B&W 805 Nautilus for PC?


I picked up a used pair of 805 Nautilus at an estate sale for $500.  I could not test them and had to take a gamble.  My plan was to use them for my computer as I spend a lot of time working at my desk and wanted something better than my horrible Bose multimedia speakers.  I am in search of a good integrated amp but in the meantime I am using an old Denon 1908 receiver to run them.  They sound terrible.  I am not sure if it is the Denon or the speakers.  Is there a good integrated you would recommend that might make these things sing?


mobiusmu
I meant, avoid equalizing above 150-250 Hz (i.e. the so called Schroder frequeency) for peaks (due to room modes).
In addiiton, however, you can also use the Equalizer Apo as a traditional tone control or even better as an imitation of the old Quad tilt control to change the tonal character by lifting or reducing the response over a longer part of the frequency response.
For measurement the best option is the free REW software and a calibrated microphone like the UMIK-1. That does not need to cost an arm and a leg. REW is not particularly user friendly, so you will have to spend a bit of time. If, as I suspect in a home office, you are using a computer as a source, you can equalize in software. And of course, when you are at it, you can also measure the system in the family room. If you are not using a computer there, you would need a mini dsp. Avoid equalizing above about 150-250 Hz.
@willemj 
I am not sure how to measure the response but I will google it and try to measure them.

@erik_squires 
They are bi-wireable but I have them wired into the top post with a jumper.  I disconnected the jumpers and the tweeters are working.

I moved the speakers into the family room and replaced my KEF R300's with them and plugged them into my Sunfire TGA7401 and they sounded a little bit better but not as good as my KEF's.

I appreciate everyone's feedback!
Ignore the distractions here. Find out if the tweeters are working to find out if there is too little high or too much low, see what the speakers do in a different position, on tall stools and away from walls and surfaces, measure the response in that position and on your desk, and take it from there. In short, find the facts.
I suspect you should run them like burn in, I don’t think the denon receiver and your cable are the right one for the 805 ,silver are good for those speakers..clear day cables are silver affordable , to get the most out of it....get good receiver...
Are they bi-wireable? Try disconnecting the tweeter section. Does it sound the same? If so, tweets aren't working.
The sonic contribution from electronics is usually quite small compared to speakers. Therefore, changing that is unlikely to change the sound very much (unless you are using your computer’s internal soundcard/DAC - they are often terrible).
However, there are a few things that may help. The first is that the tweeter should be at ear level, and as exactly as possible. I use Harbeth P3ESRs desktop speakers and lifted them a bit from my desk, for proper response. In addition, I was suffering from a boomy bass due to the proximity of the desk, and raising the speakers made quite a difference. Second, if, as I did, you still find they are too boomy/muffled, and if you are using a Windows computer as a source, you may use the Equalizer Apo software to tame the bass. I measured the response with REW, and created an equalization file to reduce some bass peaks. I downloaded that into Equalizer Apo and it did clean up the sound. Good luck.
They definitely are not bright.  They sound muffled, almost like there is a pane of glass between me and the speakers.  The louder I turn them up the better they sound but still not great.  I do have them pointed directly at me.
terrible how?  Those are a little bit bright and will be brighter nearfield.  They also don't have the best off-axis response so if I were you I'd point them directly at you.  You might need some felt or something over the tweeters to lower the treble volume a little bit. 
I like the small NAD hybrid units. The NAD D 3020 has lots of inputs and plenty of power for desktop use. Also sound pretty good, especially compared to their first Masters series. They make a larger version, but it is digital input only, and limited inputs.

I also recommend IsoAcoustics stands.

Best,

E