The new B&W CT700 and CT800 Custom Theatre Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins has just unveiled a new, more widely accessible Custom Theater lineup. B&W’s CT700 Custom Theater lineup is more modest in enclosure size, and considerably more modest in price than the frankly cost-no-object B&W Custom Theater 800 range—yet B&W says that it delivers precisely the same kind of jaw-dropping sonic impact, timbral and dialog integrity, and sonic transparency as its larger siblings. The new CT700 models uniformly employ B&W’s well-known, proprietary woven-Kevlar materials technology in their midrange and low-frequency drivers. There, its unique acoustic properties inhibit unwanted vibrations, for impressive freedom from the colorations that degrade transparency and realism. The CT700 comprises three different front/surround-channel options, 10-inch and 12-inch subwoofers, plus an outboard, rack-mounted subwoofer amplifier of 1,000 watts. All five 700-series loudspeaker elements are finished in a durable matte black, being intended for custom-installed concealed locations behind acoustically transparent screens, in custom cabinetry, or built into custom theater partitions. (To facilitate such designs, maximum depth of all CT700 models is 10.5 inches.)

There are three options for CT700-series front and surround channels. The CT7.3 LCRS is a three-way layout using dual 8-inch Kevlar woofers, a 6-inch Kevlar midrange, and 1-inch cloth-dome, Nautilus-loaded tweeter. The two-way CT7.4 LCRS employs dual 6-inch Kevlar mid/bass drivers with the same tweeter system, while the generally similar CT7.5 LCRS substitutes a single 7-inch Kevlar mid/bass unit. All three CT700 variants are rigorously engineered for precisely matching timbre and overall transient and dynamics characteristics, so that a system may be freely laid out between any combination of models. Also at Denver’s CEDIA 2007, Bowers & Wilkins introduced a new addition to the Custom Theater 800 series. Like its forbearers, the new CT8.4 LCRS, incorporates the legendary technologies of B&W’s 800 Series stand-alone speakers to achieve literally reference-standard performance. The CT8.4 LCRS packs the power to function excellently in front-, side- and rear-channel duties within a complete 800-series custom system.  It is also a more compact alternative to the range’s CT8 DS side/rear channel speaker for use where space is at a premium. The CT8.4 LCRS’ 8-inch Kevlar/paper woofer, 6-inch woven-Kevlar FST midrange, and 1-inch aluminum Nautilus-loaded tweeter yield precisely the same authentically three-dimensional listening experience as its larger siblings.