Bowers & Wilkins Emphasis (1991) – A Design Icon by Morten Villiers Warren

 

When Bowers & Wilkins introduced the Emphasis loudspeaker in 1991, it completely redefined how a high-end speaker could look and perform. For nearly 60 years, home loudspeakers had followed the same “wooden box” tradition — but the Emphasis broke that mold. Its futuristic sculptural design, created by industrial designer Morten Villiers Warren, signaled a new era where sound and visual design were equally important. It even earned a place on an "Art of Noise" album cover, highlighting its status as both an audio and artistic statement. Although the Emphasis looks ultra-modern, its core acoustic concept dates back over half a century — to the theory of quarter-wave loading. Early loudspeakers could not fully exploit this idea due to limitations in driver materials and construction. With advances in driver technology and precision plastic molding, Bowers & Wilkins finally turned that theory into a commercial reality — and in spectacular fashion. Developed at the world-renowned B&W Steyning Research Establishment, the Emphasis combines 25 years of B&W acoustic engineering expertise with Warren’s radical design vision. The result is a loudspeaker that perfectly embodies the principle that form follows function. The quarter-wave loading system used in the Emphasis utilizes controlled pipe resonance to extend low-frequency response and minimize distortion. In combination with a reflex port acting as a low-pass acoustic filter, this design delivers several key benefits:

- Reduced cabinet coloration – minimizes unwanted enclosure resonances that can color the sound.

- Exceptional transient response – extremely low enclosure vibration decay ensures clean, accurate reproduction of modern digital recordings.

- Improved stereo imaging – reduced side and rear radiation produces a three-dimensional soundstage where the music appears to float in space, not emanate from the speaker itself.

Its detached tweeter on a slender stalk, surrounded by smooth curved surfaces, ensures optimal high-frequency dispersion and a natural, detailed treble. Together with its slim front profile and acoustically inert cabinet, the Emphasis achieves a stereo image quality that remains exemplary even by today’s standards. The Emphasis’s low cabinet coloration required equally refined drivers. The bass/midrange unit features B&W’s patented Kevlar cone with a 30 mm high-temperature voice coil on a Kapton former, and a low-hysteresis surround for superior transient response. Computer-aided design was used to create a powerful motor system, extending bass performance and improving power handling. For the high frequencies, B&W developed an all-new metal-dome tweeter capable of piston-like behavior well beyond the limits of human hearing. Using laser interferometry and finite element analysis (FEA), engineers could precisely predict and perfect driver performance before physical prototypes were built — a groundbreaking approach at the time. To complement the advanced drivers and cabinet, the crossover network was engineered with the same meticulous attention to detail. Polypropylene capacitors were used throughout the high-frequency path for maximum linearity. Heavy-duty inductors ensure robust, distortion-free low-frequency filtering. The high- and low-frequency sections are physically separated to minimize interaction between components. This precise filtering maintains exceptional phase accuracy, clarity, and tonal balance, preserving the integrity of the audio signal across the full frequency spectrum. Only 185 pairs were made of which the first 6 units were prototypes. Available in Gloss Black or Gloss White only. Drive units 1 x 25mm (1-inch) magnetic fluid cooled, metal dome - high frequency | 1 x 165mm (6.5-inch) high powered Kevlar® cone - bass/midrange | Frequency response 49Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB on reference axis | Sensitivity 87dB spl (2.83V 1m) | Nominal impedance 8 ohms (minimum 4 ohms) | Power handling 50W - 120W into 8 ohms on unclipped programme | Dimensions Height: 1370mm Width: 420mm Depth: 360mm

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