Bowers and Wilkerson B&W 802 D3: an impolite Brit?

I have found that every B & W speaker I have auditioned over the past few years came across as bright, edgy and very fatiguing.

B&W speakers never had bass bellow 50hz. It's just another Bose or JBL where you can find one or two models that are actually OK.

Title of my post should be Bowers and Wilkins...so used to just calling them B & W. Oops.

"10-12-15: Tompoodie
Title of my post should be Bowers and Wilkins...so used to just calling them B & W. Oops."

They still suck either way.

Unfortunately, Tom, I think Bowers and Wilkins or B&W (whatever the name) has followwed the path of KEF, Rogers, and possibly a few other traditional British speakers, and are/have been playing to the America consumer ears of bright, possibly harsh sound. I owned a pair B&W Matrix3 MKII in 1988, and there were times I thought the top end sounded strident....and at the time I had a Conrad Johnson tube PV-8 pre-amp.

I loved those speaker, but after a while could not endure their sound. No, they were neither defective, nor underpowered; even though, I was a journey salesman in a high end audio store, and was able to buy a system for almost half off.

I think much of the quandary over excellent sound quality (call it euphonic, musical, engaging, easy to listen to) lies with the slow and anemic improvement in CD technology since 1985. Why, I have no idea!! If you spent $6000 to $10,000 beginning in early 1990's you probably got better sound. I had a Sonographe Beta 1 for years before buying a Rega Apollo. Both had their faults and limitations However, I worked to find a used mint Ayre CX 7E mp 2 (which sells new for $3700) I finally bought a used mint one on AG for $1750 and had it fully upgraded for $300. Good Deal!! I have to say it destroys every CD player I have heard in last 10 years under $7000.

So, crappy quality CD's together with the big software producers's "promise" of lower prices and better recorded CD and alternative formats sustained this venue. Whether this happened serendipitously or by corporate conspiracy to keep basically shit software in stores until along came the magic DAC, followed by computer audio, Music Servers, and the entire inventory of new equipment for a new "Golden Age Of Sound"...and of course sales of a variety of software sources, and related hardware to accommodate this new era.

My point is: when several venerable British companies saw that the warm smoky mellow sound and weak bass of their speakers was not cutting it any more, many changed their design and marketing strategies to produce a "JBL type" speaker sound to accommodate much of the lucrative North America market; these developments, unfortunately. collided, or intersected with the inertia of CD manufacturers to improve the sound of players without glare, edge, a shitload of digital artifacts. Rega and few other tried their best, but the truth lay in spotty amd inconsistent recording quality of CD's. Therefore, you and I and others are in a dilemma as what to do regarding speakers whether floor standing behemoths, or bookshelf to medium size monitors

I just sold my excellent floorstanders because I am tired of having broken balls and a broken back lugging them around, and trying to locate the ideal "sweet spot" in my 12 X15 room. Interestingly, I am looking for a high quality monitor to carrying most of the load of a classic rock, and jazz fusion CD collection. I am currently looking closely at the B&W CM-5S2 ($1800) or CM6 S2( more dough). I am almost literally shitting my pants that I am going to possibly buy an ear-bleeder (despite my price range of $2000-2500), and despite the so called changes in speaker technology.

However, I refuse to bite the bullet and buy one the newer Harbeth monitors which are lighting up the audio magazines nd blogs with many stellar reviews, or Devore speaker, with models ranging between a cool $4000 to $12,000,...or the Raidhho X-1 monitor for $14,000 plus Many members may rabidly disagree with me, but I have been around long enough to remember when the audio listening experience was fun, satisfying, and generally affordable. Good Luck!!!