B W Nautilus 805

The Nautilus are as neutral as any speaker on this planet. What that means is that what you hear out of them is the character of your source and your amplification. I have heard all the Nautilus speakers and they sound completely different with different source/amplification combos. The 805's are not good value unless you have world beating (in terms of absolute performance, not value) source/amplification, in which case it is a must audition in the bookshelf category. Do not buy these for your Rotel CD/amplifier combo; do get them for your Wadia/Mark Levinson.

Thanks to everyone!

For me, although good, the B&Ws sound kind of dry and analytical, lack bass, and are very picky in terms of amplification. I A/Bd them with the Soliloquy 5.0s that cost half as much and I thought they embarassed the 805s, even without considering the price differential. Speakers are, more than any other component, an individual preference affair, but I think B&W's hype far outweighs its performance in terms of pure musicality. Best of luck.

Tim

Nice midrange. Nice imaging. Could do better.

The 805s are more adept at revealing the quality of the electronics and source material than most speakers. They have excellent build quality and an examination of the internal components of the tweeter assembly and woofer enclosure reveal excellent quality and value. The crossover is concealed in the heat dissipation plate on the bottom. The sound quality is exceptional. They do not prodiuce much bass below 50-60hZ.

Let me clarify. I think the N805's are built well. I just do not see $2K reflected in the build. The veneer is just ok, the plastic tweeter housing is lame, the grills are bad, and besides the nice WBT connectors that connector pan is cheap. I suggest you do not open the N805's as you will see whats not inside.

By contrast the Soliloquy 5.0s @$895 brand new have the following:
Beautiful veneer way nicer than the 805's
Solid like a rock even without matrix
Hand wired crossover
Back Panel is much nicer then N805's
The grills are nicer
Internally wired with Straightwire wiring

I don't mean to knock the 805's totally I just don't consider them a value.

Eldragon, I did very seriously consider the ACI's but went with the Sol's due to impedance and matching to my AE 25 Superamp. They sound great and am very happy even after living with N805's.

I want everyone to know my experience in the hope it may not only help others but illustrate my personal audio philosophy (VALUE).

Krell, i am surprised that you haven't check into ACI Sapphire's? You visit the AudioAsylum and you heard opinions of many about these great speakers. I chose Sapphires over Soliloquy 5.3.

Krell, your particular experience is certainly valid and adds depth to the discussion here, but shoddy? I don't think so, and neither has anyone that I have ever met.

I've owned two pairs of 805s for the past year. Paired with an ASW2000, these are remarkable speakers. Since I made this purchase there has not been a single day that I do not look forward to coming home and listening to music.

Having owned the N805's for quite a while and then switching speakers to the Soliloquy 5.0s bookshelves I will say the following. Overpriced, shoddy construction for $2K, good sound, harsh treble at times, and require real power and money in the amplifier. I like my 5.0s better, and they were $895.

Agree with the others except to dispute the opinion that bad recordings are unlistenable. The top end is very sweet but they are also very revealing so make sure the rest of the chain is top notch and match components carefully.

First class sound, if a bit reserved. Rewarding over time, but needs good equipment to go with it. Pride in owning one of the finest small speakers made.

Good recordings sound fabulous, poor recordings sound almost unlistenable no matter how good the music is.

Midrange, midrange and some more of it.... it doesn't exceed in low or high frequencies. Sometimes can be harsh at the top or not so tight down there, but over-all picture fabulous! It does most important things just right!