Loudspeakers

While B&W's Midnight Blue Metallic finish is certainly an eyecatcher (and also available for the Nautilus), it's the California Burl option pictured here that really pushes out the boat of craftsmanship. With cabinet production taking nine days from start to finish, this Signature edition is significantly more labour intensive than, say, the regular 805 D4 in Satin Walnut where cabinets are prepared in 'only' two days. The raw cabinets undergo a treatment of sanding, curing, and polishing, both by machine and by hand while the Californian Burl veneer, once applied, receives a whopping 14 coats of lacquer!

The California Burl wood veneer is provided by Italian specialist Alpi, a long-time partner of B&W. Alpi has provided veneers for earlier Signature editions, including the Bird's Eye/Tiger's Eye version of the Silver Signature 30 from 1996. Alpi manufactures its California Burl from sustainable sources, and subjects the wood to a proprietary process of slicing, dyeing, reordering and gluing, before reassembling it into an artificial 'log' from which the veneer slices are produced. The resulting finish is unique but still retains a realistic, 'organic' look.