2. speakers
  3. 1444609261

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

I heard the new Bowers and Wilkerson 802 D3 today, only the second time they have been heard in public, at an L.A. Audio society event. They have a very large soundstage, and are exceptionally dynamic. The bass is not as good as Magico for example, because of the ported design, but is nonetheless quite good. Detail is excellent, perhaps to a fault. What I don't like about them is that they are quite forward, an anomaly among British speakers. I was experiencing listening fatigue after an hour.I don't know if that is the diamond tweeter, or simply how the speaker/crossover is voiced. Tone of the speakers is not quite real. Being this forward and somewhat more detailed than real life, sells well, but does not please as years and decades go by in my opinion.
FWIW, my mom still has a series 802 that I still find pleasing, and neither too forward or polite, with sealed woofer and bextrene midrange.
Not too sound like sour grapes, it is fabulous pop/rock and home theater speaker, and worth its price given the economy of scale B & W possesses and 8 year redesign effort by a talented team with huge technical resources...but the tone thing is critical for jazz/classical/acoustic instrument lovers. I don't think it's the right choice for them. I am a high quality 2 way stand mount plus subwoofer kind of guy.
(Harbeth Compact 7 ES3 with REL Strata III sub)
Your thoughts?

Tom
tompoodie
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
3,159 posts
 
Ok, so I sold my 802D2's and picked up a pair of Krell Resolution 2 speakers on the used market.  I had heard them when they first came out and was very impressed but not in an environment conducive to a large floor stander.  After having owned Wilson WP6's and Sophia's as well as the B&W's I can say that the Krell Res 2's are simply better at conveying music.  They may be bested in certain measurements albeit marginally so, but for listening to complex classical music where you have various natural instruments being reproduced, they sound absolutely authentic to the tone, voice and dynamics involved with all the overtones and acoustic intact!  Everything sounds stunningly realistic and accurate at any volume level and they can go very loud and clean.  For $3300 they are comparable to with speakers in the &15k to $25k range.

dinster
76 posts
 
Mates what are y'all talking about. I can only comment on the 802 D2, as it is the only B&W i have heard correctly setup. (By the way they always sound appalling in the dealer show rooms paired with MacIntosh and Classe.) They are not harsh and edgy at all, full bodied and heaps of correct tonality of instruments. They go deep, very deep, my only criticism is that I seem to have just a tad too much bass.
It is a Sh** load of speaker for the money, and this comes from economies of scale. Unfortunately in the high end business unless the component is rare or virtually unobtainable it does not rate. Anything common has to be trash, especially if it is not grossly overpriced. To guarantee a rave review there has to be an outrageous price tag? I would rate the 802D2 above the Magico S5 for instance. I use Ayre MXR/KXR, Audiaflight Phono, Atlas, Kuzma 4 point, Clearaudio, just to put my opinion in context. 
I just love the B&W bashing threads, because it allowed me to get mine at half price:) and if you are interested my milk stays fresh for at least 2 weeks!!
Keep up the good work

jwarnersd
5 posts
 
I have heard the 804 d3 with 4  different amps sounded great with 3 of  them. A little bright with the arcam avr 850 and i would think be a little fatiguing with extended listening time.
I  Wound up buying the 804d3, i love the look and the sound.  The new midrange driver is the star of the show. Also purchased the  HTM2 d3 and is way better than any center I have heard from B&W.
I Couldn't fit the 802 or 803 in my space so didn't even audition them at length. The 804d3 are roughly the same size and weight as the 802s3 matrix I replaced....
  Very happy with the my choice , i listened to Wilson Sophia's, aerial 6t and 7t, PCM and sonus Faber.  The 804 and aerial 7t were the 2 finalists. Liked both but went with name, resale and smaller size for my space. Kept the last B&W for 19 years, don't plan on getting rid of them but always a nice option to have a 2ndary market
rkeshavan
3 posts
 
I have a newly acquired pair of 802D3's, which I upgraded (at full value) from my 804D2's , and I have to say I absolutely love them!  I'm driving them with a new Bryston 4 cubed, and they match the speakers beautiful.  They made a huge difference to the 804's, also, but when I got the 802's in, and as they're breaking in now, everything is getting really smooth and even.  I do need to get some sound panels for my rear and side walls, but I'm immensely happy with these speakers, never get tired of them.  One of the things I love about them is how well they sound at lower volumes, but crank them up, and they sound incredible!  The midrange is very well balanced with the high end, and the bass is nice and deep, but not overpowering.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
Be careful when you audition....very slight anoyances can quickly make the component an ad on audiogon in very short order.  I had a B&W 802D ....bought it much too fast after my wife passed....needed a present I guess.....got rid of the speakers quickly.
More to discover