Diamonds Are A Man’s Best Friend?!

B&W revealed last November that it was coming out with a new range of top end speakers incorporating diamond tweeter diaphragm technology. There’s much to prattle on about but in a nutshell, the modal breakup frequency of aluminum tweets is about 28k, the diamonds don’t hit the wall till about 80k. They bragged there were significant audible improvements with this change, in addition to diamonds being stronger and providing the ultimate pistonic action.

They also improved THE REST OF THE SPEAKER. Hence when you read about an 803D, 802D etc, it isn’t the same thing they’ve had before with a new tweeter slapped in place. The speakers actually have 90% new components. The cosmetics are similar. The N800 Series has been very well received in domestic quarters. They didn’t want to spoil that.

At last the diamonds have arrived! The first pair in the door is the 803D, $9000pr. They’re stunning. Right out of the box, they are superb. With no break in, no voodoo, just turn ‘em on and they’re very impressive.

Last week I went to a piano recital by Emanuel Ax at the Pabst. Ax has been one of the top classical pianists on the planet for 30 years. I sat no more than 20 feet away from the humongous Steinway, which is known more as a beauty than a beast. Ax played some Debussy and Rameau to warm up the crowd. Actually, the crowd was small, it was more like a gathering. I suspect most of us came for the main event, the Chopin ballades. After the intermission he played all four with a mastery that was transporting. If you don’t own a CD of these ballades, run out and buy one. Rubinstein has a great disc from the 60s, Ashkenazy has a nice digital version. There’s a modestly priced Naxos from Idel Biret. There are many to choose from. The tone and touch purveyed by Ax was something special to hear. It was beautiful with total control; virtuosity with musicality!

So here I am in the listening room not more than a few days later. I toss on a CD of the same music. I’m sitting about the same distance from the 803Ds as I was the Steinway and WOW, it was eerily real! It didn’t hurt that the Naim CD5i, Bryston BP-26 and 4B-SST were in the path. But the culmination of the event was strikingly reminiscent of the live event I heard a few days before.

The diamond tweeter definitely gives a softer, smoother character of sound than the aluminum tweet. Just as advertised, it’s extended without being bright, which has long been a benchmark of B&W flavor. You’ll want to hear them for yourself, on music you like. But I’m telling you… for mirroring the live experience, it was all there but the coughing!

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