Bowers & Wilkins DB1D

Bowers & Wilkins DB1D

The DB1D is the most powerful active subwoofer Bowers & Wilkins has ever made — a statement that carries real weight when you understand what sits behind it. A 2000-watt Class D Hypex amplifier provides reserves of drive and authority that most subwoofers can only gesture towards, while an all-new digital preamplifier ensures that power is never left to run unchecked. The result is bass that doesn't just go deep — it goes deep with precision, control, and an effortless sense of inevitability.

Dual Aerofoil Cone Drive Units

At the heart of the DB1D are two 300mm Aerofoil-cone drive units, arranged in a balanced configuration — the same cone technology found in the 800 Series Diamond, Bowers & Wilkins' flagship loudspeaker range. The balanced arrangement is not incidental: it actively cancels the vibration that lesser subwoofer designs allow to propagate through the cabinet and into the floor. What you hear is the music — not the cabinet resonating around it. At frequencies extending down to 8.5Hz, the DB1D reaches into a register that is felt as much as heard, lending orchestral weight and cinematic scale to anything you play through it.

Digital Preamplifier and Dynamic EQ

The digital preamplifier does more than pass signal. Its Dynamic EQ system continuously monitors and adjusts the output to ensure optimal performance at every listening level — from the quiet late-night listen to the full-scale demo. Set-up is handled via a dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android, which incorporates a room equalisation system requiring no separate microphone kit. Configuring a subwoofer of this calibre has rarely been this straightforward.

Connectivity

The DB1D offers comprehensive connectivity: dual XLR and dual RCA inputs sit alongside two 3.5mm 12V trigger inputs and RS-232 control via a 9-pin D connector, making it equally at home in a dedicated two-channel system or an integrated custom installation.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The DB1D is for the listener who refuses to compromise on the lowest octaves. If your current system leaves you suspecting that bass is something you are not quite hearing in full — that the foundation is there but not fully realised — this is the subwoofer that resolves that. It is serious, it is substantial at 43kg, and it demands an equally serious system around it. Available in Gloss Black, Rosenut, or Satin White.

It pairs naturally with Bowers & Wilkins' own loudspeaker ranges. For those building or expanding a custom installation, our full range of Bowers & Wilkins in-wall and in-ceiling speakers — including the CWM8.5 D and CCM8.5D — are available to complete the picture. If you are considering a more compact subwoofer solution, the DB4S, DB3D, or DB2D offer the same engineering philosophy at different scales.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. Martin's Hi-Fi is the second oldest Bowers & Wilkins dealer in the world — a relationship built over decades and one that means we know this range in exceptional depth.

You can hear the DB1D at our Norwich showroom; we would encourage you to bring your own source material, because this is a subwoofer whose capabilities reveal themselves most clearly through music and film you already know well.

When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris, and our Product Links team — experienced specialists who can advise on this product and your whole system.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.