If you are a fan of premium loudspeaker maker Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), you are likely familiar with the fact that Abbey Road Studios – the famous London, England recording studio that was the studio of choice for mega groups like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Oasis, Lady Gaga, and many, many others – utilizes B&W models as monitor speakers for its recording engineers. Some of the most famous music singles and albums were tracked and mixed on 801s, offering superior sound quality and providing engineers and producers with a more accurate sound to produce a better end product…the music that you and I listen to every day.
This “enduring and influential collaboration” has existed for 45 years, and to honor this unique history, B&W has introduced a limited edition model of its top-of-the-line speakers, the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition Loudspeaker.
Learn more about the new 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition speaker…
Partners Bowers & Wilkins and Abbey Road Studios announced Wednesday the availability of a limited run commemorative loudspeaker, the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition loudspeaker. This special series, based on the Model 801 D4 Signature Series loudspeaker, has been created to honor what the partners believe is a unique 45-year relationship that is a powerful collaboration between one of the world’s finest music creators with one of the world’s most accurate music reproduction systems.
Most Home Speakers Can’t Cut It in a Professional Recording Studio
It’s important to note that, as a former engineer and producer myself, I can confidently say that it is true that most studios use professional studio monitors, which are engineered for the rigors of day-in/day-out recording. It is rare for a studio to use loudspeakers designed for a typical home environment in a professional recording studio. Sometimes, studios will have an additional set of home loudspeakers to “check” a mix. Or, alternatively, they’ll use a professional loudspeaker designed to sound like a typical home loudspeaker (Auratones are a popular example). But the bulk of their work is typically done on specially designed studio monitors (a field once dominated by JBL).
But of course, B&W loudspeakers are a cut above the typical home loudspeaker.
Founded in 1931, it is impossible to overstate the importance of Abbey Road in the evolving professional recording studio world, serving the always-evolving music industry. It features multiple studios, each with its own unique sound signature. Whether the client is a single vocalist, a four-piece pop group, or a full symphony orchestra…Abbey Road is at or near the top of your preferred recording studios. Couple this with a world-class microphone locker with the finest microphones of their time (and an amazing assortment of vintage microphones (each with their own unique sound signature) for use by artists seeking to recreate a sound or feeling from a vintage hit. Add to all this some of the best engineers and producers on the face of the earth, and you have a truly unique facility that very few studios around the world can match.
Abby Road Staff is a Competitive Advantage
On top of this, Abbey Road staff are incredibly creative, modifying recording equipment and inventing never-before-tried recording techniques to deliver any kind of sound performance an artist or producer is looking for. Many artists around the world consider Abbey Road state-of-the-art – NOT the studio…the STAFF.
Interestingly, Bowers & Wilkins, founded in 1966, shared many of the values of Abbey Road. Founder John Bowers believed that a loudspeaker should be to the ear what a flawless pane of glass should be to the eye, allowing the clear passage of a sensory image, uncorrupted and faithful in every nuance to the original. I have no doubt that Abbey Road staff embrace that ethic.
John Bowers Himself Demos 801s at Abbey Road
So in 1980, Bowers headed to Abbey Road Studios to demonstrate its newly designed 801 speaker – a speaker he described as “a new generation of loudspeakers designed for both the professional and the exceptionally critical listener.” According to the company, “The engineers at Abbey Road immediately understood its value, and adopted it as their monitor of choice, becoming the first recording studio in the world to use the 801 full time.”
The two companies have remained partnered ever since then for the next 45-years. Over that period of time, Abbey Road has used six successive generations of B&W 800 Series loudspeakers in its various control rooms.
The 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition – Will Be Very Limited…Only 140 Pairs Will Exist
This Abbey Road Limited Edition is based on B&W’s top loudspeaker model, the flagship 801 D4 Signature Series loudspeaker. From here, B&W adds a “carefully crafted” Vintage Walnut cabinet “inspired by the studios’ iconic interiors and the countless iconic musical instruments that have enriched recordings at Abbey Road over the decades.”
To augment this iconic wood cabinetry, the company adds a “bespoke red Leather by Connolly” trim that hearkens to the design aesthetic of Abbey Road’s control room in Studio Two, arguably the world’s most famous individual studio space.” The red leather also echoes the red leather chairs used throughout the studio that supported the frame of the world’s most renowned artists over the decades.
Identifying Plate Displays Speakers Number of Total
I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this story to the market. We’re immensely proud of our partnership with our friends at Abbey Road and we think the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition is the perfect way to celebrate that.
Giles Pocock, B&W Vice-President of Brand Marketing
As you might suspect in a limited edition product, each 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition speaker will sport a unique identifying plate on its rear panel presenting its status as one of the 140 pairs in existence. Buyers will also receive a specially commissioned book that details the history of the two brands and their collaboration. This book, by the way, will feature “never-previously published photography.” That’s pretty cool!
Abbey Road’s relationship with Bowers & Wilkins is a decades-long celebration of sound and technology. I’m delighted we have collaborated to create the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition together, honouring our shared history with an outstanding representation of the values, heritage and credibility of both our brands.
Jeremy Huffelmann, Abbey Road General Manager
Pricing and Availability
The 801 Abby Road Limited Edition is offered at £55,000 | €60,000 | $70,000 MSRP. It is available for order now.
See all about the 801 Abby Road Limited Edition by visiting bowerswilkins.com.
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