Bowers & Wilkins Upgrades Mini Theater Speakers

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 2/14/2012

North Reading, Mass. -- Bowers and Wilkins is upgrading its Mini Theater speaker series with the planned launch of an upgraded M1 compact monitor and an upgraded compact subwoofer.

The round PV1D subwoofer at a suggested $1,799 has been upgraded to offer Class D "digital" amplification and digital signal processing (DSP), and the M1 compact two-way speaker at $250 each has been upgraded to offer deeper bass response to deliver the bass output of larger bookshelf speakers, the company said. It also offers a cleaner aesthetic and other improved performance parameters, the company said.

 Both will be available in matte black and matte white.

 Also in the series, the company will begin offering its $500 black ASW608 subwoofer in a matte white finish to match the M-1 white finish.

 In packages, five M1 speakers and the round PV1D sub will retail for a suggested $2,950 and be called the MT-60D package. Five M1 speakers and the square ASW608 sub will be priced at $1,750 and be called the MT-50 package.

The M1 has been completely redesigned inside with new drive units, including an in-house designed tweeter and a bass/mid-range driver that uses the company's anti-resonance plug, which was first launched on the high-end PM1 speaker.

The vented-enclosure M1 delivers a frequency response of 64Hz to 23kHz +/-3dB through its Nautilus tube-loaded 1-inch aluminium-dome tweeter and 4-inch woven-glass fiber-cone midrange/woofer. Recommended amp power is 20-100 watts into 8 ohms, and sensitivity is 85dB at 2.83 volts at 1 meter. 

The M1 measures 9.8 inches by 4.5 inches by 6.4 inches and comes with tabletop stand and wall bracket. An optional floorstand is available.

 For its part, the compact round PV1D subwoofer deepens frequency response compared to its predecessor to 7.5Hz +/-3dB, thanks to the inclusion of a Class D 400-watt amp, new aluminium-cone dual drivers, and DSP, which is applied to the low-pass filter's slope, frequency, and phase. Response extends up to 400Hz.  Like before, the sub features dual 8-inch drivers operating in opposed balanced configuration to cancel cabinet resonances.

The sub cabinet measures 13.5 inches by 10.6 inches by 14.1 inches. Though round, the cabinet is flat on both driver sides.

  The sub comes with OLED display and touch buttons to access presets and tuning options, and SubApp PC software provides more advanced set-up options.

 The less expensive sub, the ASW608, will not change internally but will come in a matte white option. Its features 8-inch driver, 200 watts of amplification and a near-square cabinet measuring 10.2 inches by 10.2 inches by 13 inches.

 All products will be available early this year, the company said.