Bowers & Wilkins
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| Bowers & Wilkins | |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Worthing, Britain |
| Key people | Joe Atkins Chairman |
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Products | Hi-Fi and Home theatre Loudspeakers |
| Website | B&W Bowers & Wilkins |
Bowers & Wilkins is a British loudspeaker company that produces reference quality hi-fi and home theatre speakers. The company name is often abbreviated to just B&W.
Joe Atkins is current owner and chairman. He is the follow-up of Robert Otto Trunz, who lead the company after founder John Bowers died in 1987.
B&W is part of the B&W Group Ltd, which also includes Rotel and Classé audio (midrange and high-end, respectively). B&W previously offered a range of electronics (amplifiers etc.) under the Aura brand, but it was discontinued in 1997.
Bowers & Wilkins is still based in its home town of Worthing, West Sussex, England.
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[edit] Technology, Research & Development
Research and development has been a core activity within B&W stimulated and exercised by it's founder John Bowers. The company opened a dedicated research center in Steyning in 1976. Engineers of note who have worked on R&D for over two decades in Steyning include Dr.Steve Roe, Dr. John Dibb, and Dr. Peter Fryer.
Since 1974, the patented use of DuPont Kevlar fibers results in B&W's destinctive yellow speaker cones. The composite material provides controlled rigidity and internal damping, minimizing distortion.
The design of B&W loudspeaker cabinets is done by inustrial designer Kenneth Grange since 1975.
In 1977 the DM7 introduced a tweeter separate from the main speaker cabinet. This has been part of many B&W speaker designs since.
B&W scientist Laurence Dickie invented the 'Matrix' enclosure which reduces cabinet colouration. This bracing topology resembles a wine-case, providing multiple thin panel-braces, spaced throughout the enclosure, improving rigidity.
The "Nautilus" speaker by Laurence Dickie resulted from research commenced by John Bowers into 'perfect dipoles'. Instead of open-backed drivers, it uses drivers loaded by reverse-tapered horns, or exponentially diminishing tubes, to absorb the rear radiation. The result was a near perfect response and near-zero enclosure colouration.
[edit] Early Years
John Bowers and Roy Wilkins met in military service during the Second World War. They discovered a common interest in radio and after the war set up an electronics shop Rentals became a large part of the business and a service department was established to support this extra business, run by Peter Hayward. Bowers and Wilkins became involved in the supply of public address equipment to schools and churches throughout Sussex, with the result that John Bowers began to devote more and more of his time to the study, design and assembly of loudspeakers. Bowers' designs soon gained a reputation for quality, and before long a small production line was established in workshops behind the shop.
Eventually, Bowers decided to take the plunge and in 1966 turned what had begun as a hobbyist sideline into a separate business - B&W Loudspeakers Ltd., at the same relinquishing his involvement in the shop.
[edit] Notable products of the 1960's
The P1 is the first commercial speaker from B&W.
[edit] Notable products of the 1970's
The sizable DM70 from 1970 combined electrostatic mid- and high range on top of a traditional base unit. The 1976 DM6 introduced Kevlar cones and phase linearity. The 1977 DM7 showed a tweeter separate from the main cabinet. The 801 loudspeaker range, introduced in 1979, are a reference standard that -in later incarnations- is being used in recording studios around the world such as Abbey Road Studios, Skywalker Sound, Sony Music Studios - NYC. They are also used by classical music labels such as Philips and Decca in their studios to monitor recordings.
[edit] Notable products of the 1980's
The 801 loudspeaker range is improved into matrix versions with a very rigid cabinet construction.
[edit] Notable products of the 1990's
The 1991 Nautilus speaker remains the company's flagship product. In 1998, Nautilus technology was introduced in the somewhat more affordable Nautilus 800 series.
[edit] Products from the 2000's
2007 saw the introduction of the B&W Zeppelin ipod speaker system.
In 2008, the "Jaguar XF Audio System" was introduced, a car audio setup with 14 speakers and a powered 440 Watt Class AB DSP amplifier
