Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 801

At 104 kg, it doesn’t just occupy space—it commands it, with a silhouette that defies convention and a presence that demands attention.

Overview

The Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 801 isn’t a speaker you casually walk past. It’s a floorstanding, reference-grade loudspeaker that announces itself through sheer physicality and architectural audacity. Weighing in at 104 kg (229 lbs) and stretching 1111 mm tall, it’s built like a monument to high-end audio engineering. This isn’t just another iteration of the classic 801—it’s a reimagining, part of Bowers & Wilkins’ decisive move into the luxury sphere, where performance and design converge without compromise. Owners report a full-range, three-way bass reflex configuration, with a sensitivity of 91dB/2.83V/1m, making it efficient enough to respond to nuance but demanding enough in impedance—8 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum—to require a robust amplifier in the 50–1000W range. The speaker’s most striking feature, that bulbous upper enclosure perched atop the main cabinet, isn’t sculptural indulgence. It’s a functional solution to diffraction, isolating the midrange and tweeter in a continuously tapered chamber that minimizes edge reflections and preserves transient clarity. This design philosophy, focused on eliminating resonance and preserving signal integrity, extends to the use of sturdy cabinet materials and specially engineered drivers, all aimed at delivering precise, immersive sound across a wide frequency bandwidth.

Specifications

Key Features

Bulbous Upper Enclosure for Diffraction Control

The Nautilus 801’s most recognizable trait—the spherical, tapering chamber housing the midrange and tweeter—is a direct response to diffraction. In conventional flat-baffle speakers, sound waves scatter when they encounter sharp cabinet edges, blurring imaging and muddying transients. Bowers & Wilkins’ solution was radical: isolate these drivers in a continuously curved, acoustically damped enclosure that absorbs and dissipates rearward energy rather than reflecting it. This design allows the 801 to achieve a level of clarity and spatial precision that flat-fronted speakers struggle to match, particularly in critical listening environments.

Sturdy Cabinet Construction for Resonance Control

The main enclosure is constructed from sturdy materials specifically chosen to minimize unwanted vibrations and resonances. While the exact composition isn’t documented, the emphasis on structural integrity aligns with Bowers & Wilkins’ long-standing focus on damping and rigidity. The separation of the bass section from the upper driver module further isolates low-frequency energy, reducing intermodulation distortion and preserving the integrity of mid and high frequencies.

Specially Designed Drivers and Crossovers

The speaker features a complete set of specially designed drivers and crossovers, tuned to work in concert across the 37Hz–20kHz frequency range. The crossover is set at 2.7kHz, dividing the signal between the midrange and tweeter, while the bass driver handles the lower register in a reflex-loaded cabinet. The drive unit diaphragms are delicate; collectors note they should not be touched, as physical contact can compromise performance or cause damage. The system is designed for use with low-impedance speaker cable—no more than 0.2 ohms—to ensure optimal power transfer and damping from the amplifier.

Historical Context

The original Bowers & Wilkins 801, introduced in 1979, became a professional reference standard, famously used at Abbey Road Studios. The Nautilus 801 represents a later evolution, distinct from both the original 801 and the standalone Nautilus model introduced in 1993. Positioned within the Nautilus 800 series, it shares design language and engineering principles with siblings like the Nautilus 802 and Nautilus 805. This model marked a significant shift for the company—a leap into the luxury audio market, where technological ambition met high-end aesthetics. Though exact production years remain undocumented, the Nautilus 801 stands as a hallmark of Bowers & Wilkins’ pursuit of acoustic perfection during the 1990s and early 2000s.

eBay Listings

B&W Nautilus 801 Pair UK Monitor Speaker Maintained Tested W

$21,499

As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.

Related Models

• Bowers & Wilkins 805
• Bowers & Wilkins 805S (2007)
• Bowers & Wilkins CDM 7
• Bowers & Wilkins CM1 (2006)
• Bowers & Wilkins DM110 (1984)
• Akai AM-2850 (1975)
• Akai AP-206 (1975)
• Nakamichi BX-1 (1985)
• Acoustic Research research-ar-17 (1978)
• Acoustic Research AR-19 (1994)