Bowers & Wilkins A5 and A7 AirPlay Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins have introduced the A5 and A7 Wireless Music Systems with Apple AirPlay technology to deliver the convenience and freedom of wireless music from iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, without compromising on sound quality. This intuitive technology is made even more straightforward with the free Bowers & Wilkins Setup App, which allows additional systems to be controlled in various room.

A7 is the ultimate wireless music system. It uses the same drive units as Zeppelin Air, Panorama and MM-1. These drive units provide excellent dispersion, for natural and wide sound. A copper pole cap has been introduced to reduce the losses associated with inductance rise of the voice coil, improving mid to high frequencies. By using tube loaded tweeters first designed for B&W’s flagship Nautilus loudspeaker, rear reflections are fully absorbed to ensure pure high frequencies. The A7’s enclosure been made from glass re-enforced ABS and extra strengthening ribs have been included to limit and control undesirable resonances.

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Having a larger acoustic volume has allowed B&W to use a 6-inch woofer in A7. The cone is made from Kevlar-reinforced paper pulp, to increase its stiffness and damping. A progressive roll spider with low-loss suspension provides linear and controlled movement, ensuring low frequencies are always accurate.

A7 also incorporates Bowers & Wilkins Flowport technology. The dimpled holes around the port reduce air turbulence in the same way as a golf ball. The ports are ultra silent so the bass is clean at all listening levels.

A7 is a fully active 2.1 design. All five drive units are individually driven by dedicated bespoke audiophile class D amplifiers. The 4×25 Watts plus 1×50 Watts output powers the improved drive units for increased precision, seamless integration and impressive levels of bass attack.

The A7 applies propriety Digital Signal Processing to ensure controlled bass output and room filling sound at all listening levels. In addition all inputs are up-sampled through the audiophile-quality 96kHz/24bit DAC. This has the effect of reducing noise and increasing dynamic range, creating a more detailed, natural sound.

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The smaller A5 Wireless Music System gets many of the same audiophile-grade features as the A7, but takes up less space and uses fewer internal speakers. Since the A5 doesn’t include a dedicated subwoofer, and has half the amplifier power, we’d expect it not to play near as loud or as deep as the A7.

Price and Availability
B&W A7 → $799.99
B&W A5 → $499.99