£899
bowerswilkins.com
76 T 3 JUNE 2022
Tested
Drivers 13 (3 x 0.75-inch tweeter, 6 x
2-inch bass / midrange,2 x 2-inch Atmos
drive unit, 2 x 4-inch bass unit)Frequency
range43Hz- 48kHz Connectivity HDMI
eARC,Digital Audio In, Ethernet, USB-C,
Bluetooth 5.2, AirPlay 2 Dimensions
65x1210x140mm Weight6.5kg
here wireless speakers,
headphones and
traditional loudspeakers
are concerned, Bowers &
Wilkins’ reputation is basically
unimpeachable – but where soundbars
are concerned it’stendedto fall a little
short. Well, the Panorama 3 changes
all that, withan impressive Dolby
Atmos speaker array, built-insub and
wirelessaudio credentials.
e Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar
is nothing new, of course – but it’snew
to Bowers & Wilkins.And giventhat
you only get one chance to makea first
impression, the companyhasn’t held
back on features andspecifications.
W
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 finally delivers the
impressive Dolby Atmos sound the hi-fi legend has
always promised– and it’s ideal for musicfans, too
Bowers &Wilkins
Panorama 3
BUENA VISTA
In terms of getting information on
board the Panorama 3 in the first
place, there areboth wired and
wireless options. In a little recessed
rear panel you’ll finda digitaloptical
input,Ethernet socket and an HDMI
input(just the one, mind you, because
Bowers & Wilkins seems tothink
HDMI passthrough is some kind of
bourgeois affectation, rather than a
practical necessity). Wireless
connectivity, meanwhile, runs to
Apple AirPlay 2 and SpotifyConnect
over Wi-Fi,plus Bluetooth withaptX
Adaptive compatibility.
ere’s no support foranykind of
wireless rear speakers to add true
Rather than relying on digital
sound processing to achieve a Dolby
Atmos-style sonic height, the
Panorama 3is fitted with a pair of
up-firing 50mm Elevation drivers
designedto reflect sound off the
ceiling.Also (just about) visible
through the perforations on the top of
the soundbarare a couple of 100mm
subwoofers – they bring all the
low-end presence youraverage
Hollywood soundtrack relies heavily
on to sound convincing. eleft, right
and centre channels are arranged
across the front of thesoundbar,
behindsome nicely applied
wraparoundacoustic material.
