The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is a new Dolby Atmos sound bar that will be released in 2022. It is a freestanding bar with thirteen different drivers set up in a 3.1.2 configuration, and it will be available for purchase for $799. Although there are two subwoofers built within the bar itself, it doesn’t offer additional subwoofers or satellites in comparison to other high-end standalone bars on the market.
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is a Dolby Atmos-capable sound bar that is designed specifically for TV users. It has an all-in-one design that makes it easy to connect to your TV, and it also comes with a variety of features that will make your viewing experience better. One of the most important features of this sound bar is its ability to produce excellent audio quality. This is thanks to its powerful speakers and great sound quality. Additionally, this sound bar is also very affordable, so it is perfect for those who want to improve their TV’s audio quality without spending a lot of money.
Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 review: Design
Panorama 3 is a soundbar designed with an industrial design that is both minimalistic and visually appealing. It has a low profile and perforated plastic/acoustic cloth combination that helps to reduce the visual bulk of the device. The soundbar’s dimensions and design are what make it unique. ..
The Bowers & Wilkins can comfortably fit beneath most TVs without touching the screen’s bottom thanks to its modest height. And it comes with a (simple but reliable) bracket if you wish to mount your sound bar to the wall. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that placing the Panorama 3 behind a surface will reduce its performance, as is the case with all Dolby Atmos sound bars with upward-firing drivers. Therefore, it is improper to place it on a middle shelf of a TV stand, for example.
Feature
The Panorama 3 is inferior to the Panorama 2 in terms of connectivity, features, and sound quality.
The microphones in the bar can pick up our voice even when music is playing loudly, and Alexa will quickly handle requests or play Spotify music – however playback from Tidal with Alexa is not supported. The app is a stylish companion with a well-organized layout and straightforward EQ customization enabled by adjusting bass and treble. It is annoying that altering the bass/treble extends to all sources, so adjusting it for movies will also affect how music plays, and the same is true for volume. The app doesn’t offer any different sound modes for selection. ..
Connectivity
The TV has a single digital input, which is used for watching television shows and movies on your computer or phone. There is no subwoofer output, so adding a different subwoofer won’t improve the bass quality. The TV also has an Ethernet port for connecting to a wired internet connection. The TV also has a USB-C connector for service only, and an optical digital input for anyone whose TV doesn’t support ARC. Unfortunately, there is no subwoofer output, so adding a different subwoofer won’t improve the bass quality.
The Panorama 3 does not have a B&W multi-room system, so it is impossible to add wireless back speakers or a subwoofer or link it to a network of devices throughout your home. This is a problem, since you can use your TV’s zapper if it supports HDMI-ARC. You may also use the B&W Music app to learn your TV’s commands if you’re connected via the optical input.
Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 review: Controls
The Panorama 3 does not include a remote control, so you may only manage volume on the sound bar by connecting it to your television using one of the ARC or eARC HDMI ports on the screen. You can also adjust the volume using the Bowers & Wilkins “Music” app.
This product also includes features that make it a powerful music speaker, including AirPlay 2, aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, and Spotify Connect. It also has Apple AirPlay 2 so you can easily share your music with other devices. The sound bar can be connected to a larger multiroom system via the control app. This feature is slated to become available soon.
Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 review: Audio quality
Panorama 3 does provide an unmistakable hint of height to the sound, but it’s not near as powerful as that provided by Sennheiser’s Ambeo sound bar or even close to the effect of having actual overhead speakers. However, the Ambeo is far more expensive, and investing in overhead speakers requires a bigger commitment than doing so for a sound bar. ..
The Sonos Arc has accomplished a lot since we first mentioned it. First, it includes the inclusion of the Bowers & Wilkins 6 Underground soundtrack. Secondly, Panorama 3 is able to convincingly reproduce the scale, energy, and encompassing aspect of the Bowers & Wilkins performance when playing that soundtrack with Atmos support. Thirdly, it has a genuine tone that is believable.
The Panorama 3 is assured, coherent, and exquisitely balanced. It has quick, punchy, and highly detailed low frequencies, roomy, elegant midrange, and bright top end. If you don’t have ostentatiously high ceilings, the soundstage it creates has a respectable amount of height as well as width to the presentation. Movement from wide left to wide right is evident and pronounced, and the soundstage is clearly defined and expertly steered. ..
Performance
The TV show’s excellent sound quality is due to the addition of a dedicated centre speaker, which makes dialogue crystal clear, sharp, and well-articulated. The woofers give some low-end depth to the overall soundstage while the left and right speakers accurately and precisely project music and effects over the front of the room.
When you switch to a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the sound becomes more immersive and object-based. For the film Moonfall, the soundtrack has an extremely strange and nonsensical sound to it, but it still sounds good. When a space shuttle launches through a tidal wave, the Panorama 3 fluidly transfers sound around the front of the room, and the woofers add bass punch (yes, really). ..
The Moonfall spacecraft glides inside the moon, creating an impressive overhead effect that helps the viewer feel as though they are in zero gravity. The woofers provide a respectable low-frequency response that drops as low as 43Hz according to claims.
We discovered that the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 amplifier can be driven hard without losing power or sounding harsh and distorted. In an aggressively mixed soundtrack like Moonfall, where all the channels are frequently used to generate a sense of three-dimensional space and better immersion, there is enough power to drive all the speakers concurrently.
Price and availability
The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 is a high-performance sound bar-shaped Sonos Arc that is currently available for purchase at a price of $999 (£899 in the UK, €999 in Europe, and AU$1599 in Australia). It is tough to overlook the high-performance sound bar-shaped Sonos Arc when it costs this much money. The Panorama 3 is designed by Bowers & Wilkins to essentially go head-to-head with the Arc and is significantly more expensive than the Sonos.
Conclusion
The B&W Panorama 3 is a budget-friendly Dolby Atmos sound bar that is lively and detailed. It also does several things well, such as its integrated bass end which gives vivacious action movies and soundtracks some much-needed weight. ..
The Panorama 3 soundbar is average when compared to other soundbars on the market. Its height projection, organization, and conversation are all below average.
