Anyone Hear the New Nautilus 800 Yet?

i agree with craig that they were better than the salons but i would also point out that they are somewhat bass shy for this price range. they are -3db at 32hz and -6db at 25hz. compared to other contenders in this price range such as the watt/puppy 6, sonus fabre amati, and the avalon eidolons the b&w n800 are about 1/2 an octave short. in a subwoofer based system this is not an issue. but for $20k it should be full range.

the n801 (-3db at 29hz and -6db at 23hz) was criticized for having boomey bass in many rooms so b&w reduced the bass output on the n800. there are other changes/improvements in the n800 but the bass extension is significant.

all these speakers are excellent. it comes down to personal taste. although i prefer my watt/puppy 6s to the n800 you may not.

Thanks to the field for the comments. The comments on Base Extension make a lot of sense based upon my experience with my N802s. I may, in fact, consider a pair of Rels (I use one now) if the remainder of the frequency range and sonics are good enough.

Nealvb: If you have a chance to listen to Avalon Eidelons, you will likely be impressed. To my ears, they are extraordinarily musical, with good (not great) dynamics, an excellent full range, and mind boggling sounstaging in the right room. It is relatively room and electronics critical, however. I love B&W Nautilus speakers, but have to say that they (801-805) are not in the same league as this speaker. The N800s should be interesting, though.

If the Eidelon is too pricey, try the Avalon Opus. They give you a great deal of the Eidelon, but are more equipment and room tolerant.

Paul

The B&W 800s still have the British sound. Still a bit too colored in the mids and rounded on the bottom end. Not my cup. I thought the dynamics were a bit slow. But I did hear it with Audio Research tube gear, so would have to audition with solid state gear.