Bowers & Wilkins has been comparatively quiet since its acquisition by EVA Automation in May 2016, bringing just some new merchandise to market since then. That modifications in a really huge manner right this moment with B&W’s announcement of the Formation Wireless Music System, a sturdy multi-room audio system that targets Sonos the place that firm is most weak: High-resolution audio (however definitely not on value).
B&W invited us to the corporate’s UK services final week for Formation’s press unveiling, the place we had the chance to listen to the primary 5 elements within the Formation suite: the Formation Duo, a pair of self-powered bookshelf audio system; the Formation Wedge, a single powered speaker that replaces the 2015 Zeppelin Air; the Formation Bar and Formation Bass, a soundbar and subwoofer respectively; and the Formation Audio, a wi-fi hub that lets you add legacy audio elements to a Formation system. B&W CEO Greg Lee hinted that we’ll see extra merchandise on this line quickly.
Each Formation product boasts a recent industrial design that B&W says it hopes will appeal to a youthful viewers. And whereas Formation merchandise will probably be manufactured largely in China, the corporate says among the components for the Formation Wedge will probably be fabricated on the identical manufacturing unit in Worthing, Sussex that assembles B&W’s top-shelf loudspeakers.
Bowers & Wilkins CEO Greg Lee launched the Formation Suite at an April 2019 press occasion in London.
As Sonos did earlier than it, B&W has developed a proprietary mesh networking know-how dubbed, not surprisingly, Formation. And like Sonos, B&W can also be embracing a number of different “lesser” wi-fi applied sciences (lesser within the sense that Formation helps greater digital audio resolutions and sampling charges: as much as 24-bit decision and sampling charges as excessive as 96kHz).
Formation elements—except the Formation Bass subwoofer, which is designed to be paired with different Formation audio system—will even assist Apple’s AirPlay 2 know-how (16-bit/44.1kHz streams) and Bluetooth (together with assist for the aptX HD codec, which might deal with as much as 24-bit/48kHz streams). Sonos helps as much as 16-bit/48kHz streams (acknowledged right here just for the sake of comparability—Formation gained’t be appropriate with Sonos). If you’ve got the infrastructure to benefit from it, every Foundation part additionally has an RJ45 port for hardwired ethernet.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe Formation Duo is a pair of high-end, self-powered, wi-fi bookshelf audio system that share elements with B&W’s 700 Series and Series 800 Diamond loudspeakers.
The Formation suite can also be appropriate with Spotify Connect, and the elements can function as endpoints for a Roon server. You can management the system utilizing B&W’s Android and iOS app, which the corporate says will make for an intuitive and pleasant person expertise, or with iTunes (for AirPlay 2) on a Mac or PC.
First impressions of B&W’s Formation Suite
We took full benefit of a possibility to hear to every of the Foundation elements in a home setting and got here away with extremely optimistic impressions of the designs, construct high quality, and audio efficiency.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGSome components of the Formation Wedge are fabricated in B&W’s manufacturing unit in Sussex, England however it should shock nobody that many of the manufacturing is completed in China.
Formation Bar and Formation Bass
First up was the Formation Bar, auditioned with a clip from a Hollywood motion blockbuster. The 48.8-inch soundbar produced clear and refined greater frequencies from its three 1.0-inch double dome tweeters, however the bass response from its six 2.6-inch woven glass fiber bass/midrange drivers was simply ample (the Formation Bar’s frequency response is rated at 40Hz to 28kHz). The Formation Bar has six 40-watt amplifiers onboard, though B&W didn’t disclose if these are Class D or one thing else.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe 48.8-inch Formation Bar soundbar shares design cues with its companions subwoofer, the Formation Bass.
Adding the Formation Bass to the combo supplied much more punch for a way more immersive expertise. The barrel-shaped subwoofer has a 250-watt digital amplifier driving twin 6.5-inch, long-throw bass items and delivers frequency response of 20- to 156Hz. The combo—which it needs to be famous helps Dolby Digital however not Dolby Atmos—nonetheless didn’t give us the wow issue we had been anticipating. The sound stage was simply not as broad as we might have favored. This could possibly be because of the very giant house the system was arrange in, or simply the overly busy soundtrack.
Switching over to an digital music video nonetheless, the Bar got here into its personal, with a large sound stage and with higher placement of devices within the house. Most importantly, even with a bass-heavy monitor, the low finish felt tight and clear with none noticeable distortion.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe Formation Bass wi-fi subwoofer will be paired with any of the Formation audio system, though its almost definitely companion would be the Formation Bar.
Formation Wedge
We tried out the Formation Wedge subsequent. This is an elliptically formed speaker with a stylishly contoured grill that’s set to switch B&W’s much-loved Zeppelin Air. This $900 speaker boasts a minimalist design, with the one onboard controls being a small contact panel with a proximity sensor that lights up while you method. You can play and pause music right here and regulate the quantity, however you’ll have to open the B&W app to do greater than that.
The 17.3-inch Wedge is narrower than the 25-inch Zeppelin and homes 5 audio system pushed by as many amplifiers: two 1.0-inch double dome tweeters powered by 40-watt amplifiers, two 3.5-inch midrange powered by 40-watt amplifiers, and a 6.0-inch subwoofer pushed by an 80-watt amp. B&W says the Wedge affords frequency response of 35Hz to 28kHz.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe Formation Wedge takes the place of B&W’s well-regarded Zeppelin collection of wi-fi audio system.
After listening to quite a lot of tracks, it’s honest to say the Wedge delivers huge, highly effective audio and may simply fill a medium-sized room. Cranking up the quantity didn’t distort the low finish both. B&W says its intention was to create a smaller product that might match properly right into a household room or a bed room with out sacrificing stereo imaging and high-quality sound.
One can not escape the restrictions of physics, nonetheless, and the Wedge struggles a bit to recreate a well-defined stereo picture. If that’s critically essential to you, you possibly can pair two Wedge audio system collectively; or if funds enable, you possibly can step as much as the Formation Duo.
Formation Duo
Unlike any earlier wi-fi speaker from Bowers & Wilkins, the Formation Duo are designed to function as a stereo pair (for $4,000) and aren’t bought individually.
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe Formation Duo characteristic the decoupled tweeter design from the corporate’s Series 700 loudspeakers, and the Contiuum midrange/bass driver from the Series 800 Diamond.
Each speaker is supplied with its personal Formation Wireless module and a 125-watt amplifier driving a 1.0-inch tweeter and a 6.5-inch midrange/bass driver. These audio system share elements with B&W’s high-end loudspeakers, together with the carbon dome tweeter-on-top know-how from the 700 collection, and the Continuum cone drivers from the top-shelf 800 Series Diamond.
The curved cupboards are sealed versus ported, so you possibly can place them near a wall with out worrying that you just’ll distort their bass response. The left and proper audio system join wirelessly, so the one cords you’ll want are the facility cables for every speaker, which will be hidden contained in the non-compulsory stands.
The Formation Duo is a giant step up in sound high quality in comparison with any of the opposite audio system within the Formation line. This combo produces huge sound that’s wealthy with element. We had been very impressed with its sound stage as properly, and fairly happy with its bass response. But for those who discover its low finish missing, you possibly can add the Formation Bass to the equation.
Formation Audio
Dominik Tomaszewski / IDGThe Formation Audio is a wi-fi hub designed to include your favourite legacy audio gadgets—a turntable or CD participant, as an illustration—right into a Formation system.
The Formation Audio wi-fi hub was the one part we didn’t get a lot of an opportunity to play with. It’s principally designed to allow people so as to add legacy audio elements—a beloved turntable or a high-end CD participant, for instance—to the Formation’s wi-fi ecosystem. It’s outfitted with each analog and digital inputs and outputs (analog RCA in/out, Toslink in, and digital RCA out), and it has high-performance analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters onboard.
We did get to hear to 1 monitor streamed from a turntable to the Formation Duo audio system by way of the Formation Audio hub, and the demo sounded improbable.
B&W has what seems to be a really robust wi-fi high-fidelity audio system right here, though the value tags will put it out of attain for some people—a incontrovertible fact that Sonos is certain to seek out reassuring. But our listening alternatives had been restricted and outdoors our direct management, so we gained’t move ultimate judgment on the Formation Suite till we’ve had alternatives to carry out in-depth listening checks in our personal environments. Stay tuned.