Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar

The Panorama 3 is Bowers & Wilkins' first Dolby Atmos soundbar and sits at the top of the company's home cinema range. Drawing on decades of loudspeaker engineering and studio monitor development, it delivers a full 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos experience from a single enclosure with no external subwoofer or satellite speakers required.

Driver Architecture

Thirteen individually positioned drive units are arranged in a purpose-built acoustic architecture. Three 19mm titanium dome tweeters handle the high frequencies across the left, centre and right channels, paired with six 50mm woven glass fibre cone drivers for the bass and midrange. Two further 50mm woven glass fibre cone units are mounted as dedicated upward-firing Atmos height channels, each housed in its own sealed acoustic chamber to project tightly focused sound toward the ceiling. Twin 100mm low-profile bass units provide the low-frequency foundation, delivering extended bass output that eliminates the need for a separate subwoofer.

Amplification & Performance

A total of 400W of Class D amplification drives the 3.1.2-channel configuration. The frequency response extends from 43Hz to 48kHz, comfortably reaching into hi-res audio territory. The dedicated centre channel ensures clear dialogue reproduction, while the upward-firing drivers create a convincing sense of overhead height with Dolby Atmos content. The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Digital audio formats.

Connectivity

A single HDMI eARC connection handles the primary audio link to your television, passing lossless Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD signals. A Toslink optical digital input is provided for older televisions that lack HDMI eARC. An RJ45 Ethernet port enables wired network connectivity alongside built-in Wi-Fi.

Wireless streaming options include Bluetooth 5 with aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC codec support, Apple AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect. The Panorama 3 is Amazon Alexa-enabled for voice control and integrates with the Bowers & Wilkins Music App for setup, EQ adjustment and access to streaming services including Deezer, Qobuz and TIDAL.

Design

The Panorama 3 measures 1210mm wide, 65mm tall and 140mm deep, making it one of the slimmest Dolby Atmos soundbars available. The low profile is designed for placement beneath a wall-mounted television or on a media unit without obscuring the screen. A wall-mounting bracket is available separately. The enclosure weighs 6.5kg.

What the Press Says

• "The Panorama 3 is a competent, detailed and weighty soundbar" — What Hi-Fi? ★★★★☆ (April 2022)
• Highly Recommended — Home Cinema Choice