B&W D3s have landed


Just got the call this morning. My dealer's demo 802, 803 and 804 demos have arrived. Can't wait to see and hear them.
Ag insider logo xs@2xgreginnh
Post removed 
You definitely need more time listening to both if that's the ridiculous conclusion you have reached. 
Post removed 
Thanks! for sharing your listening experience bcgator.
former B&W 805N owner here whom still believes that this speaker  is the sweet spot within the lineup. Match it with a REL subwoofer and you are musically set. Happy Listening!
@greginnh

You had listening session ( Luxman L590ax / 803D3 ). Do you think Luxman had enough current to easily drive 803D3 ?



@Jldouglas

Thanks, it was a long post but I wanted to be thorough about the experience. Regarding your comment about hoping for a night/day difference given the price increase, I know how you feel. On the one hand, for all that extra money, you want to hear big improvements, you want them to make it easy to write the bigger check. But on the other hand, if it were a night/day difference that would almost be an indictment of the D2, as if there were so many things "off" about the D2 that it was easy to improve it dramatically. And I don't think that's the case...even if you're not a B&W fan, and I know many people are not, it's hard to argue that it's not a fine speaker. Small improvements? Sure, why not. But massive improvements...I can't get there.

@Bill_k

You couldn't be more correct! I agree - they are very different products, and I've greatly enjoyed both at different points along the way. I almost didn't include the note about the SF, so as not to appear to be trying to lure people in that direction, but figured people would take it the way you did...just another brand to consider, and I think many B&W shoppers probably are considering SF at the same time.

I will say that where both make it easy to feel good about writing the check is that they both share superb build quality, tactile feel and fit and finish. I don't mind spending the money when I know that blood, sweat & tears went into the engineering and materials, and someone cared to make sure it went out the door looking flawless and beautifully crafted. Both B&W offer that with the 800 Series and Olympicas.
Sonus faber and B&W speakers have very different sound qualities. I greatly prefer the SFs for their inherent musicality and very involving sound, while a different listener will prefer the B&W sound. To each their own, listen and make your choice as to which you prefer to live with.
Great write up Bcgator! I'm waiting for my local dealer to get the 803D3's in to listen, and am interested to see how they stack up against the D2's. Given the price increase on that particular model at least (about 50%) you'd hope for a night / day difference.

Interesting regarding the comparison to the Olympica's. One comparison I've been debating is the new 803 and the Guarneri Evo's, which my dealer didn't have on the showroom floor, but did listen to the Amati's and that certainly set a high bar for the B&W (I'm guessing the Guarneri will "sound" better, whereas the 803 is going to have the fuller bass, we'll see).
Visited the Magnolia in Scottsdale, AZ yesterday to see and hear the new D3 line. I hadn't been to this particular store in probably 10 years, they really took it upscale (not surprising given the neighborhood and demographics) The listening room we were in was really nice, with full wall treatments, nice furniture, and very uncramped - the speakers were spread out nicely so they could be positioned easily and as far into the room as necessary They carry B&W, Sonus Faber, REL, Martin Logan, Rotel, Arcam, McIntosh and a few others.

Mainly went to hear the 805D3 next to the 805D2, which they still had in stock. For that session, gear was all Rotel. Can't speak to the cables. I'm a former B&W owner, had 704, 805, 805 Signature, PM1, but have since moved on to Wilson Benesch & BMC. But I think I know the B&W sound well enough.

In terms of the 805D2 vs D3, they do sound different. The rep put on some Beyonce song just to demonstrate the low-end, but really turned it up to volume levels that I couldn't handle for more than 30 seconds and which I would consider physical torture for the drivers. But at those levels, I could hear the difference easily - the D2 doesn't quite have the grunt or push of the D3. It wasn't enough of a difference to make me think the D2 was lacking, more of a "that's a noticeable improvement" sort of reaction. But that difference didn't make itself blatantly obvious until we hit volume levels that I found uncomfortable. But if a buyer is trying to fill a larger room with sound, and isn't adding a sub, I can see them choosing the D3 for that little extra weight down low.

To test vocals, we started with Melody Gardot, and my wife liked the D3, and both the Magnolia rep and I liked the D2 more but it was too close and I don't even know if I could describe why - if we did the same song over and over, back and forth, it may have been a coin flip over which we liked better. The new D3 only had about 100 hours on them, and the rep felt that with more break-in we'd change our minds and go with the D3. The D3 did sound a hair more open, with more presence, but there seemed to be a hint more grain that maybe I didn't pick up on with the D2. Chalk that up to break-in maybe.

We did try a few more discs that I'd brought from home, and I think my main takeaway wasn't about preference, D2 vs. D3, but more that there was a difference but it was not "night and day". As I was sitting listening, I kept having this same thought..."there are going to be buyers in this same seat, hearing what I'm hearing, and they're going to take advantage of the firesale pricing on the D2 and buy those and save a few thousand bucks". I'm sure the D3 are "better", and there were points where we heard things differently over the D2, but to my 48 year old ears I just can't call the differences huge, or earth-shattering, or industry-changing. The hard part that buyers are going to have is seeing the prices of pre-owned D2, or even dealer markdowns on D2, and then deciding if the big price gap up to the D3 is worth it. I'm not so sure it would be, and I'm not saying that from the standpoint of someone who's trying to save money. As always, the room and ancillary equipment make a difference, so someone else in a different room may find the D3 to be dramatically better than the D2, but in the room we were in on the Rotel equipment the differences weren't dramatic.

Just for fun, we also listened to the 802D3, on all McIntosh gear. With Melody Gardot, you didn't just hear her breathiness in the words, you could actually feel them. That sense of body and weight was really nice. Yet, we also played the first song from the "Titanic" soundtrack, which has some very heavy bass effects that hit like a rumble every so often throughout the song but they just weren't there. In our living room, with the BMC Purevox, those low-end effects will vibrate my wife's trinkets hanging in the nearby decorated alcove, so they aren't so low that you need a sub to hear them. But they just weren't there in the demo yesterday. And while the 802D3 did sound big and bold, there was no room-size soundstage, no wall-of-sound effect. Hard to describe - they sounded fine, but if I'd gone in to buy them I'm not sure I'd have come home with them. Maybe it was the room, or maybe they weren't broken-in enough (120 hours on them, if I recall).

One last note, which may not may not be helpful to those who are only shopping B&W. We listened to just one song, more Melody Gardot, on a pair of the Sonus Faber Olympica III in that same room, again with all McIntosh gear. For that midrange sweetness that you want with female vocals, the Olympica III sounded better than either of the B&W. They didn't have the fullness or low-end of the 802D3 - I listen to a lot of rock, so I don't know that I'd personally choose the Olympica III, but if that day comes when I only listen to classical/acoustic/vocalists I'd pick the Olympica over either of the B&W. It's a hard thing to describe, but the Olympica were like a can of warm soup on a cold day, just a beautiful, smooth, grain-free sound. I just don't know I'd want to crank "Comfortably Numb" on them.

As for the B&W, if you heard what I heard, and you are wanting to take advantage of the markdowns and buy some D2 but are hesitating out of fear that you're missing something or are crazy, you may not be crazy. Full disclosure - I don't have any D2 for sale!
I got to listen to the 803D3 for about 3 hours over the weekend with my gear at my AR. Luxman L590ax, Luxman D06U with Nordost Frey 2 cables. The speakers sound much better than the 802D2s. Much more presence and definition to the music. The speakers sound really, really good.

I would encourage anyone interested to give them a good listen. You will be in for a treat!
Guys-

as you audition this newest set of B&W speakers, please post your thoughts & impressions. Include all associated gear in your reviews, especially, cables/power cords.

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
Once I can find a dealer willing to sell me a pair of the 803 D3s at a discounted price, I'm ready to buy a pair.
They sound incredible. Very realistic sounding notes. I'm going to play with them some more tomorrow to see how toe-in affects the sound stage, but as it stands, the notes from high to low frequency sound extremely realistic with proper attack and decay. As a musician, it blew my mind...