A comment for missioncoonery who the heck came up w/such a gay sounding name as the puppies?? That alone would make me not purchase them or do what y do call they the 3/2!
Kodg. |
Kodg here I want to add to my early opion. I have actually purchased a used pair of 802d recently. I had to drive 4 hrs. each way to get them as the guy did not have the boxes, but the price was too good to pass up. I have owned or own now ever new 800 series speaker.
IMO 802d is probably the best speaker in the world for the money. If B&W was'nt the 3rd. largest manufacturer in the world the speakers would probably cost $15,000+ more.
If your a B&W guy like me & have had good luck stick w/them. The new Focals are over $100,000.00 sound damn good but you get 90% of the performance at 1/10 of t price! Wilson & CA audio fall into the same catagory, (IMO I hate t way the wilson look also)
Once again if y are satisfied w/t 802N stick w/them.
If y must up-grade buy a pair of 802ds & one of t matching daimond centers, you will not be on odd ball speaker out.
I agree w/t other gentlemen that 802ds would be over kill for your surrounds. Not enought music is transmitted through t surrounds to justify the $$.
All thought t looks of t 802n & the 802d are similair B&W says 80% of the new 800 series has been up-dated. They are beatiful looking speakers & I can say they sound absolutely amazing!!
I could not justify spending $100,000 + more on any other speaker brand period. IMO it is not possible to improve on the sound performance you get from the 802d in a significant/real world listing experience.
*In other words y could spend another $100,000+ on some wilsons or Focals, ect. & only really improve your listing experience over t 802ds by maybe 5-10% max.
**THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS.**
Kodg. |
DIW, if it matters to YOU, then it will be worth the money. All of this is baseless without knowing how you listen, the gear involved, the music you prefer, the room design and your overall priorities for sound reproduction. Since you have B&W and seem to like them, go for the D's in the front/Mains position...absolutely no need for D's in the rear. |
Actually I currently have 5 803N's in my system, and am thinking about upgrading the front 3. Hence the question about comparing 802N and 802D. I could get either in red cherry to match my rear speakers.
Not that I am permanently wedded to B&W, but to change manufacturers totally would probably require eventual replacement of all 5 speakers for additional expense. Not to mention that all the speakers you mentioned are on sale in all sorts of bizarro color combinations (at least currently on Agon), making it difficult to match even just the front 3!
Since I doubt anyone will sell me a single 802D (or 3), we are probably talking about 2 pair. So the cost differential between the 802N and 802D mounts up. I am curious about the direct comparison, for those who are familiar with both... |
I would have to disagree with Missioncoonery. I find that the 800D is a superb loudspeaker
I thought we were talking about the 802D/802N???? |
I've heard both the 800D, 802D, and 803D. I've also heard the 800N and 801N. To my mind, the re-design incorporating the diamond tweeter makes the newer 'D' versions a considerably better speaker. I found the overall sound presentation to be more of a piece with the D than its predecessor, and the upper frequencies are incredibly clean and distortion free, so much so that I didn't hear the tweeters at all (this is very rare and the sign of a really good tweeter IMO). I found the music has an added sense of naturalness and realism with the D version. The presentation also sounded less strained to me.
Make sure you here the D version after proper break-in. After having the 'before' and 'after' results with the 800D specifically, I found it really does make a difference.
I would have to disagree with Missioncoonery. I find that the 800D is a superb loudspeaker. |
owned WP 3/2 for many years. Have to say I think the 802N are better. Haven't listened to Wilson recently, but newer version would be much more expensive
I sure hope so ,The 3/2 is trash IMO..On the used market for what the 802d cost you can get watt/puppy7 and real soon the 8s..Confidence C4 with cash in pocket,Kharma 3.2 with cash in pocket etc etc...look around and listen,thats all I suggest |
y might just be accustomed to the N sound/familar!
Good for you save the $$ & stick w/them.
aim hestitant to drop any more $$ on new 800 series b&w as i think there about due for an up-grade. |
I owned WP 3/2 for many years. Have to say I think the 802N are better. Haven't listened to Wilson recently, but newer version would be much more expensive. |
I suggest listening to other speakers..ie Wilson/Dynaudio/Focal/Kharma etc etc before spending any money on B&W |
I own the 800N's as fronts and 802N's as sides. I personally compared the 800N's to the 800D's side by side with the same very high end equipment. To me, the sound from the N's was better---much fuller with no real diff in the tweeters. I absolutely think the price diff is not warranted at all. I will say that my opinion is contrary to 90% of other reviews and literature I've read---but, actual experience means more to me. |
I've heard the 800D's, and I have to say that the diamond tweeters sound soooo good on all the speakers I've heard them in. Very impressive and appealing. |
