About

Bowers & Wilkins is a British audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1966 by John Bowers and Roy Wilkins in Worthing, West Sussex, England. The company initially operated as a small electronics retail shop before transitioning to loudspeaker manufacturing. In 2020, Bowers & Wilkins was acquired by Sound United (now part of Masimo Corporation) after a brief period under the ownership of the Eva Automation group. The company continues to manufacture many of its premium products at its Worthing facility.

The product range includes floor-standing loudspeakers, standmount monitors, in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, wireless speakers, headphones, and automotive sound systems. The flagship 800 Series Diamond loudspeakers have been the reference monitors at Abbey Road Studios since 2005. Other product lines include the 700 Series, 600 Series, the Formation wireless range, and the PI headphone series. The company also produces custom installation products for residential and commercial applications.

Bowers & Wilkins has developed several proprietary technologies over its history, including the use of Kevlar cones for midrange drivers (introduced in 1974), Nautilus tube-loaded tweeters, Continuum cone material (replacing Kevlar in flagship models), and diamond dome tweeters machined from synthetic diamond. The company's Steyning Research Establishment conducts in-house research and development on driver materials, cabinet design, and signal processing.

The brand has established automotive audio partnerships with Volvo Cars, McLaren Automotive, Maserati, and BMW. Bowers & Wilkins products range from approximately $200 for entry-level headphones to over $30,000 for flagship loudspeaker pairs. The 800 D4 series, introduced in 2021, represents the current top of the range and is widely used in professional mastering studios globally.

Luxury Audio

Bowers & Wilkins is a leading British luxury loudspeaker manufacturer with flagship products serving as reference monitors at Abbey Road Studios. The company is known for proprietary driver technologies including diamond dome tweeters and Continuum cone material. Their 800 Series Diamond is widely regarded as one of the finest loudspeaker ranges available.

Brand Details

Brand Tier High Luxury
Price Range $199 - $30,000+
Founded 1966
Headquarters Worthing, England
Parent Company Masimo Corporation
4.3
1 reviews
Claude Opus 4.6
AI Review
4.3/5

Bowers & Wilkins has earned its place as one of the most respected names in high-fidelity audio through decades of engineering innovation and an unwavering commitment to acoustic accuracy. The 800 Series Diamond speakers, used as reference monitors at Abbey Road Studios, represent the pinnacle of the lineup and deliver a level of clarity and imaging that places them among the finest transducers available. The industrial design across the range is distinctive and elegant, particularly the newer formations, which function as sculptural objects in their own right. The headphone and wireless ranges have successfully brought the B&W sound signature to portable formats without excessive compromise. Under Masimo Corporation ownership, the brands direction has occasionally raised questions among audiophile purists, though product quality has remained strong. The price range is broad -- from accessible wireless speakers to five-figure reference monitors -- making B&W one of the few luxury audio brands with a genuine gateway product for emerging enthusiasts.

Mar 25, 2026
Bowers & Wilkins Screenshot

Price: From $199

Added: Mar 25, 2026

bowerswilkins.com