Bowers & Wilkins has today introduced its first Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Panorama 3, an all-in-one solution designed to create an immersive audio experience.
Back in 2009, the British audio brand introduced its first soundbar, the Panorama. The name was derived from two iconic film technologies from the golden age of cinema – Panavision and Cinerama. The original Panorama was unique in its design concept, offering high-quality sound from a single speaker with no need for an external subwoofer or any other add-ons.
2013 saw the release of Panorama 2, featuring upgraded drive units for even better sound, plus HDMI inputs for easier connectivity.
Today, the Panorama 3 builds on the two previous generations and has again been specifically designed to offer high-quality sound from just the one component with no subwoofer requirements.
Measuring 65mm high, 140mm deep and 1210mm wide, the low profile and elegant design makes it easier to install and set up. Despite its slim form factor, Panorama 3 includes 13 individual drive units arranged in a 3.1.2 configuration.
Panorama 3 is also the first Bowers & Wilkins soundbar to feature true Dolby Atmos upwards-firing drive units. Specifically engineered by Bowers & Wilkins to excel 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 sophisticated Dolby Atmos decoder and processor. The same decoder will also handle Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD audio streams.
The twin Atmos upwards-firing drive units complement the Panorama 3’s forward-firing array of drive units, which are arranged in a classic LCR configuration, each with twin 50mm midrange drivers partnered with fully decoupled 19mm titanium-dome tweeters.
Panorama 3 also includes twin 100mm subwoofers mounted in a substantial acoustic volume that forms the majority portion of the enclosure, to deliver deep, extended bass without having to add an external subwoofer.
A powerful unit, Panorama 3 has a total of 400W of output, with 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.
Installations and set up is simple. Panorama 3’s low profile allows for it to be positioned underneath the screen without obstructing the view. Alternatively, the soundbar comes with a metal wall bracket if the user would like to mount the soundbar to the wall.
An ARC/eARC HDMI port is included for connection to a TV and to share sound from any other sources such as a set-top box or games console. Once connected via HDMI, users can control the Panorama 3’s volume and power function via their TV or satellite/cable box remote control.
There is also an optical digital input available for older TVs. If connected this way, Panorama 3 can learn key TV remote control commands to ensure a seamless user experience.
When not using it to watch TV, movies or game, the Panorama 3 can be used for music listening. The soundbar includes both AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth to allow iOS and Android users to stream their favourite music to the Panaroma 3 from their mobile devices. Spotify Connect is also featured, ensuring high-quality sound and easy, convenient operation.
For high-resolution listening and the most seamless user experience, the new Panorama 3 soundbar supports the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, giving users instant access to a host of streaming services, including Deezer, Last.fm, Qobuz, Soundcloud, TIDAL and TuneIn, with the list set to expand further this year.
Delivering a seamless user experience, the soundbar includes capacitive touch ‘hidden until lit’ buttons on the top surface for instant control if the user doesn’t want to use their phone. It also features Alexa for voice control.
To futureproof the soundbar, its digital ‘brain’ can be upgraded over time, with multiroom capability planned for introduction shortly after launch. This will ensure it is compatible with other Panoramas or other Zeppelins in a multiroom environment, or a multiroom systems based on Bowers & Wilkins Formation products.
The Panorama 3 is available from today for £899 / $999 / €999.