B&W 805 Diamond vs 805 Siganture

Why do you want to upgrade? You need to understand that answer.

If you're going to spend some decent money, you should go and hear them side by side for yourself. Is the difference worth the difference in the money you'd get selling your 805S and buying the 805 Diamond?

In my own personal experience, I had the B&W Silver Signatures for years and years. In personal comparisions, I wouldn't have traded them for even the 802 Diamond.

I've always heard that the Nautilus and Silver Signature were the two best speakers B&W ever made (I'm only going up through the first Diamond series, I've lost touch since then).

If I were you, I'd go listen to the 805 Diamonds and decide for yourself if they're worth the cost of the upgrade.

But if I were you, knowing what I've experienced, I'd wait for a set of Silver Signatures to pop up on Audiogon and buy them. They're one of the classics in audio for a very good reason!

You may also be better off buying a strong and powerful amp to really push your 805S to see how good they are, you may be happier going that route.

Good luck in your search.

Chuck

They still don't have bass but they are an improvement over the ones you have. If you really want to upgrade then step right past them to the 804D. From everything I have heard it is total knockout and has bass and the FST mid which is simply a superb driver not to mention the fact that in gloss black they are gorgeous!

I recently have had both speakers to include a pair of the 804S'. The 805 Di have a marked audible difference over the S's. Although not floor standing level bass transmission; enough to have happily let both of my 804 and 805s' go.

The bass drivers have been tweaked and when A/B'd- it's difficult to imagine their the same line of speaker. The Di is a plus and better when broken in- to remove the treble tizziness initially experienced.

Very detailed and slightly laid back but absolutely worth the price increase. I added a sub over the weekend that I returned promptly on Monday. Trust yours ears and good luck.

Thanks Jpbas. i just ordered a pair of 802Diamonds. They are replacing my Focal Alto's.

Enjoy your new speakers and let me know what you think...

Regards and good listening.

Talk2me enjoy your new speakers, but you will need a very good amp to reveal the beauty of your new speakers. They really like high current and high volumes.

Nemesis1218 I compared them side by side. Diamond tweeter is way better then the standart one. 805d have a more refine sound IMO. But considering the price, is it worth it? really good question. If you like monitors try Dynaudio Confidence C1 IMO.

Altanpsx:
What are you "current"ly running for speakers? What is your dream speaker from what you've heard so far?

Sorry found it: Dynaudio Sapphires for Altanpsx
Did you happen to hear the 804Ds as well? Thoughts?

"and now for something completely different"
-Monty Python

Do the 805D's use first-order crossovers? Are they now both time and phase aligned?

Yes they use a first order cross to the tweet with a custom gold/silver/oil Mundorf. The Signature also was 1st order.