For more than fifty years, Bowers & Wilkins has made a name creating some of the finest speakers available for purchase. They are best known for creating audiophile-quality speakers whose signature is stunningly accurate sound reproduction—the listener hears exactly what the music creator intended. While they have always experimented with radical, innovative speaker designs like the Nautilus and Signature Diamond Series speakers, the company has largely stayed away from wireless technologies for any speakers intended for “serious” listening, because no wireless technology lived up to their requirements for sound quality—until now. Meet the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Suite.
The Formation Suite is a set of wireless audio products that have been designed from the ground up to provide a modern wireless listening experience without compromising Bowers & Wilkins’ legendary audio quality. Formation consists of five different products, each combining proven B&W technology like the Continuum Cone drivers found in their 800 series speakers, with an all-new, exclusive wireless protocol that promises twice the fidelity of the leading wireless speaker brand. Bowers & Wilkins Formation speakers offer a unique opportunity to the modern listener: the ability to enjoy audiophile-quality music without the need for a stack of hi-fi components connecting their speakers. A user simply connects their digital music source to the slick Formation app and streams directly to the Formation speakers. Formation supports Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Roon, and the typical Bluetooth connection.
The star of the new lineup is the Formation Duo, a pair of bookshelf speakers that could sit comfortably next to any of the brand’s flagship wired models. With a swooping, organic cabinet design, the Formation Duo are reminiscent of the renowned 800 Series speakers, and feature audio specs to match.
If the Formation Duo’s 25Hz low end is not boomy enough for you, the system also includes the Formation Bass, a standalone wireless subwoofer. A pair of 6 ½-inch long throw drivers put out notes as low as 20Hz, making it the perfect accompaniment to the Duo when you want extra deep bass in your music or movies.
And if movies are a focus, the Formation Bar and Formation Wedge will be of particular interest. The Formation Bar is a wireless soundbar speaker that is the perfect accompaniment to a flat-screen TV. Used alone, the Formation Bar provides 3 discrete channels of sound, via 9 drive units. It can be seamlessly combined with the Formation Bass and any other two Formation speakers to create a fully wireless 5.1 surround sound system. The Formation Wedge are standalone wireless speakers with an angled driver design that’s intended to radiate sound to fill a room, even when the Wedge is positioned in a corner. While they work great as a solitary speaker, the Wedge is also an ideal choice for rear channels in a Formation full surround system.
Of course, there are countless audiophiles who might enjoy the streaming capabilities of Formation but who are attached to a particular turntable, SACD player, or other component that does not have any wireless capabilities. Those listeners can get into the Formation system and bring their old components with the use of the Formation Audio hub. This device takes inputs from analog devices and allows them to broadcast to the Formation speakers like a product native to the system.
Click here to contact our audio sales department or call them at 847-544-2307 for more info on the Bowers & Wilkins Formation products and to find out when they’ll be available for an in-store listening experience.
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