The thing I like the most about my past B&W and these are the midrange. Yes the tweeters are clear without being harsh. Yes those woofers are amazing for their size but still need a subwoofer. My friend has a 15” sub turned down low and it is amazing how it adds.
The main thing is the midrange. If I play Chris Rhea or Robbie Robertson I can easily identify each instrument, even when they are all playing the same note. I find that sweet spot of stereo imaging is plus or minus 2.5 ft right or left. I can hear the vibrations of vocal cords, not talking about vibrado. If I listen to old music like The Stones or Rod Stewart then everything I just said can be ignored. Of course it stands to reason that in order to hear well with a good set of speaks one must start with a good source. I stream with a Cambridge. Even when songs play with 192 they do not sound as good as a CD at 44. There is a lot of variation in our hearing vs the frequency so what might sound good to one person may not sound good to another. Also, a hearing test will test a miniature set of frequencies, like 8 of them then plot a graph. My mid base area is not bad yet i like more mid base from my stereo so i tend to adjust for that in my equipment. It isn’t like the old days of just adding an equalizer. The point also is that a hearing test almost never gives you more than one frequency at a time so different people might perceive the separation of instruments differently. For me, if there is background noise I cannot hear someone speaking to me as well. This is common with aging. That is never tested for with a hearing test. U will just be told you are hearing less high frequencies. I do like that null test machine stuff. I think it is great for objectivity. I think rather than spend $750,000 on a set of speakers I would rather spend that money and get ear implants when they come out! Kidding of course
20 responses Add your response
I wondered this also just before I purchased a used pair of 802D2 so I called B&W. BTW, these guys are so nice. They research things for you like how much did things retail for then. I asked them to compare like 6 speakers. The were Johnny-on-the-spot.
i hole this helps. If you are unconvinced just call them. They are wonderful people |
Not in my experience - I have been listening to my 803Diamond the whole day - crystal clear open sound. The trick is careful system setup. And careful component selection (not necessarily expensive gear, but good quality gear) because the Diamond series is very transparent to front-end performance - more so than the previous 80xD series. I will add that the midrange (which is very good) does not reach standard of the diamond tweeter (absolutely exceptional) or the excellent rohacell woofers. In the previous 80xD I noticed some mild chestiness on the occasional male vocalist, but not on the latest Diamond series which surprised me (because I thought this was an artefact of the FST midrange, but it turned out to be, I guess, due to the previous woofer and/or crossover design). |
I listened to B&W 800 series speakers for over 10 years. I brought the original N800 when they were first out and step by step changed to the latest 800 Diamond. It is clear that there were noticeable improvement in the treble and bass in each model but the midrange remains roughly the same. The B&W weakness is in the midrange. Limited by its attachment to the Kevlar borderless midrange, there is a lack of dynamic and vivid in the midrange, not to mention the colour fade problem. I recently changed to Wilson Audio Alexia, they sound very different to the B&W, there are gives and takes in the treble and bass. I still miss the extreme top and low ends of B&W but the Alexia sounds a lot more dynamic and real. The main and obvious difference is in the midrange. Anyone in my home can hear difference. Even my kids said this squarish speakers sound better than the old roundish ones. There is huge improvement in the midrange with the Wilson Audio. It is like you have covered the speakers with a thick blanket in the past and the blanket is now removed. Regardless of what B&W claims the superiority of its Kevlar midrange driver, their main weakness is still midrange. This has been echoed in many different forum. Hope this helps. |
Rohsal, Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I thought you just wanted to know how to identify the speakers by model. I didn't mean for it to be an endorsement of any kind. I really don't care for B&W speakers at all. I'm not trying to talk you out of getting them, but I wouldn't want to talking you into getting them either. |
Actually, they are different. The earlier model was, officially, the 800D. The current model is, officially, the 800Diamond or, unofficially, the 800D2. I am sure there is something on the B&W site explaining what is new in the 800D2. I covered some of that in my review: http://www.stereophile.com/content/bampw-800-diamond-loudspeaker |