The M-1 has been engineered with the same design attributes and ethos as B&W’s larger ranges. Perhaps the most striking thing about the M-1 is the weight and strength of its curved aluminium cabinet. This is combined with a strong, glass-loaded ABS front baffle. Together they provide an excellent cabinet: the curved aluminium is stiff and the ABS offers excellent and appropriate damping characteristics.

The M-1’s drive units were developed by Bowers & Wilkins specifically for the design. The metal dome tweeter benefits from refinements developed for the new B&W 800 Series and includes Nautilus™ tube loading and neodymium magnets. The glass fibre bass/midrange cone’s ability to absorb standing waves has been further enhanced by the inclusion of five strategically placed resin filled slots that further minimise distortion.

The result of this detailed cabinet and drive unit engineering has allowed B&W’s engineers to borrow another feature from the new 800 Series and utilise the simplest of electronic equalisation in the M-1’s crossover. Each of the drive units is fed by only a single, carefully selected component. This approach to crossover design, although painstaking as it relies on optimising all of the physical components in a design, is crucial in achieving its aim of neither adding to nor subtracting from the original signal.

The M-1 is available in three colour options - black, white and silver, each with chromium plated stem and table base.