In this review, we will be comparing 801 D4 and 803 D4, two Passive Floor-standing speakers by Bowers Wilkins.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 and Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 | Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 |
|---|
| Brand | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Diamond dome | 1" Diamond dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | 5" |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 10" Aerofoil | 2 x 7" Aerofoil |
|---|
| Frequency response | 15-28k Hz | 19-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 90 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-1000 watts | 50-500 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 100.60kg / 221.3lbs | 62.15kg / 136.7lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 48-1/16" x 17-3/4" x 23-5/8"
1221.0 x 451.0 x 600.0mm | 45-7/8" x 14-1/16" x 20-1/8"
1165.0 x 357.0 x 511.0mm |
|---|
801 D4 and 803 D4 are members of Bowers Wilkins's 800 D4 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Bowers Wilkins 800 D4 Series
History
What size room are the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 and Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 |
Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
Both 801 D4 and 803 D4 are 3-way speakers.
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 |
Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
1 x 5-inch |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 10-inch
|
2 x 7-inch
|
801 D4 features a 1" Diamond Diamond dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 10" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the 803 D4 features a 1" Diamond Diamond dome Tweeter, a 5" Midrange and 2 x 7" Aerofoil Woofer.
Frequency Response
801 D4 has a frequency range of 15-28k Hz whereas 803 D4 has a frequency range of 19-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 15Hz, the 801 D4 can go slightly deeper then the 803 D4's min frequency of 19Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
801 D4 and 803 D4 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms and their sensitivity is also same at 90 dB.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
801 D4 can handle a max power of 1000 watts RMS, whereas 803 D4 has a max power handling value of 500 watts RMS, 500 watts less than the 801 D4.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both 801 D4 and 803 D4 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both 801 D4 and 803 D4 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4's and Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4's external dimensions. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 has external dimensions of 1221.0 x 451.0 x 600.0mm (48-1/16 x 17-3/4 x 23-5/8inch) whereas Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 has external dimensions of 1165.0 x 357.0 x 511.0mm (45-7/8 x 14-1/16 x 20-1/8inch).
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 94mm wider, 56mm taller and 89mm deeper than Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 needs about 48% more floor or shelf area. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 is 89mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 is 56mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 is approximately 2706.0cm2 / 419.4inch2 and base area of the Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 is approximately 1824.3cm2 / 282.8inch2. The 801 D4 requires 48% more surface area than the 803 D4 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 weighs 100.60kg / 221.3lbs and the Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 weighs 62.15kg / 136.7lbs. This makes the 801 D4 62% heavier than the 803 D4.
Here is a comparison of how 801 D4 and 803 D4's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
 Max Input Power |
1000 watts
vs
500 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Woofer Size |
10 inches
vs
7 inches
|
Larger woofer |
|
Low Frequency Response |
15 Hz
vs
19 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Height |
1165mm
vs
1221mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1824cm2
vs
2706cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
 Price per pair* |
27000USD
vs
46000USD
|
costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time) |
| General |
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 |
Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 |
| Brand |
Bowers Wilkins |
Bowers Wilkins |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-1000 watts |
50-500 watts |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
8 ohms |
| Impedance |
3.0 ohms |
3.0 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
15-28k Hz |
19-28k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
2 |
| Woofer Size |
10" |
7" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aerofoil |
Aerofoil |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Diamond dome |
Diamond dome |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
6" |
5" |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1221.0mm (48.1") |
1165.0mm (45.9") |
| Width |
451.0mm (17.8") |
357.0mm (14.1") |
| Depth |
600.0mm (23.6") |
511.0mm (20.1") |
| Weight |
100.60kg (221.3lbs) |
62.15kg (136.7lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Siblings in Bowers Wilkins's 800 D4 series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 digs deeper - 15Hz against 19Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | evenly matched | Similar sensitivity (90dB vs 90dB) - both want much the same power. |
| Headroom | A | Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 takes more power (1000W vs 500W) - more in hand in a big room. |
| Size | depends | Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 is easier to place; Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | depends | Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4: bi-amping; Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4: bi-amping. |
| Price | B | Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 is cheaper - $27,000 against $46,000, about 41% less; arguably a different class. |
A Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 B Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
The usual trade-off: Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 measures better, Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 costs about about 70% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. Match it to your room: we rate Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same. In a large or open-plan room, Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, Bowers & Wilkins 803 D4 is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.