Bowers & Wilkins CI 300 In-wall/In-ceiling Speaker Series Preview

If you haven't heard of B&W speakers, you haven't been around high end audio very long. Their speakers are used in just about every audio setting possible from in-ear to home audio to professional studio settings. The B&W name is practically synonymous with quality audio and you'll be hard pressed to find a "what speakers should I buy" thread on audio forums that don't have at least one mention of their offerings. Of course, when you are known for quality high-end audio, you are usually NOT known for low-cost offerings. Be prepared to be surprised as B&W's newest in-wall/in-ceiling speakers are retailing for $300-$400 a pair. 

The CI 300 Series speakers from B&W share a bit of heritage from their more expensive 600 series brethren. They  feature the same thin bezeled frame as the CI600 models, plus the same cutout sizes so the PMKs and backboxes can be used interchangeably. As well as lowering costs from B&W's end, it makes it easy on installers already familiar with the CI600 speaker installation.

The CI 300 speakers come in three flavors - the in-wall CWM362 and the in-ceiling CCM362 and CCM382. All of the in-ceiling offerings are round but can use an optional square grille adapter to match in-ceiling lighting. The 62 offerings have a 6" polypropylene cone bass/midrange driver while the 82's have a larger 8" driver. All use a 1" soft dome tweeter. The in-ceiling offerings use a coaxial configuration while the CWM362 has a more traditional rectangular design (pictured above).

CCM362	CCM382

The real question is how the speakers perform. B&W rates these speakers using the more forgiving +/- 6dB metric down to 50Hz for the 362s and 45Hz for the 382s. They present an 8 ohm nominal, 5 ohm minimum load which should be no problem for just about any receiver/amplifier on the planet. 

All of these speakers have been designed with multiple locations in mind. They have high moisture resistance for use in bathrooms, indoor pool areas and more. They are very shallow - the CCM362 is only 3.2" deep, the CWM362 is 3" deep. This makes placement in 3" stud bays possible.

Conclusion

These speakers are a great idea from B&W and we suspect that they'll be welcomed with open arms by custom installers. If you have a client that likes the B&W sound (and there are lots of them) but don't want to spend a ton of cash on a speaker for their bathroom, the CI 300 series is an easy up-sell. The performance promises to be more than good enough for distributed audio or perhaps even as rear speakers in a surround sound setup. With an affordable price tag and the B&W name, these are sure to be winners.

For more information please visit www.bowers-wilkins.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.