B&W Debuts In-Wall Speaker Incorporating Nautilus Technology

22-Oct-02

B&W Loudspeakers has introduced a new in-wall model, incorporating its Nautilus technology, the Signature 8NT.""The Signature 8NT delivers genuine state-of-the-art sound reproduction,"" said Chris Browder, B&W Loudspeakers Executive Vice President, ""with sonics and imaging that would be notable from any free-standing loudspeaker. Yet in the hands of a skilled system designer the 8NT can become a perfectly unobtrusive element of a sophisticated custom-installed system. Achieving this kind of 'Signature-level' sound from an in-wall was no small challenge, but with the 8NT...B&W meets it and more."" The B&W Signature 8NT begins with an adapted version of the Nautilus tweeter. Derived from the tweeter assembly utilized by B&W's Nautilus freestanding speakers, this 1-inch aluminum dome driver is designed with a tapered-tube loading system. The Nautilus tube is said to absorb the tweeter's acoustically destructive back waves without inhibiting accurate response or otherwise inducing colorations. Frequency is said to extend out to response to 50 kHz (at -6 dB).The Signature 8NT's high-frequency system is housed in a dedicated sub-enclosure, along with a newly developed 6-inch ""surroundless"" FST midrange driver, composed of B&W's square-weave KevlarÆ fibers. The 8NT's mid/tweeter assembly can be re-oriented in the frame by 90 degrees for horizontal installation.For the lower octaves, a pair of specially designed 8-inch woofers flank the midrange/tweeter array. The 8NT's useful low-end limit is claimed to be 28 Hz. These bass units incorporate a redesigned basket structure configured for in-wall application, as well as a suspension system that is tuned to the acoustics of in-wall use.The Signature 8NT incorporates an ultra-rigid, vibration-damping baffle and frame structure. An optional ""back-box"" enclosure is available for greater isolation from one room to another (back wall bleed-through) and improve overall performance. The Signature 8NT is hand-assembled by B&W using premium mechanical and electrical components throughout, and is finished in rugged, paintable matte white.The B&W Signature 8NT will be available in December, at a suggested price of $1,700 each. An optional new pre-construction bracket, the PMK 8NT, and the Sig-8 Back-Box are also offered at suggested prices of $50 and $250, respectively.For more information, visit www.bwspeakers.com.

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