Haven't heard the 718's but I have had a pair of 805's( N not S). They were replaced by a pair of JM Labs 907bes. The improvement from top to bottom was huge. Detail without brightness/harshness, warmth in the mids and deeper more controlled bass. 907's pop up occasionally and they are a steal, they were a limited edition replaced by the Electra 1007be series. I haven't heard those but they should be easy enough to find for an audition. I only sold the 907's to get their bigger brother the 927bes which I still have and will not part with, fantastic speakers. Fond memeroies of the 907's. Good Luck. |
I use Jeff Rowland Concerto Integrated (250w - 8 ohm), Weiss DAC2, Audioquest Sky, Volcano and NRG-5 cables, Fisch AC passive filter and an Aavik rack with Nordost Pulsar Points and to me the system sounds fabulous. I tottaly recommend the JR for Be-718 - great damping factor, very dynamic amp with lost of power. The Be's seem to open up only when fed lots of power. Without great wattage they sound dull. Try to meet the requirements and you will be rewarded. Cheers. |
I have to agree with Soix, although I think the improvement over the 805's is in more than just bass weight and extension. You can take that with a grain of salt if you want since I am an Usher dealer. But, being an Usher dealer I will also confirm what Soix said as well about the power. 100 wpc is not enough, in my opinion, to show what the BE-718's can do. There are other speaker options that would match better with the power of this amp. |
I would think you'd at the very least hear a very big improvement in bass weight and extension since this is an area of strength for the Ushers and not so much for the 805s. That said, I don't think the Ushers will open up and sound their best with 100wpc as many reviewers have stated they really need/appreciate more power to show what they can do.
That aside, I would think something like Silverline 17.5s could offer a significant upgrade and work fine with your amp. Best of luck. |
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(Semi):"BE-718 is a definite upgrade from B&W 805. B&W tweeter can sound hard and cold, missing the harmonic richness and details of finer tweeters. I have owned 802N and BE-718 both and 802N..."
Tweeter on the 802"N" (or N805) is not the same as on the 805"S". The latter is much smoother and far from "hard and cold".
When you guys mention the 805's in your comparisons, please specify if they are the N805 or the 805S. The 805S are just superior in every way. |
Yeah, I have to agree with emerging consensus about the Be-718's - they are really good.
If you want something completely different from the 805's, take a look at the Harbeth Compact 7ES-3. Music, music, music. |
Owned a set of 805s for a few years and are now listening to the Be-718 (close to two years). No comparison, a much grander speakers the Be-718 in every way. They go both higher and lower with more impact and lively midrange. The B&W sounded lean in my opinion and couldn't really "bloom" or reveal music from the inside out. Clinical and analytical in comparison--like the wiz kid who knew hard facts and science but couldn't boogie and emotion-less.
YMMV,
Kenobi |
BE-718 is a definite upgrade from B&W 805. B&W tweeter can sound hard and cold, missing the harmonic richness and details of finer tweeters. I have owned 802N and BE-718 both and 802N only lasted a couple months for me despite its cool look, I will take BE-718 any day for its ability to reproduce inner harmonic better than most speakers out there at 2X the price. |
thanks for the info guys, im not so sure on the be718's anymore, i will still try to find a place to listen to them though
but, what would you guys suggest as an "upgrade" to b&w 805's? how much would i have to spend to see improvement and what speakers are a good choice? if anything, i'm looking for something warmer |
I agree with DanielK141. Audition them and see how you like them. |
Do you have a friend or dealer with a broken in pair?
These take a couple of hundred hours to fully break in.
Until they do, they sound exactly like their detractors say they do.
I do have a bias. I own 2 pair & the matching center.
This is the first tweeter to sound better, to me, than my Avalon Avatars.
And my Avalons equal or better any comparable size B&W speaker I've heard.
These speakers are truly revealing. They remind me of my Magnepan 3.3Rs, any improvement in equipment upstream of the speaker is rewarded.
Why don't you audition a pair (if possible in your system for an extended time) and then post a thread on your results.
Your opinion is the only one that matters. Our input is valid in our systems, with our room acoustics, and our taste. |
I too liked my old 805's better than the Tiny Dancer. I thought they were better in every way. Maybe an audition first. Listen to them both side by side. |
Big downgrade.
The 718 are highly overrated.
I had a pair here for a couple weeks; drove them with a pair of highly regarded Class A solid state amps as well as Class D amps.
Chalk on a chalkboard. Much too analytical and clinical for my ears.
Stay with the 805; they are the lesser of 2 evils.
IMO |
I've heard both of these speakers and would say they produce a very 'colored' un-natural sound. I suggest you hear some single driver speakers to put balance in your evaluation before making an switch. |
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That sounds more like a downgrade. |
