In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Bowers Wilkins. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the 805 D5 is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 and Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 | Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 |
|---|
| Brand | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 | Bowers Wilkins
United Kingdom · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Diamond dome | 1" Diamond dome |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 10" Aerofoil | 6.5" Continuum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 15-28k Hz | 42-28k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 90 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 8 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-1000 watts | 50-1000 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 106.40kg / 234.1lbs | 16.40kg / 36.1lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 48-1/16" x 17-5/8" x 23-1/2"
1221.0 x 447.0 x 597.0mm | 17-5/16" x 9-1/2" x 14-5/16"
439.0 x 241.0 x 363.0mm |
|---|
801 D5 and 805 D5 are members of Bowers Wilkins's 800 D5 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Bowers Wilkins 800 D5 Series
History
What size room are the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 and Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 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 D5 |
Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Poor |
(* 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
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that 801 D5 is a 3-way design whereas the 805 D5 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5
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 D5 |
Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 10-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
801 D5 features a 1" Diamond Diamond dome Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 2 x 10" Aerofoil Woofer. On the other hand, the 805 D5 features a 1" Diamond Diamond dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Continuum Woofer.
Frequency Response
801 D5 has a frequency range of 15-28k Hz whereas 805 D5 has a frequency range of 42-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 15Hz, the 801 D5 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the 805 D5's min frequency of 42Hz.
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 D5 and 805 D5 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. 801 D5 sensitivity is rated at 90 dB and the 805 D5's is at 88 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 a more sensitive speaker compared to Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
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 D5 and 805 D5 have the same power range of 50-1000 watts.
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 D5 and 805 D5 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both 801 D5 and 805 D5 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 D5's and Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5's external dimensions. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 has external dimensions of 1221.0 x 447.0 x 597.0mm (48-1/16 x 17-5/8 x 23-1/2inch) whereas Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 has external dimensions of 439.0 x 241.0 x 363.0mm (17-5/16 x 9-1/2 x 14-5/16inch).
Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 206mm wider, 782mm taller and 234mm deeper than Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5.
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 D5 needs about 205% more floor or shelf area. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 is 234mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. Bowers & Wilkins 801 D5 is 782mm 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 D5 is approximately 2668.6cm2 / 413.6inch2 and base area of the Bowers & Wilkins 805 D5 is approximately 874.8cm2 / 135.6inch2. The 801 D5 requires 205% more surface area than the 805 D5 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.