Bowers & Wilkins 804 D5 Floorstanding Speaker

Description

Overview

The 804 D5 brings the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond D5, the newest generation of the range, to a more conventional floorstanding design. Bowers & Wilkins made it for listeners who want the series in a smaller footprint.

Design & build

The Diamond dome tweeter sits in the Tweeter-on-Top; the Continuum cone midrange has an all-new aluminium enclosure; the two Aerofoil bass units are rigidly mounted in the reverse-wrap cabinet. It stands 1,101 mm tall and weighs 40.3 kg. Finishes are Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut and Dark Walnut, each with matching Leather by Connolly trim.

Key features

A 25 mm Diamond dome tweeter, which Bowers & Wilkins says pushes its break-up frequency to 70 kHz, a 130 mm Continuum cone FST midrange and two 165 mm Aerofoil bass units in a vented cabinet with Flowport. Bowers & Wilkins also lists Biomimetic Suspension, the Anti-Resonance plug and Matrix bracing.

Specifications

Type: three-way vented-box floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 25 mm Diamond dome tweeter; 130 mm Continuum cone FST midrange; 2 × 165 mm Aerofoil bass. Frequency range: 20 Hz to 35 kHz (-6 dB). Frequency response: 19 Hz to 24 kHz (±3 dB). Sensitivity: 89 dB. Harmonic distortion (2nd and 3rd harmonics, 90 dB, 1 m on axis): below 1% from 90 Hz to 20 kHz, below 0.3% from 100 Hz to 8 kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms (minimum 3.0 ohms). Recommended amplifier power: 50 to 200 W into 8 ohms on unclipped programme. Maximum recommended cable impedance: 0.1 ohm. Dimensions: height 1,101 mm including tweeter and plinth; width 238 mm cabinet only, 308 mm including plinth; depth 337 mm cabinet only, 392 mm including grille and terminals. Weight: 40.3 kg each. Finishes: Stealth Black, Warm White, Light Walnut, Dark Walnut; grilles black (Stealth Black, Dark Walnut) or grey (Warm White, Light Walnut). Priced per pair.

Who it’s for

The 804 D5 suits a medium-sized room, or a room where a slimmer cabinet matters more than the Turbine Head of the larger models. We hear Bowers & Wilkins as insightful and transparent, and undeniably capable.

What we would pair it with

Bowers & Wilkins recommends 50 to 200 watts into 8 ohms. We would look first at the Gryphon Diablo 333 or the McIntosh MA352, or the Mola Mola Kula.

Room and setup notes

At 40.3 kg a speaker it is manageable, but it still wants a firm floor. We set the speakers up in the room they will live in.

Also worth considering

The 803 D5 above it adds the Turbine Head; the 805 D5 is the stand-mount model of the series. Bowers & Wilkins still lists the 804 D4 beside the D5. See the full range on our Bowers & Wilkins page.

Why buy from Hidden Home Technology

The 804 D5 is available to order through us. We can advise on amplification and the room, and handle delivery, installation and set-up across the South. Speak to our team to talk it through.

The wider view: Bowers & Wilkins 804 D5 reviews in brief

The 804 D5 brings 800 Series Diamond performance to a more conventional floorstander with a smaller footprint. Its Continuum cone midrange now sits in a new aluminium enclosure inside the cabinet below the Diamond dome tweeter, with two Aerofoil bass units beneath and a plinth with tuned-mass damping.

Daniel Březina of the Czech magazine Hi-Fi Voice heard it in September 2026 in a showroom with McIntosh electronics and compared it with the 804 D4. Of the whole new generation he thought this model had made the largest step forward. The bass gained structure, weight and control, the midrange was superbly clear and the stage grew wider and deeper. He found a focus close to a studio monitor that brings it near the Turbine Head models while it stays compact enough for an ordinary room, and he called it excellent hi-fi for anyone who values authenticity.

It is worth knowing that he found the sound vivid, though never shrill, and very ready to take on the character of the recording and the electronics. His measurements showed the impedance dipping below 3 ohms, so he would not pair it with a valve amplifier.

So it suits a small or medium room that wants the full 800 Series character in a slimmer cabinet. An amplifier with plenty of power in reserve such as the Gryphon Diablo 333 brings out its best, and we can talk the choice through with you.

What the reviewers say, in a nutshell

• Hi-Fi Voice, Daniel Březina, September 2026. The biggest step of the new generation, with bass of more structure and control and a superbly clear midrange. Vivid and revealing of the electronics. The review is in Czech.