B&W 805S vs. Polk LSi9

mightymouse
mightymouse Posts: 254
edited April 2008 in Speakers
Has anyone done a comparison between these 2 bookshelves? Which one do you like more and why? What are the strong points and the weaknesses of these 2 speakers?
Post edited by mightymouse on
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  • SlowcarIX
    SlowcarIX Posts: 887
    edited March 2008
    do you have a local b&w dealer in your area? bring a pair home and do a shoot out :p

    return them when you are done with them
    my 7.(1x4) HT setup
    TV - Mitsubishi WD-65734
    AVP / Amp - Onkyo PR-SC885P / D-Sonic 2500-7
    Front - Emerald Physics CS2
    Center - JTR Triple 12LF
    Surround L/R / Back - Polk RTi4 / Polk FXi A4
    Sub - 4 X Hsu ULS15 playing nearfield
    DVD / CDP - Sony PS3/40GB / Sony SCD-XA9000ES
    Belkin PURE AV PF60 / UPS
    Buttkicker

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60612
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Good thinking!

    But I don't have that much cash lying around just to try out those B&W 805S'. :)
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Yes to all those 3 points.

    I guess I am happy with my 9's. I am just curious what benefits a pair of B&W 805S will bring.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,204
    edited March 2008
    mightymouse wrote: »
    Yes to all those 3 points.

    I guess I am happy with my 9's. I am just curious what benefits a pair of B&W 805S will bring.

    Clarity and a bigger soundstage. 805's can make you think your speakers are a big as the front wall. The 9's are nice speakers without a doubt but are not in the same league as the 805's for overall clarity and detail.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • dave shepard
    dave shepard Posts: 1,334
    edited March 2008
    I agree with what Mantis said.
    Not to take away from any manuf. but when you are at the level of the LSi and better, properly driven you see why one costs more then the other. The LSi's are nice at what they can do at there price but step into the B&W 800's and you will see that they can do things that justify their price. You are moving into a higher audio speaker level going into the 800's and even they are not the end-all for some people's ears they just perform better then alot of other offerings if one can afford their price tag.

    Dave
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Thanks for the info on the 805S's guys. The 805S' do sound like a nice upgrade from the 9's.

    I am just trying to get a sense of where I can go after the 9's. But I think I will happily live with my 9's for at least a couple of years. :)
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,204
    edited March 2008
    mightymouse wrote: »
    Thanks for the info on the 805S's guys. The 805S' do sound like a nice upgrade from the 9's.

    I am just trying to get a sense of where I can go after the 9's. But I think I will happily live with my 9's for at least a couple of years. :)

    Forget about that man, enjoy what you own now. I was one who always worries about where to go next, what can I buy next. Now looking at the rest of your system to see if the 9's are getting everything that they need to sound there best is something you might want to look at.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Good advice. I must resist the upgradititis! :)
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2008
    A massive headache from the clarity induced metal tweeters!:eek:
    mightymouse wrote: »
    Yes to all those 3 points.

    I guess I am happy with my 9's. I am just curious what benefits a pair of B&W 805S will bring.
    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
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Thank you for all the advice guys!

    For right now, I think I will just enjoy my 9's.:D
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited March 2008
    mightymouse wrote: »
    Thank you for all the advice guys!

    For right now, I think I will just enjoy my 9's.:D

    Always a good plan, me thinks ;)
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • venomclan
    venomclan Posts: 2,467
    edited March 2008
    The 9's are great performers for the money, the 805's are superior imho, but if you are happy with what you have, then stay put.
    Venom
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  • Roland P
    Roland P Posts: 33
    edited March 2008
    The 805's are mentioned in this thread:
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-13074.html

    At over 2 times the cost, I'm not even thinking about upgrading. My whole speaker setup costs less than 2 805's and I'm happy with it, that's the most important.
    My HT - JVC DLA-HD2K - Rotel rsx-1065 - Polkaudio LSi9, LSiFx, LSiC - REL Storm III
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Wow, I didn't even know Polk archives old threads.:) Thanks for digging that up.

    That Rotel 1090 sure is a SWEET amp. And didn't it go just for a tad over $1000 a couple of years ago? It's a true dual mono configuration with 2 independent toroidal transformers. Man, I wish I had the money back then for that beast...

    Does Rotel these days make anything similar to that 1090?
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited March 2008
    Just checked Rotel's website. Apparently the replacement for the 1090 are 2 class D digital amps.

    So the traditional class A/B 1090 is no more. Man, I wish I had snatched one back then.
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited April 2008
    Keep an eye on Audiogon for one.
    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
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  • cmy330go
    cmy330go Posts: 2,341
    edited April 2008
    Not long ago I did actually do a comparison between the 9's and 805's. At the store I really liked the B&W's so I decided to test a pair at home. The shop told me I could keep them for 2 weeks without obligation. I think they only lasted 2 maybe 3 days. I found them to be far more effected by the room they were in as well as placement within the room. I toyed with them for the better part of two days, and then gave up. No matter where I put them I couldn't make them sound as good as the 9's do in the same room. They lacked low end punch, and were rather sharp on the high end. This experience really bugged me for a while, and made me seriously question the room I had my system in. But since then I've auditioned many different speakers in the same room and have not had anywhere near the trouble I did with the 805's. I don't know what it was about this particular speaker, but they just would not work in my system.

    I'm not saying the B&W's are bad. I'm just heavily recommending trying a pair at home first.
    HT
    Mits WD-65737, DirecTV, Oppo DV-970HD, XBOX ONE, Yamaha RX-A1030, Parasound Halo A23, Rotel RB-985, Music Hall MMF-7, Parasound PPH-100, LSi-15, LSi-C, LSi-FX, LSi-7, PSW-1000, Monster HTS2600

    2 CH
    Parasound Halo P3, Parasound Halo A21, Sutherland Ph.D, VPI Classic 3 w/ 3D arm & Soundsmith Aida Cartridge, Arcam CD72T, B&W 802 S3, Monster HTS2500,
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  • Airplay355
    Airplay355 Posts: 4,298
    edited April 2008
    The places by me will let you try out gear as long as you give them a CC # and a copy of your drivers license. That way if you steal it they'll just charge your card.
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  • mightymouse
    mightymouse Posts: 254
    edited April 2008
    I have always had problems with metal tweeters. After extended listening, they just give me a ringing sensation in my ears, which is very annoying. The ringing goes away after the speaker stop playing. Some years ago, when I first noticed this ringing sensation, I thought it must have been my imagination. But the more I listened, the more I noticed it.

    After that, I always chose soft dome tweeters.

    I had hoped that the high end B&W's would be different. Oh well.
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  • cmy330go
    cmy330go Posts: 2,341
    edited April 2008
    mightymouse wrote: »
    I have always had problems with metal tweeters. After extended listening, they just give me a ringing sensation in my ears, which is very annoying. The ringing goes away after the speaker stop playing. Some years ago, when I first noticed this ringing sensation, I thought it must have been my imagination. But the more I listened, the more I noticed it.

    After that, I always chose soft dome tweeters.

    I had hoped that the high end B&W's would be different. Oh well.

    I wouldn't rule out all metallic tweeters. I currently have 3 pairs of Energy speakers (e:XL16, e:XL28p, RC-10) that have aluminum dome tweeters, and I don't find any of them harsh or fatiguing. You really just have to give any speaker a good honest listen.
    HT
    Mits WD-65737, DirecTV, Oppo DV-970HD, XBOX ONE, Yamaha RX-A1030, Parasound Halo A23, Rotel RB-985, Music Hall MMF-7, Parasound PPH-100, LSi-15, LSi-C, LSi-FX, LSi-7, PSW-1000, Monster HTS2600

    2 CH
    Parasound Halo P3, Parasound Halo A21, Sutherland Ph.D, VPI Classic 3 w/ 3D arm & Soundsmith Aida Cartridge, Arcam CD72T, B&W 802 S3, Monster HTS2500,
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited April 2008
    mightymouse wrote: »
    I have always had problems with metal tweeters.

    The "D" series of their speakers isn't a metal dome; you could try that. :D Maybe they will come out with a 805D.
    Jake
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