Bowers and Wilkins unveils new 800 Diamond series (pictures)

Speaker manufacturer Bowers and Wilkins has announced its latest range of 800 Diamond series with prices starting at $6,000.

Read the Audiophiliac's ears-on here.

The event was held earlier this week at Sterling Sound in New York City.

Sterling Sound is the largest mastering facility in the city and uses B&W Diamond speakers in its studios.

B&W Diamond 805 D3 (shown here in rosewood) retails for $6,000 a pair.

The floorstand retails for $500 each.

B&W Diamond 802 D3 in white ($22,000 a pair)

The biggest change to the new range is the new speaker material the company calls Continuum. Given that most B&W technologies trickle down to their more affordable ranges you should expect to see this metallic fabric in its other speaker designs in the coming years.

B&W's head of engineering Stuart Nevill demonstrates the benefits of Continuum versus the company's traditional Kevlar material. He says there is less breakup in the audible range which leads to less distortion.

The company did a head-to-head of its old speaker with its new version. And the differences were noticeable.

Listening tests with the 802 D3 ($22,000) with Classe amplification.