Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 801

It weighs 104 kg. The silhouette is unlike any other speaker of its day, and it is hard to ignore.

Overview

The Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 801 is a floorstanding, reference-grade loudspeaker, and you notice it when you walk in. It weighs 104 kg (229 lbs) and stands 1111 mm tall. It is not just another revision of the classic 801. It is a reimagining, part of Bowers & Wilkins' move into the luxury market. Owners report a full-range, three-way bass reflex configuration with a sensitivity of 91dB/2.83V/1m. Impedance is 8 ohms nominal and 3 ohms minimum, so it wants a sturdy amplifier in the 50-1000W range. The bulbous upper enclosure on top of the main cabinet is there for a reason. It deals with diffraction by isolating the midrange and tweeter in a continuously tapered chamber that minimizes edge reflections and preserves transient clarity. The same aim of cutting resonance and keeping the signal clean carries over to the cabinet materials and the specially engineered drivers.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Bowers & Wilkins
Product type	Loudspeaker
Dimensions (W × H × D)	522 × 1111 × 690 mm (20.6" × 43.7" × 27.2")
Weight	104 kg / 229 lbs
Frequency Response	37Hz – 20kHz ± 2dB on reference axis
Sensitivity	91dB/2.83V/1m
Nominal impedance	8 ohms (3 ohms minimum)
Recommended amplifier power	50-1000W
Maximum recommended cable impedance	0.2 ohms
Crossover frequency	2.7kHz
Design	3-way bass reflex speaker

Key Features

Bulbous Upper Enclosure for Diffraction Control

The spherical, tapering chamber that houses the midrange and tweeter is the Nautilus 801's most recognizable trait. It exists to fight diffraction. On a conventional flat-baffle speaker, sound waves scatter when they hit sharp cabinet edges, which blurs imaging and muddies transients. Bowers & Wilkins isolated these drivers in a continuously curved, acoustically damped enclosure that absorbs rearward energy and dissipates it rather than reflecting it. The result is 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 built from sturdy materials chosen to minimize unwanted vibrations and resonances. The exact composition isn't documented, but the focus on rigidity fits Bowers & Wilkins' long-standing attention to damping. The bass section is separated from the upper driver module. That further isolates low-frequency energy, reducing intermodulation distortion and protecting the mids and highs.

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 was introduced in 1979 and became a professional reference standard, famously used at Abbey Road Studios. The Nautilus 801 is a later evolution, distinct from both the original 801 and the standalone Nautilus model introduced in 1993. It sits within the Nautilus 800 series and shares design language and engineering principles with siblings like the Nautilus 802 and Nautilus 805. The model marked a significant shift for the company, a move into the luxury audio market. Exact production years are undocumented, but it dates to the 1990s and early 2000s.