B&W 803N/ any comments?

See other threads re my comments re 803N and its failings particularly in the nearfield. I strongly preferred Revel F30 at 2/3 the price. But tastes and rooms sho do vary!

Obviously the 803s are a very good speaker--lots of people love'em and for good reason. Personally I find the midrange a little dry(but very good overall) and the tweeter calls attention to itself too frequently for me. They are also notoriously picky with upstream electronics to really show what they can do. Just realized I could also be describing Thiels up to this point, but the Thiel drivers sound better integrated to my ears--the 803's drivers just don't sound as coherent--and I found Thiels throw a better stage and disappear better into the room. Again, this is just what I've heard, and I've heard them at length with lots of different equipment. Lots of people will no doubt disagree, but that's my honest assessment, and you asked...

I guess my main point would be that at $5000/pr. the 803s run into some pretty stiff competition from companies such as Silverline, Coincident Technology, Joseph Audio, Audio Physic, Triangle, Talon, VonSchweikert, Gershmann, Soliloquy, Merlin, and even Thiel itself. Personally I'd take the offerings from any of these companies over the 803s, but again that's my individual taste and the 803s may very well do it for you. Bottom line: At this price point you're gonna end up with a great pair of speakers as long as you go out and trust your own ears--have fun and best of luck.

Tim

I have 801 N and 805 N (home theatre...) save your $$$ and buy 805 N and wait and see (hear) if you truly need deeper bass which is really all you are paying 3k for anyway...($$$ difference between 805-803). If you do need more there are plenty of fine powered subs for well under the 3k difference...

If you have the Thiels why not go with the CS3.6's or look for used CS6's. I found the 3.6's to sound great! The used market has them for <$2k too!! Just a thought!

Mike

Hi.

I'm the owner of a pair of N804s and can tell you that there's really not much of a difference between them and the 803Ns. Yes, there's a tad more bass in the 803s (7" woofers vs. 6.5" woofers), but not enough to justify the $1,500 price differential. If I had the dough, I'd go for the 802N, but that's a different price point from where you're at.

The 804s (retail $3,500) are fabulous speakers. The highs and mids are wonderful and the bass is tight and punchy. Unless you're a bass boomer, I think the 804s will satisfy your needs. Besides, you'll still have money left over for additional gear or more music. Think about it.