Bowers & Wilkins’ Prestige Monitor 1 (or PM-1) is a stylish monitor for audiopiles. The PM-1 features a new Carbon Braced Tweeter high frequency driver, which features an aluminum dome that has been strategically stiffened with a ring made of filament-wound Ultra High Modulus Pitch based carbon fiber. This construction technique pushes the breakup frequency of an aluminum dome up to 40kHz. Of course, these wavelengths are well above the limits of human hearing, but as with the 800 Series Diamond tweeters, the design provides a marked reduction in distortion at audible frequencies below 20kHz, and results in what is said to be a sweet-sounding non-Diamond tweeter.
Like the 800 Series Diamond tweeter, the drive unit also uses the same new surround material that gives wider dispersion at higher frequencies. This wider dispersion preserves the harmonic structure of instruments and voices and enables the listener to pinpoint the position of the performer with greater accuracy and stability. The cabinet itself has been called "a work of art."
The PM-1 is available in a Mocha Gloss finish with an optional matching stand. Suggested retail is $2,800 per pair. Stands are $550 per pair. It will be available in late June 2011.
About Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) is Britain’s leading exporter of loudspeakers, and is also the number-one imported brand in North America. Since 1966, B&W’s “Quest for Perfection” has resulted in a succession of technical loudspeaker innovations that have satisfied the world’s most demanding listeners. B&W’s rave reviews and universal acceptance as the monitor for classical music recordings have helped B&W become the dominant premium loudspeaker company throughout the world.