B&W 801 questions

I have ordered a pair of sound anchor stands, anxiously awaiting there arrival.

Ct017, I am curious if you can describe the differences in actual sound between the 801f and the 801 S3 that you have in your system.

Thanks

I owned the 801f’s many years ago not at the same time as my 801 MS3. They were in a different house/room with different electronics so a direct comparison was not possible and the room is the most important IMO. My knowledge of the speakers back then as well was not what it is today. The early 801’ up to the 801 matrix S2 were hard core studio monitors designed for minimum downtime. They all had circuits to protect them. The 801 matrix S3 was the first 801 model to go naked without any protection. I liked the head environmental controls to tune the sound on the 801f’s. The 801 matrix requires this be done with cables and electronics now. Many times I have thought about buying the 801f’s again as a project when they come up for sale at ridiculous prices.

If I had them as a project I would modify them initially by:

Removing/bypassing the protection circuit.
Implement a bi-wire capability.
Connect a tube amp like your ARC to the midrange/tweeter.
Connect a big SS amp to the woofers

I am very happy with mine and would never consider replacing them because I have NOT YET found their limits.

My electronics are still the bottleneck not the speakers. Whenever I improve something (source, amp, cables) they end up sounding better.

When you get them hooked up on the stands before you place them in their final position please listen to them in near field at least 5-6 feet from the front wall. Would love to hear your impressions.
Cheers

I also have a pair of 801s manufactured around 1999. I'm thinking of replacing the tweeters with the new diamond tweeter version as the original tweeters cracked and broke apart. Do you believe it is worth the investment? Can they be biwired as suggested for 1 amp to drive the bass and another amp to drive the mids and highs? these speakers are in a secondary system at a vacation house and I am not familiar with their design, but there are 4 posts for connecting at the bottom of the speakers, but I am assuming this does not make them biwire compatable. Any help would be appreciated.

They are biwire compatible but why bother?

Hi Micward

Your 801’s are the latest version matrix model if made in ‘99. They were designed to be bi-wired and / or bi-amped. Did just the tweeter housing part itself break off ?

Although it would be interesting to hear someone’s comments on the sound if they managed modify an older 801 with the diamond tweeter, according to the B&W support website, parts are still available for Matrix models.

B&W Parts & Prices - type 801 in model field