Specifications
Technical features Nautilus™ tweeter
Nautilus™ head
Kevlar® brand fibre cone FST drive unit
Matrix™ cabinet
Flowport
Description 3-way vented-box system
Drive units 1x ø25mm (1 in) metal dome high-frequency
1x ø150mm (6 in) woven Kevlar® cone FST midrange
1x ø380mm (15 in) paper/Kevlar® cone bass
Frequency range -6dB at 23Hz and 30kHz
-3dB at 29Hz and 22kHz
Frequency response 37Hz – 20kHz ±2dB on reference axis
Dispersion Within 2dB of response on reference axis
Horizontal: over 60º arc
Vertical: over 10º arc
Sensitivity 91dB spl (2.83V, 1m)
Harmonic distortion 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)
<1.0% 50Hz – 20kHz
<0.5% 60Hz – 18kHz
Nominal impedance 8 Ohms (minimum 3.0 Ohms)
Crossover frequencies 350Hz and 4kHz
Recommended amplifier power 50W – 1000W into 8 Ohms on unclipped program
Max. recommended cable impedance 0.1 Ohms
Dimensions Height: 1111mm (43.7 in)
Width: 522mm (20.6 in)
Depth: 690mm (27.2 in)
Weight 229 lbs each, unpacked
The Nautilus 801 speaker system is one of B&W’s crowning achievements, receiving much acclaim and accolades for its extraordinary natural and highly accurate musical reproduction. When 1st introduced they were immediately adopted as the reference monitors by a large majority of the top recording studios throughout the world. Priced at $11,000.00 for the pair new, they were a serious investment, although anyone who owns a pair will readily confess they are worth every penny.
The Nautilus 801 design is the amalgamation of the old and the new. It incorporates the best of the 20 year progression of the previous 801 systems with the inclusion of the unprecedented technologies and innovations collected from the $40,000.00 Nautilus system. Every part and aspect of the speaker was developed without compromise, all for the sole purpose of getting as close to a perfect loudspeaker as possible. A goal many feel was achieved.
Reviewed and evaluated by just about every audio publication in the world the Nautilus 801 is one of the few speaker systems to be unanimously recommended by all. Its sonic portrayal is about as natural and accurate as you could ever achieve with a speaker system. It presents the full dynamics and life of music in a manner that is truly amazing. From the highest audible note to the lowest, music is rendered in the clearest, most articulate manner. Voice and instrument are utterly natural. The bass is tight, clean, and thoroughly musical; it dips down to amazing depths providing heart stopping slam when called upon to do so. The highs and mids are smooth, coherent divulging even tiny details at low volumes. Music sounds balanced and articulate. Throughout the frequency range you will hear sonic details and subtle nuances of the recordings never heard before, illuminating the inner truth of the recording. It has even been reported by reviewers to have distinguished traffic noise in the background of many recordings. While the N 801’s are extraordinarily revealing, they are equally proficient at portraying an extremely detailed soundstage with unmatched imaging. It creates the illusion of the performance being taken place in front of you. Close your eyes and you will have a hard time believing you are not there. The Nautilus 801 is one of those rare speaker systems that seemingly erases the line between live sound and electronically reproduced sound. If musical authenticity and accuracy is what you have been looking for your search is over. Some of the many features of the Nautilus 801 speakers include
The sound of silence Not all sound generated by speaker drive units is good sound. The kind that emerges from the back of a working driver, into a conventional box cabinet, can bounce around and make a mess of the good sound coming out of the front. B&W’s trailblazing Nautilus™ speaker found a way around boxes. Tapering tubes filled with absorbent wadding soaked up the wayward sound energy and reduced resonances to an insignificant minimum. The tweeter on the N 801 follows the same lines. Sound is channeled through a hollow pole magnet, away from the diaphragm, and disappears into the tail. In the rigid, molded head of the midrange enclosure, the chamber takes the form of a sphere and a tube, optimized using advanced computer-modeling techniques to silence sonic interference. So all the sound you hear is good sound.
Dream weaving Waves and squares generally don’t mix. Which is one reason why you’ll find so few straight lines on the N 801 speaker. But there is one component where square makes sense. The kind of homogeneous materials used to make conventional midrange driver cones are prone to the development of unwanted concentric standing waves. These can hamper the cone’s performance. In the mid-1970s B&W was the first speaker manufacturer to employ Kevlar® in its cones – a lightweight, high-strength woven fiber used in bullet-proof vests, shrapnel-resistant shielding in jets and sports equipment. Kevlar’s ability to improve resolution was traced by laser measurement to the square weave, which disrupted the formation of standing waves. Others have caught on to Kevlar®, but no-one has B&W’s closely-guarded recipe for the resin mixture that enhances the material’s strength and flexibility.
Bowers & Wilkins’ FST™ mid-range drive unit maximizes the effects of Kevlar® by improving cone response times and integrity of sound transmission. Surrounds both keep the cone in line and help to absorb bending waves. As the mid-range diaphragm only moves a little, B&W has improved outer edge cone termination by means of ‘surround less’ suspension. A foamed material ring, with resistive mechanical impedance identical to that at the edge of the cone, is placed under the cone’s edge. Bending waves traveling up the cone are almost totally absorbed by the foam ring, which also compresses sufficiently to accommodate cone movement at mid frequencies. All the careful refinements of the Kevlar® cone would count for nothing if B&W didn’t do all they could to minimize other sources of disturbance. Moving air behind the cone, for example. The chassis of the FST™ driver is designed to minimize any impedance to the flow of air from the rear of the driver.
Highly Evolved Bass Unit You’ll get rock-solid bass from the N 801, whether you’re listening to Charlie Mingus, John Paul Jones or Robbie Shakespeare. The B&W bass driver, backed up by an imposing magnet/voice coil system, preserves the speed and ‘slam’ of the most demanding bass lines. The construction of the cone is critical. What they were aiming for is ‘perfect piston’ behavior: the ability to move air with complete freedom while resisting deformation. The cone must be as light as possible for maximum agility, but absolutely rigid in order to retain its shape as it pumps in and out. B&W developed a low density kapok cone pulp with a very high stiffness /mass ratio. It has a large proportion of Kevlar® and stiffening resin. So high air pressures are definitely not a problem. For speed, stiffness and unshakable bass, it’s the bottom line.
Nautilus Tweeter The distinctive, tube-loaded tweeter on th Nautilus™ 801 speaker is a refined version of the one first seen on board Nautilus™. With a performance extending well into the ultrasonic range, the speakers are often the speaker of choice to demonstrate the full sharpness of the latest digital formats. For the top of the range Nautilus™ 801, the cut-off frequency has been pushed still higher. By stiffening the connection between the driver’s aluminum coil former and its dome and silver plating the magnet pole piece, the driver reaches new heights in tweeter performance. Several years on, the tubular design, developed to absorb unwanted radiation from the rear of the diaphragm, delivers a stunningly natural treble response that is still leagues ahead of conventional technology.
Superior Crossover The accuracy, speed and tightness of the musical delivery in the Nautilus™ 801 is the product of painstaking crossover design. Selecting a capacitor for any crossover is like judging wine: different products may ostensibly contain the same constituents, blended to the same ‘recipe’, but they will generate noticeable differences in the quality and character of the final ‘tasting’. B&W handpicked specialized capacitors for the Nautilus™ 801 and tailored them to their best applications. The Nautilus™ 801 utilizes, non-inductive thick-film resistors are heatsunk by aluminum plinths to eliminate compression. Air core inductors and seriously heavy gauge cables to the bass units offer a path of least resistance to bass that is tight, responsive and utterly compelling.
. B&W’s Flowport Streamlining Car designers go to a lot of trouble to make sure their vehicles slice efficiently through the air. If they don’t, not only does turbulence reduce performance, it also increases wind noise. So it is with the reflex port in a loudspeaker cabinet. If turbulence occurs as the air moves in and out of the port, you’ll hear extraneous noise and, as you turn the volume up, the bass won’t be as tight and well timed as it should be. B&W’s Flowport™ minimizes turbulence in the same way as a golf ball. Dimples on the surface generate tiny eddy currents over which air can flow smoothly and, above all, silently. It’s a perfect hole. But don’t use it for putting practice.
Outer stillness, inner strength Why are seashells round? Answer: edges and corners are potential weak points against the buffeting and banging of an oceanic existence. A continuous, curved surface creates a much stronger structure using the same volume of material. Forces from pressures and impacts are spread evenly across it. Similar mechanics are behind classical architecture’s discovery of the arch and the shape of the wheel. It’s an ancient principle; it’s just taken a while to reach the design of speaker cabinets. Fortunately, B&W’s development of shell-like bass cabinets means the wait for the resonance-free enclosure is over. The thick, multi-layered wall holds the drive unit assemblies still and secure, and absorbs shocks and vibrations that might send straighter cabinets round the bend. As if a naturally strong shell wasn’t enough, the cabinet walls are held firm against exceptional vibration by their own internal skeleton.
Matrix internal bracing B&W introduced its Matrix internal bracing system more than 15 years ago and has been refining its design and construction continuously. A structure of interlocking panels works like the ribs in a ship’s hull, defusing stresses and strains and bracing the cabinet sides against movement. Laser measurement shows that while straight-sided cabinets flex and vibrate under heavy use, B&W’s Matrix braced, curved cabinets hold still.
What is RSS?
![](javascript:OpenImages("694715","694715.jpg"))
0.00 (out of 5)