Unboxing and setting up three 800 D3s is a task that requires utmost precision. The new Bowers Wilkins 800 D3s were installed to replace the 800 D loudspeaker that have been resident in Studio One for the last fifteen years. Bowers Wilkins recently met with Simon Campbell, Abbey Roads Head of Technical Services and interviewed him on the process of changing the speakers and how he went about installing the 800 D3s into Studios One.

Technical Services engineer Dave Forty sets up the new speakers Bowers Wilkins explained In Studio One, the 800s sit on stands to elevate the mid-range cones and the tweeters clearly above the AMS Neve 88RS console. Prior to the recent refurbishment of Studio One there were small discs fixed to the floor to locate the speaker stands in their correct position. The refurbishment included an upgrade to the studios HD video infrastructure requiring the control room carpet to come up in order to run a great deal of cable under the floor. Simon said We have a marker on the wooden floor in front of the console indicating the optimum engineering position. With the centre 800 D3 straight ahead, the left and right 800 D3s are placed 30 either side of that and all at equal distance from the marker. We then pivot the left and right speaker ever so slightly around their respective front-centres so they are not aiming directly at the middle of the engineers head. The target should be just behind their head so there's a realistic sweet-spot. Read the full article here.