B&W N803 vs. Revel F30

Grant,

I have not heard the F30, but the B&W Nautilus 803 is excellent for your music needs. My brother has the same music needs as you and he used a pair of N803 for a few years driven by a Jeff Rowland amplifier. The N803 delivers a wide and deep soundstage with excellent imaging, accurate harmonics and timbre, and a clean midrange withe just a little bit more sweetness and warmth in the vocal midrange compared to a live concert. The well designed enclosure also gives it a box free sound.

At a used price of $3300 to $3500, the N803 is worth every penny. If you can spend $500 to $700 more, a pair of Wilson Watt 3 Puppy 2 is even better than the N803.

One note, if your amp doesn't have at least 150 watts, I wouldn't suggest the N803's. I use the N803's and they didn't live up to their reputation until I put 150 watts to them, ironically it is Jeff Rowland as listed above.

I would go with the B&W N803. First is the look and second is the sound. Although I haven't heard the Revel F30 yet. I am pretty happy with my N803 so far. Brianmgrarcom is right. At the begining, I ran the N803 with 110/channel, terrrible result until I bought the Mcintosh MC352 (350w/c). Huge different.

Why not save yourself a bundle and try a pair of Maggie 1.6's, if you have the space? Huge wide and deep soundstage, and simply amazing is the best way to describe their sound. I too like the N803's allot (haven't heard the Revels), but when you hear people speak of the magical Maggie sound, it's real.

I beg strongly to disagree! If the threadhead had said his requirements were for electronic music (rock/pop/elec jazz/etc.) I would have gone with the recessed-mid N803 also, as those big woofs and searing tweeter do fill the neighborhood!....But he said Opera and Concerti for cripes sake. What's that? GREAT MIDRANGE! We know that the Revel F30 and M20 have the finest midranges anywhere near their pricepoints. Like the N803, the F30 can be tricky to place in the room to get the bass balance correct, so the M20 is actually the safest recommendation. These speakers are balanced with a flatter curve, giving less energy at the extremes than the N803, requiring much less room treatment to tame that splashy Nautilus tweeter, too.
This is NOT meant to be another B&W bash, but but this guy isn't outfitting a disco here, but an opera house. I'd suggest he try to set up the F30. If the bass is too lumpy then get the M20 and maybe a fast sub later. Or maybe the Thiel 2.4 or something else with a fine mid-high bands and crossover region...but NOT the N803 nor 804.
Good Luck.

Thank you all for your replies.

Subaruguru

this is a little B&W bashing for sure.... grant why dont you just go and listen.... you are 100% into classic.... so B&W has always been good for that. The tweeters B&W has the best to me... dont go by looks that would not be fair i have heard both the 803 and the F30 are both superb speakers... i am at the moment in the same dilema... Looking at Revel F50s and B&W 802 or maybe 800s.... my dealer told me to check out ATC maybe you want to do that same

good luck on your quest for the perfect sound..

I can't say that I'm especially fond of either speaker on your list. The F30 sounds decent but I find the looks and cabinet build quality a bit off putting. The N803 is just the opposite, good looks and build quality but a sound that I cannot tolerate (very careful amp matching helps). Although these speaker are heavily advertised and widely available I feel that there are many better options available. I encourage you to check out Magnepans, Von Schwiekerts, Josephs, J M Reynauds, Green Mountains, and ProAcs. I am a little less enthusiastic about the Meadowlarks and Silverlines but they may be worth a listen too.

Greenman.... i know what you mean by looks... but the golden rule in audio is NOT go by looks... it has to be always the sound and only the sound that we are looking to to get the best... if the looks are pleasing then so be it... so find something for the budget you are looking in and then just sit down close your eyes and let the audio guy do his job... you ll feel when the right speaker is playing your favorate tune... so go back to basics and basics is close your eyes and you will see