The market for high-end soundbars is getting a new member in the form of the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3. This colossus has a price of 999 euros and must – without remote control – compete against the Sonos Arc and similar soundbars.
If we are to believe the manufacturer, the Panorame 3 is so powerful that it does not require an external subwoofer or other components. The Bowers & Wilkins soundbar is 6.5 centimeters high and therefore fits under most televisions that stand on two legs. If your TV hangs on the wall, don’t worry: the company supplies a bracket for wall mounting.
If we look at the width, it is noticeable that the system fits perfectly under a 55-inch television. There are no fewer than thirteen drivers on board, which are good for a maximum output of 400 watts. And because there is support for Dolby Atmos, some drivers are directed upwards, so that the speakers can artificially move the sound around the room.
One HDMI port on the back
We already mentioned the Sonos Arc, a popular Dolby Atmos soundbar. Many companies would like to compete with Sonos by adopting certain elements. After all, Sonos is one of the largest and best-known audio brands of the moment. That may be good news, but in this case, it’s bad news. The Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3 has, just like the Arc, only one HDMI port on the back. So unfortunately you can’t connect anything to it.
In addition, there is a single optical connection and an Ethernet port. The number of connection options is therefore quite scanty. The same goes for voice assistants. Where Sonos lets us choose between Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, we see that Bowers & Wilkins only gives the option for Alexa. There is also direct integration with Apple’s AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and various high-res music streaming services via the free app.
No multiroom yet
Despite the high-end experience and mainly high-end price, we also have to do without multi-room support for the time being. With multi-room options it is possible to have multiple speakers function within one network. As a result, you listen to the same music throughout the house; and usually there is an option that allows you to just listen to something different on each speaker. Anyway, this cannot be done right away – those options will only appear later through an update.
It is also striking that the Bowers & Wilkins Panorama does not have a remote control and also does not offer standard modes for the sound. The latter is perhaps less bad (because such modes are often disappointing), but the lack of a remote control may be just too great. The wide speaker for under the television will be available from March 2022 for a price of 999 euros.
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