Is there a big difference or am I wasting money?


I currently have B&W N804. I recently went 5.1 and bought the HTM2 along with some 805S.

I have listed on this site my N804 and if they sell I'll get the 804S. The specs show that the 804S has better bass response.

Is there a big difference? I'm thinking about the 804S because my N804 are 7 years older than the new additions plus the specs for the bass is tempting. Feedback appreciated.

Kevin
128x128tobaccoleafpie
Hello Kevin,
I would say if you were two-channel only, it would be worth the upgrade. If you have a very well-integrated sub, however, there may not be that much difference between the two in the multi-channel application. In stereo mode you would hear the difference, so if you listen much in stereo, it would probably be worth it to change.
Dan
islandman is rite on. with a sub i cannot see what advantage you would gain. the r/l sound on films does not include much low bass material in first place. is the sub operating during 2 channel use? if not then one might justify the upgrade if indeed it is an upgrade as i am unfamiliar with spkrs. if i were you i would be more concerned about matching the spks tonality in midrange than squeezing out fractional amts of deep bass during rare soundtrack moments.
There will be some difference given the 804S' aluminum tweeter and Rocehell woofers but if I were going to upgrade, I'd buy the 803S which is much more balanced in terms of bass and overall presence.

I have the 803Ds for my mains and have listened to the 803S and 804S.
Thanks fellas. I do about 50/50 stereo and multi channel. I have no sub. I thought about the 803S but space and $$$$ is a consideration. Thanks again.
Unless you go to the 803D, you're probably not going to get your money's worth. I went from the N804 to the 804S to the 803D and while the 804S was definitely better than the N804, it wasn't something that I felt made sense financially, but the 803D was.
Thanks all for your feedback. I have about the equivalent of a small or even medium sized car in my living room and this will help my decision making. If my N804 doesn't sell then I'm going to put this on hold for awhile.
Well fellas, the N804 sold and I went ahead and ordered the 803S. I noticed a substantial difference. Really nice.