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B&W Signature Diamond : Anyboy heard them?

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of auditioning the limited edition B&W Signature Diamond speaker powered by all Ayre gear.

I thought for a very small two way speaker they were superlative for the following reasons:

1) offered electrostatic speed and details with very natural timbres.

2) For such a small two way speaker it had great dynamics and bass extension. These would not do well in a very large acoustic environment, but that's not the reason way B&W built them, there for smaller listening spaces.

3) Totally open, you don't "hear" the speaker at all.

These speakers are quite expensive, the retail price is $17000.00, B&W is only going to build 500 pairs, but I think they out perform another highly regarded two way speaker, the Magico Mini, for almost $10000.00 less. So, if you were thinking of auditioning the Magico Mini, I would recommend you put on your list the Signature Diamond which is a floor standing speaker and does not need stands like the Minis, but are still very small in their footprint.
teajay
f1a
198 posts
 
Anyone else demo/audition these?
microstrip
180 posts
 
As usual, it is a question of system and musical taste. I have no experience with the new Signatures, but I still own a pair of the old Silver Signatures SS25 - wonderful speakers when paired with Atma-sphere otl amplifiers and choral or chamber music. I was reading your points 1 to 3 and would add a forth - pinpoint 3D imaging.
Also , you can not imagine how loud and clear they could sound in rock with the old Classe M1000.
However, in the wrong system and room they would sound horrible and lifeless.
srdan01
11 posts
 
I listen them hook up on Classe electronic. They are better balanced than rest of Diamond series, probably because tweeter in N800/1/2 doesn’t have enough sensitivity to be balanced flat till 20kH. Here situation is different and small speaker is really something! Sound wonderful with great bas. But, again..., you need to forget high SPL and room more than 25m2. Really expensive and it's not look so bad like on the pictures. The one I listen was white.
berjar
4 posts
 
I have had a pair for about a month (white). They are driven by AR REF 3, Ref CD7 and AR Ref 110 stereo amp. I thought I would buy a pair just for fun and probably sell them quickly. After hearing them, it will be a long time before I make another change. They are the most accurate and natural sounding speaker I have ever heard. I am in the business, so I have heard a lot. There is almost no coloration from the lower mids on up. The blend between the tweeter and mid is seamless. They have a lot of detail, but sound buttery smooth at the same time (the AR gear helps I am sure). There are more powerful and dynamic speakers out there, but for listening at moderate levels in a medium size room they are among, if not the best in the world.
bar81
791 posts
 
I also got to listen to the Signature Diamonds fronted by the top end Classe gear and what I heard was quite impressive. The midrange was fantastic (although still not quite as transparent as the Focal Alto Utopia Be) and, as stated earlier, blended seamlessly with the tweeter. The bass also went surprisingly low for their size and a two-way speaker. Other than the fact that they are unattractive aesthetically imo, even with room reinforcement, the bass just doesn't go low enough to justify the price imo. But for those looking for a superior two way, they might be the best deal in the business atm.
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