for optimum real world performance.

Bowers & Wilkins CCM8.5

The launch of CI 800 completes Bowers & Wilkins highly impressive portfolio of custom installation loudspeakers, with the CI 300, CI 600, CI 700 and dedicated in-wall subwoofers all having been developed over the past few years by the same engineers responsible for Bowers & Wilkins most respected loudspeakers.

The CCM8.5 will be available first quarter 2013 and priced at $1,400 each.
Required CCM8.5 Matrix™ enclosure priced $600

The CWM8.5 will be available first quarter 2013 and priced at $800 each.
Required CWM8.5 Matrix™ enclosure priced $600

The CWM8.3 will be available first quarter 2013 and priced at $2,200 each.
Required CWM8.3 Matrix™ enclosure priced $800

Trademark acknowledgements
Nautilus, FST, Flowport and Matrix are
trademarks of B&W Group Ltd.
Kevlar is a registered trademark of DuPont.
Rohacell is a registered trademark of the
Evonik Röhm GmbH.
Copyright © B&W Group Ltd. E&OE

For additional information visit:
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Speakers/Custom_Installation/CI_Series/CI-800.html

For high-resolution images visit: http://nicollpr.com/bw_press.html

About Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) is Britain’s leading exporter of loudspeakers, and is also the number-one imported brand in North America. Since 1966, B&W’s “Quest for Perfection” has resulted in a succession of technical loudspeaker innovations that have satisfied the world’s most demanding listeners. B&W’s rave reviews and universal acceptance as the monitor for classical music recordings have helped B&W become the dominant premium loudspeaker company throughout the world. www.bowers-wilkins.com

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John Nicoll / Lucette Nicoll
Nicoll PR
781-762-9300
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