B&W
CaptainMurphy
Posts: 15
Ok so i finally decided to go to this higher end audio store about 30 mins away from were i live to look at amps to power my mains which are RTI10's. Well the guy there is going to give me a Anthem PVA 2 for 500 bucks cause he has used it about 10 hours which is no big deal to me that just means hes worn it in a little and thats less time that i have to spend working it in. My problem is they carry mostly B&W and Klipsch speakers. Klipsch i'm not all inpressed by but i sat down with the guy and listened to some B&W 804's that were being driven by a Rotel setup with the amp pushing 380 a channel. These speakers blew me away and now i'm disapointed about my speakers. Now on the other hand i got my 10's for 400 for the pair and i would end up spending 3500 on the B&W's but damn do i want them now.
Reciever: Onkyo TXNR801
Mains: Polk RTI10's
Center: Polk CSI5
Sub: Polk PSW505, Polk PSW10
CD: Onkyo DXC390
DVD: Samsung DVDHD841
HDTV: Panasonic 44" LCD
XBOX 360
Mains: Polk RTI10's
Center: Polk CSI5
Sub: Polk PSW505, Polk PSW10
CD: Onkyo DXC390
DVD: Samsung DVDHD841
HDTV: Panasonic 44" LCD
XBOX 360
Post edited by CaptainMurphy on
Comments
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Yup, the Beemers were a life changing experience for me.
BDTI plan for the future. - F1Nut -
Hardcore.
Now you have a goal, something to focus on.Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
Last time i went to the store to "browse" i walked out with a set of Polk Monitors. I guess the lesson is to not shop for speakers unless you're planning on buying them anyway.
I'm very satisfied with my purchase thoughKEF Q150 | Rythmik F12 | Yamaha Aventage RX-A780 -
Heard the BW... expected to be blown away, but for some reason I wasnt. I listened to the 804S, 803S, 803D, 703, and even the 802D. I dont know why... I was there for a legitimate reason since I wanted to buy a speaker around the $5K mark, but I didnt feel that the 803S were worth it. I did feel that they were better than the Von Schweikert VR4jr though.... now THAT was a disappointing speaker.
Going to Glenn Poor real soon to audition the Wilsons... looking forward to nirvana.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
B&W and VS didn't do anything for you? I think that says something about the shop/setup. Too add disappointing to the mix - I can't imagine - almost as if something was wired out phase, or horrible rooms/electronics/cables etc. Love them or hate them, they will do SOMETHING well at that level.
That, or you are a hardcore stat/planar guy, in which case you need to get your ears on the new Quads.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
Well the shop i was at had there stuff hooked up right, they were useing all MIT High end cables Richard Gray power company power, and made sure everything had the right amount of power and well it was rotel so it was awesome.Reciever: Onkyo TXNR801
Mains: Polk RTI10's
Center: Polk CSI5
Sub: Polk PSW505, Polk PSW10
CD: Onkyo DXC390
DVD: Samsung DVDHD841
HDTV: Panasonic 44" LCD
XBOX 360 -
Obviously, you **** your flat hat. Joey is who I'm worried about.Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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I was so excited to go check out the store cause i work at CC and i'll i ever get is, is this sony HTIB any good and you have to be nice and your just sittin there going ohh my god i could **** something better. But yea anyways it was nice to actually go to a store thats not all up tight about useing the right cables and units to set up there stuff.Reciever: Onkyo TXNR801
Mains: Polk RTI10's
Center: Polk CSI5
Sub: Polk PSW505, Polk PSW10
CD: Onkyo DXC390
DVD: Samsung DVDHD841
HDTV: Panasonic 44" LCD
XBOX 360 -
Put it on the scale of 'These people haven't heard anything better than the 2x3 speakers in their 25 inch tv' category. ANYTHING will sound better, including an HT in a box. It's a starting point for them - do your duty!
Hifi, welcome to it. It's a sickness, and I'm not interested in a cure.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
Russman... dont know if it was the demo or the what but here is what was powering each speaker.
Rotel RCD1072-> RC1090 preamp -> Rotel RMB1077 (the new digital amp that many over at Club Rotel hail as the Krell killer; $2500) -> BW804S/803S/803D/703
Rotel RCD1072 -> Rotel RC1090 preamp -> Rotel RB1090 amp -> BW802D
Out of the BW setups, the 802D was the best... but it was sooo much money. I mean... sooo much money. I'd have to hear how other $16K+ speakers sound before I plunk my cash down.
For the VS:
Musical Fidelity CD player (forget the exact model number) -> DK VS.1 Reference MK3 Integrated amp ($3200) -> DUAL Audioquest speaker wire ($2000 for the set) -> Von Schweikert VR4jr
The DK amp:
That is an INSANSE setup on paper.... most definitely. The dealer guy told me to hold onto my seats. I was like.... uhoh... here we go. Then I heard..... so much sibilance and so much overly synthesized vocal reproductions. Dont bash me, just my opinion. I gave it as fair a demo as possible. I listened for about an hour and a half.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
I have yet to be overwhelmed by B&W, but it's nice that you had a positive experience.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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dorokusai wrote:I have yet to be overwhelmed by B&W, but it's nice that you had a positive experience.
With regards to the Original Poster, for sure... it's great that you had such a good experience. Perhaps they are your sound. Now you have something to save for.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
I agree, sound is where it's at....not everything works, for everybody. That's the simple fact that drives this industry.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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I find B&W to be very...boring.
However, only having heard their upper end in store - thats all I have to go on.
The lil DM 303 that came through my room was pretty darn good for what it was... but I havnt been blown away by a B&W product...
This is the one I heard... (multiple times)
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Put me the camp that hasn't heard a B&W that did a thing for me.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Captain,
I'm glad you've found speakers you are impressed with, and I don't mean to demean that in any way. Speaker selection is very subjective and personal. I have to, however, share my opinion, this being a forum and all. I think B&W speakers are very nice, but not great. They are much more expensive than their performance delivers. I think you're paying more for a name than a quality speaker. And seriously, everything they've done in terms of speaker design, with the exception of the new diamond tweeter, has been "borrowed" from another speaker manufacturer, most notably Sonus Faber. If you're looking to spend that kind of money on speakers, I would urge you to do one of two things: 1. listen to some of your own personal favorite music on any potential speaker you are buying. 2. Check out Sonus Faber and Vienna Acoustics. I use to work around these speakers all day long, and for the money, I don't think speakers get much better. You can spend a whole lot more, and get minimally better than what these speakers can do. For instance, Vienna's most expensive speaker, the Mahler, is $9800/pr, and they are very highly rated by Stereophile magazine, put up against speakers that cost 5 times as much. Just think what that means for the speakers in the $3k-5k range.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
Gregure,
How are the BW technologies borrowed from SF? Like the FST driver (the fixed suspension transducer), the Marlan enclosures, the separated tweeter/midrange, the matrix bracing?Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
RuSsMaN wrote:B&W and VS didn't do anything for you? I think that says something about the shop/setup. Too add disappointing to the mix - I can't imagine - almost as if something was wired out phase, or horrible rooms/electronics/cables etc. Love them or hate them, they will do SOMETHING well at that level.
That, or you are a hardcore stat/planar guy, in which case you need to get your ears on the new Quads.
Cheers,
Russ
Oh and by "disappointing" I didnt mean the BW because they do not disappoint.. the disappointing speaker was the VS. BW are clean and to the point... however, something about the tweeter sounding a little too harsh is what gets me. If they are able to retain the extension yet keep the sibilance to a minimum, that would pretty much do it for me.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Sonus Faber were the first ones to use the yellowish Kevlar material for mids in the early 80's. They were also the first to mount the tweeter on top of the cabinet with an elongated, funnel shaped chamber. They also pioneered the curved cabinet shape, which they refer to as "lute shaped." Are these not the most pronounced and advertised features of the B&W's?Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
I see... but I dont think SF has anything similar to the FST nor do they sequester their midrange driver in a Marlan enclosure.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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That's true, my point only being the much of the B&W name and success is based on designs other companies developed first. If I were spending the kind of cash B&W asks for their speakers, I'd probably look to those who tend to be the more innovative of the two-meaning Sonus Faber. B&W speakers are just so damn overrated.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
I'd like to hear the 800D though... I wonder how much better it is than the 802D I heard before (or the 803D). The thing is, I really admire their new tweeter technology - the Diamond tweeter - it sounds much better controlled than their older tweeter (I think it was titanium?) on the N or S series.
The only thing that bugs me is that they are so much money. Like I expected the 804S to sound fantastic, what I got was very good... but not $4000 good. Now, if they put a Diamond tweeter on the 804S and price it at $4K... I think we may have a winner here in my ears.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
UHH! B&W's tweeters shatter my eardrums & they probably couldn't get more FUGLIER if they tried!
After so many years of having Polks tweeters, I can't handle metal tweeters.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2 -
That was why I chose Polk over B&W. Even their 600 series were too bright for my needs. I did think they sounded good under certain conditions, just not a system that is 80% home theater. They seem to be good 2 ch speakers, not HT. IMO.
-Lou -
What i kind of wanted out of this post was your guys impressions on B&W and if i got them it would be for a stereo system cause i agree they don't sound much like HT speakers. I think the main reason i was so impressed by them was because i don't ever get to hear speakers at that level. I bet if i went back and brought my own cds i could find some faults.Reciever: Onkyo TXNR801
Mains: Polk RTI10's
Center: Polk CSI5
Sub: Polk PSW505, Polk PSW10
CD: Onkyo DXC390
DVD: Samsung DVDHD841
HDTV: Panasonic 44" LCD
XBOX 360 -
As HT is much less demanding than stereo........ya know!?!Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I liked the 600 series for the HT. I thought it's a great speaker at the price range. I haven't heard the higher end ones though. Not thourghly enough.
Overall, I like B&W.
ChrisReceiver: Onkyo TX-SR502-S
DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578A-S
Left and Right: R50
Center: CS1
Rear Center: R15
Surrounds: R30
Subwoofer: 10'' Dayton 100 Watt -
A year ago I was looking to replace my Polk RT-20p with something I could deopend upon - many problems with my RT-20p. I looked, listened, borrowed, relistened for 3 months before I decided on B&W N804 and a ASW800 sub. I am not looking back. Of course, I had to upgrade my electronics (Denon) to Rotel gear - RC-1070 & RB-1070 & RCC-1055. I wish you could all hear it - my neighbors can. BTW, the 'brightness of the B&W worked itself out after breaking in.[
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Like I said, for music I think you could do better with Vienna or Sonus for the money. The only B&W's I think are worth a **** are the high end diamond tweeters. I heard some chamber music on the 700 series on Rotel separates, and it still sounded very bright, although the imaging was very good.Current System:
Mitsubishi 30" LCD LT-3020 (for sale**)
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Concert Grand (Rosewood)-Mains (with Audioquest Mont Blanc cables)
CSi5-Center (for sale**)
FXi3-surrounds (for sale**)
Martin Logan Depth-Sub
B&K AVR 507
Pimare CD21-CD Player
Denon 1815-DVD Player
Panamax M5500-EX-Line Conditioner -
I've owned B&W 803N and 802Ms3, and currently own Polk SDA 1.2TL. I must say the B&W's have better imaging (3D pin point imaging). I regreat everyday that I sold them. Are the B&W's value for money? No way! But the sound is hard to beat. Are the SDA 1.2TL's value for money? Oh **** yeah! Are they as good as the B&W? Not a chance! At least not to me with my equipment in my room.