B&W Nautilus speakers

The basics

They may look like props from Star Wars, but the B&W Nautilus speakers aren’t just sci-fi eye candy. Costing a mortgage-worthy £55,000, these floor-standing speakers claim to provide the most pure and perfect sound of any loudspeaker.

Weighing in at 44kg and standing at 47.6-inches, these sound blasters have a frequency range of -6db at 10Hx and 25kHz, with a response from 40Hz to 20kHz.

The good

The utterly unique spiral design, coupled with the astonishing high-end spec sheet means that the sound thrown out by the B&W Nautilus speakers is breathtaking. Put on some Led Zeppelin and its as if Jimmy Page is standing toe-to-toe with you cranking out the riffs in your front room.

The spiral look isn’t just one dreamt up by B&W to look bizarre either. It means there’s no internal resonance and those tapered points mean you don’t get any distortion. Unless you’re listening to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music, but then you need help, not a pair of £55,000 speakers.

The bad

The only issue with the B&W Nautilus speakers is the size and price. But the simple fact is, speakers like this aren’t meant for hooking up to your bargain bucket iPod dock and never come cheap. These are for serious hi-fi fanatics who think the credit crunch is a chocolate bar.

The bottom line

Undoubtedly the most stunning speakers ever made, the sound is beautifully clear and clean, with a real oomph thanks to the on-board tech and dazzling design. Of course, you’ll need a Euromillions win in order to own them, but any gadget fan can appreciate such a cutting-edge piece of design.