B&W Silver Signature 30 how are they?

I recently had the opportunity to purchase a pair of S30’s from the original owner of these fine speakers. This pair is in mint condition. What a find! Aside from the fact that they are not the last word in terms of lowest bass…….I love them! I had 804D3’s. These easily sound better. And the cabinetry is the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

I haven't heard the N803, only the S(N)800 / N801 / N802 / N805... The bass extension was solid to around 35 Hz but deep bass wasn't there. I compare the N802 with the SS30 and the benefits of the rest of the Sig 30 far outweighed the bass strength of the N802. In any event, I used a sub to supplement the bass.

In comparison to the SS25, there were differences between the two speakers. The response of the SS30 was smoothed out and considered better than the SS25. The quality of the drivers and crossover elements were of the same standards. The midrange and tweeter in both the SS30 and SS25 used silver voice coils, internal silver wire, and silver components in the crossover. The bass components of the SS30 did not use silver. The SS25 had an external crossover whereas the crossover of the SS30 was in a seperate box that was floated at the bottom of the SS30 cabinet.

Hope this helps...

Thanks Slartibartfast

How is the bass extension - compared to N803 or N802? Are the top-end (mid and tweeter) comparable with the SS25 in quality?

SATMIT

Based om what I've heard of this speaker, it's a B&W speaker I'd actually buy. I'm not a B&W fan, but these are good speakers. I would make the trip.

The SS30 is a wonderful speaker and I am kicking myself for selling my pair. It has an absolutely wonderful tweeter and midrange. The one thing it lacks is low bass extension. The only other B&W speaker that I have heard compete with it is the Nautilus/Signature 800. For the money on the used market, you would be hard pressed to find a speaker that can compete with the strengths of the SS 30. Also, the finish on them is absolutely stunning!

You can find a review here at Stereophile: http://stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/272/

Mr. Atkinson seems to feel that our little 805n's (my first speaker) was an attempt by B&W to reproduce the sound of the silver signature for 1/3 the price. So, if they are a steal go for them. If they are not a steal you might look at the new 704s. I think you'd gain maybe a little more refinement and transparency as they were at one time B&W's top of the line. As a bonus you can sell the 805's and recoup much of what you put into them (I did), or you can keep them and be one speaker away from an ass-kicking surround system. Enjoy yourself no matter what and happy Thanksgiving.
Best,
Keith