BOWERS & WILKINS PANORAMA 3 SOUNDBAR RELEASED

The new Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 soundbar has an ultra-low profile and built-in Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

Bowers & Wilkins has unveiled its all-new soundbar, the Panorama 3. Designed to get the most from the latest in immersive spatial audio, with an all-in-one solution.

The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar

GOLDEN AGE OF CINEMA

Bowers & Wilkins introduced its first soundbar, the Panorama, back in 2009, named in tribute to two iconic film technologies from the golden age of cinema, Panavision and Cinerama. In 2013 they updated that original premise with the improved Panorama 2, which featured upgraded drive units and HDMI inputs for easier connectivity. The new Panorama 3 builds on the heritage of its two forebears.

The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar is unobtrusive

ULTRA SLIM DESIGN

At just 65mm high, 140mm deep and 1210mm wide, the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar has an elegant design and low profile. Panorama 3 still features 13 individual drive units arranged in a 3.1.2 configuration.

The end section shows the ultra slim form factor

IMMERSIVE SPATIAL AUDIO

Panorama 3 is the first Bowers & Wilkins soundbar to feature true Dolby Atmos upwards-firing drive units. Specifically engineered by Bowers & Wilkins for with spatial audio soundtracks and carefully angled on the top of the soundbar enclosure to deliver optimal immersion, these 50mm drive units are accompanied by a Dolby Atmos decoder and processor to deliver sound from spatial audio soundtracks on TV, film, game and music streams. The same decoder will also handle Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD audio streams, where present.

Detail of the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar

NO SUB NEEDED

The twin Atmos upwards-firing drive units complement the Panorama 3’s forward-firing array of drive units, which is arranged in a classic left, centre, right (LCR) configuration, each with twin 50mm midrange drivers partnered by fully decoupled 19mm titanium-dome tweeters. Finally, there are twin 100mm subwoofers mounted in a substantial acoustic volume that forms the majority portion of the enclosure, ensuring deep, extended bass with no need for an external subwoofer.

The screen on the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar

The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Sound Bar delivers a total of 400W of output: 40W to each tweeter, 40W to each pair of midrange drive units, 40W to each subwoofer and 40W to each Dolby Atmos Elevation drive unit.

EASY INSTALLATION

Installation and set-up are easy with Panorama 3. Its low profile makes it easy to place on a piece of furniture in front of your TV without obstructing the bottom of your screen: alternatively, a metal wall bracket is included in the box if you prefer to mount your soundbar on the wall. Connection is simple: just one ARC/eARC HDMI connection is all you need to link your Panorama 3 to your TV and to share the sound from any other sources you may also have, such as a set-top-box or games console. Once connected via HDMI, you can use your TV or satellite/cable box remote to control the Panorama 3’s volume and power functions. An optical digital input is also provided for older TVs: if connected in this way, Panorama 3 can learn key TV remote control commands to ensure a seamless user experience.

The light up control buttons

HI RES STREAMING

The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Sound Bar includes both AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, so both iOS and Android users can easily stream their favourite music to it from their mobile devices. Spotify fans can also enjoy the convenience of Spotify Connect and Panorama 3 also supports the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, giving listeners instant access to a host of streaming services including Deezer, Last.fm, Qobuz, Soundcloud, TIDAL and TuneIn. The list of available services is set to expand still more this year.

Panorama 3 also includes simple capacitive-touch ‘hidden until lit’ buttons on its top surface for instant control should you not have your phone immediately to hand – and it also features built-in Alexa, giving voice control over your listening.

Finally, and like its Zeppelin stablemate, Panorama 3 has been engineered to last. Its powerful digital ‘brain’ can be upgraded over time, with multi-room capability planned for introduction shortly after launch. That will make it compatible with both other Panoramas or other Zeppelins in a multiroom environment or if you prefer, a multiroom system based on Bowers & Wilkins Formation products.

BOWERS & WILKINS PANORAMA 3 SOUNDBAR PRICE

The Panorama 3 is available from 3rd March for £899/$999/€999

HiFi Pig Says: A slim and elegant design with the inclusion of Dolby Atmos brings the Panorama bang up to date.

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