Appeared in 1993, the B&W Nautilus loudspeaker has never ceased to fascinate. Developed at the Bowers & Wilkins factory in Worthing, West Sussex, England, as a loudspeaker concept that sounds different from a loudspeaker, the result is eminently spectacular and has established itself as a reference among music lovers around the world. .
Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus, the revolutionary speaker
By completely abandoning the "box" design for a loudspeaker, the objective of the B&W engineers was to get as far away as possible from the limitations of traditional enclosures by giving free rein to their imagination, but always with a strong guideline: sound quality should take precedence over form. After much testing, the snail or shell shape emerged (hence the name Nautilus). Then were added the visible tubes at the back of the enclosure whose mission is to absorb unwanted energy from the speakers, allowing them to operate optimally.
Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus Abalone Pearl
Applied entirely by hand in the Bowers & Wilkins factory in Worthing, the new Abalone Pearl finish is based on the internal tint of the shell of the same name, also known as abalone. Namely, entirely shaped by hand, a Nautilus loudspeaker requires a full week of work from the B&W team in Worthing. This is why the waiting list of customers has grown over the years, despite an indicative price of around €65,000 a pair. On this subject, a pair of B&W Bautilus Abalone should approach the indicative price of around €80,000.
Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus Abalone Pearl, 30 years short film
In addition to the new finish, and again to mark the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Nautilus loudspeaker, B&W has produced a short film of approximately 6 minutes retracing the genesis of a loudspeaker. To see by clicking on the following link: B&W, 30 years of Nautilus