Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar | Dolby Atmos | Bluetooth atpX | AirPlay 2 | eARC

Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 Soundbar

A strong legacy of excellence

Bowers & Wilkins introduced its first soundbar, the Panorama, back in 2009. Named in tribute to two iconic film technologies from the golden age of cinema – Panavision and Cinerama – the Panorama defined a new concept for soundbar design. Unlike most rivals, it was conceived as a premium, no-compromise product offering the best possible sound quality from a single speaker, with no need for an external subwoofer or other add-ons. In 2013 we updated that successful original premise with the improved Panorama 2, which featured upgraded drive units for even better sound, plus HDMI inputs for easier connectivity.

The new Panorama 3 builds on the proven heritage of its two forebears. As with those models, it has been specifically designed to offer great sound from just one elegant component, with no need for an external subwoofer. At just 65mm high, 140mm deep and 1210mm wide, its elegant design and low profile make it easier to install, easier to set up and easier to live with than most rivals – but despite its slim proportions, Panorama 3 still features 13 individual drive units arranged in a 3.1.2 configuration. The result is a rich, room-filling, powerful sound no one-box rival can match.

Immersive spatial audio

Panorama 3 is 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 to deliver great sound from spatial audio soundtracks on TV, film, game and music streams. The same decoder will also handle Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD audio streams, where present.

The twin Atmos upwards-firing drive units complement the Panorama 3’s forward-firing array of drive units, which is arranged in a classic left, centre, right (LCR) configuration, each with twin 50mm midrange drivers partnered by fully decoupled 19mm titanium-dome tweeters. Finally, there are twin 100mm subwoofers mounted in a substantial acoustic volume that forms the majority portion of the enclosure, ensuring deep, extended bass with no need for an external subwoofer.

Panorama 3 is among the most powerful soundbars in its class, with a total of 400W of output: 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.

Installation and set-up are easy with Panorama 3. Its low profile makes it easy to place on a piece of furniture in front of your TV without obstructing the bottom of your screen: alternatively, a metal wall bracket is included in the box if you prefer to mount your soundbar on the wall. Connection is simple: just one ARC/eARC HDMI connection is all you need to link your Panorama 3 to your TV and to share the sound from any other sources you may also have, such as a set-top-box or games console. Once connected via HDMI, you can use your TV or satellite/cable box remote to control the Panorama 3’s volume and power functions. An optical digital input is also provided for older TVs: if connected in this way, Panorama 3 can learn key TV remote control commands to ensure a seamless user experience.

Streaming in high resolution

As you would expect from a brand with such a rich history in stereo sound, the Panorama 3 also excels with music. It includes both AirPlay 2 and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth, so both iOS and Android users can easily stream their favourite music to it from their mobile devices. Spotify fans can also enjoy the convenience of Spotify Connect, ensuring both high-quality sound and convenient, easy operation. And for high-resolution listening plus the most seamless user experience, the new Panorama 3 also supports the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, giving listeners instant access to a host of streaming services including Deezer, Last.fm, Qobuz, Soundcloud, TIDAL and TuneIn – and the list of available services is set to expand still more this year.

Panorama 3 also includes simple capacitive-touch ‘hidden until lit’ buttons on its top surface for instant control should you not have your phone immediately to hand – and it also features built-in Alexa, giving effortless voice control over your listening.

Finally, and like its iconic Zeppelin stablemate, Panorama 3 has been engineered to last. Its powerful digital ‘brain’ can be upgraded over time, with multi-room capability planned for introduction shortly after launch. That will make it compatible with both other Panoramas or other Zeppelins in a multiroom environment or if you prefer, a multiroom system based on Bowers & Wilkins Formation products.