Empire

The scene

Empire followed the Lyon family's battle for control of a hip-hop music empire, and the set designers understood that a music mogul's office needs to look like it sounds expensive. The result was one of the most impressive audio setups in television history.

Lucious Lyon's office at Empire Entertainment is a visual declaration of power: gold accents, platinum records on the walls, city views — and flanking the recording studio window, a pair of speakers that cost more than most cars.

The gear

The speakers are Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 — massive, statement-making floorstanding monitors that represent the pinnacle of B&W's engineering. The 801 series has been a recording studio reference standard since the 1970s, used in Abbey Road Studios and mastering houses worldwide.

The amplification is Classé Audio — specifically a CP-800 preamplifier and CA D200 power amplifier. Classé (now part of the B&W Group) builds electronics specifically designed to pair with Bowers & Wilkins speakers, making this a perfectly matched system.

On the desk sits a B&W Zeppelin wireless speaker, the company's distinctive torpedo-shaped all-in-one — because even a mogul needs a desk speaker for casual listening.

You come at the king, you best not miss. Especially if his speakers cost fifteen grand.

Why it matters

Bowers & Wilkins 801 speakers are not decorative — they're tools used by mastering engineers to make final decisions about how music sounds. Placing them in a fictional music mogul's office is both aspirational and technically accurate: this is exactly where they'd be.

Vintage B&W 801 models trade for $2,000 to $8,000 per pair, while the current 801 D4 retails for approximately $30,000 per pair. The Classé electronics add another $5,000 to $15,000 to the system. This is a no-compromise listening environment.

The B&W Zeppelin, by contrast, is one of the brand's most accessible products at $300 to $800, making it the gateway piece for anyone who wants a taste of the Empire aesthetic.