A used pair of Von Schweikert speakers, generally easy to drive, generally no flaws in the sound and great dispersion. For half your price, the VR35 export would be great. For 1/3 your price, a pair of Legacy Signature IIIs (1990s) would be great (rear tweeters for great dispersion and 3 10" punchy deep woofers, 30 tube watts sufficient). For $8k, maybe a higher end older used Von Schweikert.
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One area of Interest to myself is which floor structure the D3’s are seated on and if the Speakers Sub-Plinth and Supplied Feet is the only mount in use being in direct contact with the Floor. Additionally, my experience had with Diamond D4's did require the that the owner was informed there was a improvement to be found if the Toe was adjusted. Toeing Out found the better alignment. This can be discovered as a selected placement where reviews are done on B&W Diamonds where those with the speakers are familiar with other Speaker Designs. An improvement put in place in a particular environment for mounting a Cabinet Speaker, is in my experience usually ubiquitous. The benefits discovered will transfer to all Cabinet Speakers used in the same environment, as long as the Speaker Weight is compatible with the chosen mounting method. There is much to be read/discovered where the benefits of mounting methodologies adopted have brought something that has quire an increased attraction for the end sound int the home audio system. Any monies spent on alternative mounting will not be wasteful, as it is future proofing. There is the strong likelihood that the Speakers present in a way that is an increased attraction to you. At the upper end of options that can be considered, only one eighth of the $8K may be needed to be spent, if items of interest can be sourced used, maybe one sixteenth of the budget will be used, if such a purchase method is agreeable. The Link brings to the forefront a selection of options for Speaker Mounting that can be considered, https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/townshend-audio-podiums-the-full-review |
Definitely two. I have successfully put subs between main speakers and rack, minimum 12 inches from back wall. Of the (4) different sub brands I have owned JL Audio has the most punch with the deepest notes, the E110 or 12 are great. REL adds punch alongside your speakers but lacks the deepest notes. |
believe it or not your speakers will be hard to beat in your budget. maybe add subwoofers like RELT9x which pair nicely. your b&ws sound better than most speakers under 10k. something new will sound different but not better. try aiming your speakers straight out from the wall, about 3 feet from the wall and wider apart than the distance from your chair. |
Get the Mofi Sourcepoint 888... Erin’s Audio Corner - Mofi 888 Review When you realize what the tonally imbalanced, mid starved, fake detail B&W robbed from you all these years, sell it to a member of some B&W admirers club and get some money back. |
I still have a pair of the original 804's purchased back at the end of 2002. They still sound quite good, and they are now a part of my Son's system. Like all 3-way loudspeakers, they require optimal placement. With the refinements in the D4 model, they should be fantastic. In my setup, I never required much toe-in. You may have to experiment with moving them away from the back and side walls. I have moved on to a smaller home and a 2-way stand mount loudspeaker from Wilson Benesch. They are matched the W-B Torus system. Don't give up on the 804 D4's. I might suggest a different tube preamplifier. Have a look at the Quicksilver Audio Line Stage offering: https://quicksilveraudio.com/products/line-stage-preamp/ Happy listening |
Opinions are like..... For my money, I'd ditch Macintosh because AFAIK all their gear is "warm" lacking detail. I'd go open baffle, Caladan, and if you want to better them, PureAudioProject, or the like. Caladans sound pretty bad for the first 300 hours or so, the capacitors are the biggest issue, but the bass drivers definitely improve as well, but they are punishingly bright at first, though perhaps not with a Mac preamp??? |
You describe "wanting more - maybe detail, punch, bass." Have you considered keeping the B&W's and look into getting a quality subwoofer? You could buy a Rel No. 31 or 32, or a Martin Logan Balanced Force 212 with that budget. |
fastfreightour OP didn't ask for smooth and sweet, he asked for detail and slam. I understand ASR recommends revel speakers for everything and if someone doesn't prefer them they need to train themselves to listen correctly until they do prefer Revel. that song has been playing awhile now. |
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What type "punch" are you looking for? Chest hitting bass, bass that you feel on your bottom while sitting on the couch, or quick and taut bass. I'm learning more "punch" means different to some. If it's the first 2 I described you are looking for, getting a sub would be the place to upgrade to. If you are looking to get another pair of speaekrs, I'd recommend NSMT. I'm a big fan of this line lately. I'm really liking my NSMT 100's. They have active bandpass so I have the "punch" (quick/taut/solid) bass I'm looking for. I've just moved to them from using Magnepan 1.6's for 18yrs and couldn't be happier. If you can strecth the budget, I'd recommend the Clairvoyant's with 15EXP or System One.
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Of course @jnovak ! But some are not so good at picking girlfriends! :) |
Here’s a pair of Joseph Audio Perspective 2s near your price point (they do have some minor damage that is what brings them to your price level). I got to hear the smaller Pulsars and your 804 D3s in the same system and hands down thought the Pulsars were better all around. Amazingly bass was comparable and the Pulsars were the equal on detail but sounded more natural, musical, disappeared and imaged better, and threw a bigger and more expansive 3D soundstage. The Pulsars were just more effortlessly enjoyable and believable overall whereas the D3s called attention to themselves while showing their relative limitations. It’s not that the D3s were bad — in fact I liked them more than any previous iteration of the 804s, but the Pulsars were just flat-out better overall. No contest in my book, and obviously these Perspectives would give you even more in terms of bass impact/depth and overall dynamics than the Pulsars and the D3s. Just another option, and best of luck. |
Honestly just speaking from experience. I have owned three pairs of N802s and a pair of N803s. I still have the one pair of N802s. To me, this was the heyday for B and W speakers. The Revel Salon 2's are, to me smoother and sweeter sounding than any of the 802s, play deep and large in a big room, and never make me cringe. I can not say that about the Persona or recent D series of Bowers and Wilkins, and I have demoed both several times. Just my opinions. |
Why does everyone tell everybody else to buy what they own? B&W 804D3 will have plenty of detail, more than most in fact. Try moving the speakers around a bit, toe in, closer to boundary's while aiming them at listening position, you know the drill. I love my Mac gear and it's much better in all areas compared to previous components, but maybe you need to try something different just for reference? I often get the bug to change speakers just for the sake of change, but I usually end up missing the specific attributes of the brand I'm most used to. That said, If you have the room to park a pair of speakers 3' or more from ANY reflecting surfaces the Paradigm Persona line will AMAZE!!! I sold my pair of 7f after a year or so because that's what I do, however I auditioned them over a year before buying(dealer is a patient man)and can say with confidence they have a very high ceiling. They have bass for days and don't need subs. I can't think of any other speaker a B&W 800 series owner would consider competition. 3f should be a drop in replacement for the 804. |
Sonus Faber used. Klipsch new or used Revel (new/used a lot of bang for your bucks. More than your budget but..wow Wilson's
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For detail and punch, Monitor Audio Gold 300s might fit the bill or a set of used Monitor Audio Platinum 300s could be worth considering. I think they will have the speed and detail of your current B&Ws but just on the right side of the warmth vs harshness balance to my ears.. Speak with John who is the owner of The Audio Connection which is just north of the U-District. He can sound opinionated, but with respect to sound quality, his opinions are generally right on the mark. |
Yamaha NS-5000PNST 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers with Stands | Hi-Fi Heaven (hifiheaven.net) $9,599.00 Need room for the "bookshelf" speakers to breath. They are big.
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+1 @jasonbourne71 Revel Salon 2's while you can find them. Used should be about 9K. We agree this time! :) |
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Nice speakers. Based upon the overalls of the amp I would get that moving out of my possession ASAP. I just don’t feel maintenance on an amp is replacing the caps every 8yrs or so. Reselling the B&W’s and adding $8k will get you both a newer more reliable amp and a set of speakers noted above. A small amp like the 252 will run out of oomph really fast with the B&W's |
