Bowers & Wilkins Updates High-End 800 Series Speakers – Diamond Tweeters?

British hi-fi legend Bowers & Wilkins has updated its 800 Series loudspeakers with a "diamond dome tweeter".  Yes, you heard correctly, that's diamond, as in the hardest mineral substance on the Mohs hardness scale.

The diamond dome tweeter is a "quad-magnet" design, which is said to increase efficiency and improve the dynamic range at the high frequencies, while a new surround material aids dispersion chracteritics, and provides a more stable stereo image while increasing openness.  Bass performance (for the bassheads out there) has also improved with the introduction of a new dual magnet motor system, which utilizes powerful neodymium magnets.  This innovative design improves the linearity of the bass drivers' performance therefore reducing harmonic distortion.

The  B&W 800 Series Diamond will be available from February 2010, and priced as follows:

800 Diamond $24,000 per pair

802 Diamond $15,000 per pair

803 Diamond $10,000 per pair

804 Diamond $7,500 per pair

805 Diamond $5,000 per pair

HTM2 Diamond $5,000 each

HTM4 Diamond $2,500 each