B&W 802D1 - How can I tame the brightness?

I agree with @dishman442 about the room.

My room is acoustically treated with panels on all four walls and the ceiling.

Also, the floor has a large area rug over the wood flooring.

With my 803 D3 toed-in (per the manufacturer) it was too bright.

Facing them straight ahead worked wonders. Also made soundstage larger.

@soix +1

Mike

If repositioning doesn't work, I'd suggest trying a Schiit Loki Max to take down the top end a little bit. It's a lot less money and hassle than selling and buying speakers, and you might find it useful to adjust some recordings, to boot.

Occasionally, they appear on the used market, or you could try Schiit's policy that lets you try at home for 15 days and return it for a 5% restocking fee.

Or maybe it's just me who hates dealing with speaker changes.

You should consider KEF Reference Series (3’s or 5’s) in that price range. My Reference 3’s driven by a tube preamp and solid state amp is incredible 🙂

I had the B&W 702 S2 and also the 705 S3.  They look beautiful but they were too sibilant for me after trying several things.  Suggest doing what I did, sell them and move on.  Enjoy your retirement with great sounding speakers.  You’ve been given a lot of good suggestions.  Work with a local dealer if you can.  At that price range they should help you set them up and try them in your listening room to make sure you’re happy.