Page 48 - 2022-08-01 Sound & Vision

test report
BOWERS & WILKINS PANORAMA 3 SOUNDBAR
any usable bass below 60Hz in a
standalone soundbar should be
viewed with awe.
Dynamics were excellent but
also ultimately limited. Musical
peaks maxed out around 99dB
and, despite the excellent digital
processing, you can definitely
hear strain if you lean hard on the
volume. Fortunately, there’s plenty
of loudness to enjoy within the
soundbar’s considerable limits.
On the other side of the coin, the
Panorama 3 was right at home with
jazz. “You Look Good to Me” by
the Oscar Peterson Trio starts with
unadorned piano scales, delicate
triangle dings, and the very slow
and resonant pulls of a bow on
the double bass. Aside from the
modestly compressed soundstage
width and depth, it sounded as
good as I’ve heard it. Instrument
positions were distinct with
Peterson’s piano at center stage,
drums and percussion at the le ,
and the bass slightly right of center.
The detail and timbre were dead
on and goosebump-inducing. I
could easily hear into the ra le on
the brushed snare drum and, as the
track evolved into a boogie woogie
riff, I heard Peterson use the piano’s
pedals to dampen the decay of
notes. Likewise, the tapped cymbal
kept its shimmer throughout the
song and the Panorama offered
beautifully rich and well-defined
plucked bass.
Pop ballads were another strong
suit. Adele’s cover of Bob Dylan’s
“Make You Feel My Love” rendered
a huge and pure vocal that sat
forward of a luscious and equally
large piano that emanated from
behind Adele and seemed to enve-
lope her. The subtle dynamic build
of her voice on the crescendos
was well-tracked, with only slightly
more compression than I’ve heard
on be er systems but with the
emotion still intact. And when the
strings joined in, they sounded
natural and textured.
I sampled some of Tidal’s
extensive Atmos playlists. The
Atmos version of The Doors classic
“Riders On The Storm” was a
great test track, with its rain and
storm sound effects providing
an immersive backdrop as they
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48 August September 2022
emanated from above. The mix for
Taylor Swi ’s “This Love” (Taylor’s
Version) intentionally placed the
vocal high up in the stage and
slightly out into the room; her
sweet, syrupy delivery floated
above the bar. And another jazz
track, “Moanin’” by Art Blakely
and the Jazz Messengers, took full
advantage of the height channels
by expanding the recording space
around the instruments and pu ing
you in the room with the musicians.
Once again, the natural timbre of
the instruments—trumpet, sax,
piano, cymbal taps—helped make
this track even more convincing.
You can get lost listening to
music with the Panorama 3—
something I don’t o en say about a
soundbar—but it was also superb
with TV and movies. Disney’s
Jungle Cruise is a charming live-
action caper set during World
War II that stars Emily Blunt and
Dwayne Johnson; think equal
parts Indiana Jones and African
Queen. It proved an excellent test stove (ouch!), a troop of screaming $899 Sonos Arc I reviewed in 2020.
of the Panorama 3’s me le. The monkeys, the mechanical pumping Though it doesn’t quite have the
Dolby Atmos soundtrack on the of the boat’s steam engine, the B&W’s pedigree and finesse with
Disney+ stream was outstanding, explosion of a torpedoed building, music, it remains a fine audiophile
filled with snappy dialogue, all and the whining of metal as the soundbar with side-firing drivers
manner of jungle sounds, gunfire, submarine runs aground. that can take advantage of room
explosions, fist fights, and an I was astonished at the reflections to help spread the
adventurous orchestral score. convincing detail and cleanliness front image wider than what the
The bar delivered a big image that of it all, the fine dynamics, and the Panorama 3 can achieve on its
stretched only slightly beyond its excellent timbre of the horn-driven own. Plus, you can add surrounds
physical boundaries but went up to score. My only complaint, and it is and a subwoofer, albeit at
the ceiling, placing the occasional a small one, is that the soundtrack considerable cost. As a standalone
effect out in the room. As an and effects could sometimes bar, the Arc delivered comparable
example, rain falling in the jungle overwhelm the dialogue in this bass performance that also started
provided a nice broad canopy of and other scenes throughout the to fall off below 60 Hz in my room.
ambience—nothing like the deep movie. I turned up the treble and Still, it’s impressive to see how
coverage you would get with rear bass to bring out more definition in the Panorama 3 stays true to its
surround speakers, but reasonably the voices and add a touch more audiophile roots and commit-
omnipresent and lifelike. he to the bo om end, which ment to simplicity while delivering
One of the movie’s high points despite its limitations was more sonics of this caliber, all without
was a prolonged scene in which than passable by movie-watching a subwoofer or surrounds. Short
Blunt and Johnson’s characters standards and more than you of adding those extra speakers,
escape a tiny Brazilian harbor town would normally expect from a I’m not sure you could get be er
and set course down the Amazon standalone soundbar. Still, a voice- performance from such a trim and
a er a dynamic foot chase through boost bu on would be a welcome elegant soundbar.
the village and pursuit on the water addition—and one that would
by a German U-boat. Over a period enhance performance.
of 8 minutes, viewers experience a
flock of flapping parrots, punches CONCLUSION The Verdict
and kicks in hand-to-hand combat,
the clang of a pot on one unfor- It’s hard to end a review of B&W’s Atmos-enabled Panorama 3
tunate pursuer’s noggin and the the Panorama 3 without delivers music with audiophile
thunk of a coconut on another’s, acknowledging its primary quality and excellent movie sound
the sizzle of a hand forced onto a competition in this price range, the without a sub or surround speakers.
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