@clearthinker , wow that is interesting considering I had my 803 D2’s for 8 years with no issue. Maybe they made an improvement in the the D2 generation? As I understand it, the 802, 803, and 800 all use the same tweeter in the D2 range.
I very rarely play music at volumes louder than “moderate”, so if that thin wire connecting the voice coil is the culprit, then perhaps it’s less subject to becoming disconnected and failing at lower volumes.
That said, I really like the sound of this speaker, of this particular generation, paired with my Gryphon Diablo 300. Therefore I may even pick up more spares than the three I’ve ordered. I see them as a very expensive lightbulb that possibly requires changing each 7 years! That’s a $120/year USD cost of ownership. Cheaper than owning a car, at least!
Of note, I’m not so much a fan of any B&W’s other than the D2 generation paired with my amp. I’ve tested the D2 generation on many other amps, and the D3. And D4 range, and found them to have a harsh upper midrange on certain material, but not so with the D2 gen with my amp. I have never found their tweeters to be bright however, as I know many do.
Really enjoying this pairing, and to me it’s worth the investment in spare tweeters…
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@nyev Was around 2000 and hard to remember exactly now. Say 7 years?
B&W use the same or nearly the same tweeters in most of their top range speakers. What is the experience with other models?
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@clearthinker , after approximately how many years did your B&W tweeters fail?
I’ve placed an order for three replacement tweeters. Very expensive but I reminded myself I’ve saved much, much more by buying a pair of used speakers instead of a very pricey pair of new ones.
The store I purchased the speakers from is also immediately sending a tweeter they had on hand, so that I can sell my prior B&W 803’s which are now in need of a tweeter.
As an aside, I never had any issue with my 803’s after owning them for 8 years.
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I bought the original 801s around 1994. Some years later both tweeters stopped working close in time to each other. No misuse, loud volumes, connection pops.
Seems B&W may have a problem with this. I had them re-tweetered, I thought the cost was high, sold and moved back to full-range electrostatics, where I have remained since.
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@larry5729 , on Monday (tomorrow) when they are back in the shop, they will check to see if they have a D2 series tweeter that they can send to me. Otherwise, they will have to order one for me from B&W. We'll see how it turns out. But yeah considering the comments, I think it might be worth picking up a couple spare tweeters myself, despite the very high cost. At least I have a working pair of 802's.
My problem is I have a local buyer interested in my old 803's, which now are down one tweeter as that tweeter is now tweeting happily in my 802's. I need to decide whether to move the tweeter back to my 803's to facilitate the immediate sale, an potentially be without any speakers for many months while I'm waiting for a new tweeter to arrive from B&W. As I'm typing this, I don't think I will do that; I want my new speakers to be functional...
I am hoping the shop will have a spare tweeter, in perfect working condition, that they can send to me.
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So, what is the well reviewed retail shop doing for you?
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The tweeters in the D series B&Ws are prone to failure and there will not necessarily be any sign of damage.
Getting spares from B&W is becoming problematic but, with persistence, they usually materialise in the end.
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Just order a new tweeter and install it yourself
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I recently did something stupid (which will remain unmentioned) and lost all sound from a 702 S2 tweeter. I took a chance and ordered a new tweeter not wanting to have to go through the hassle of taking it in for repairs and hoping/gambling that it wasn’t a crossover issue. I ordered a replacement tweeter from a store on eBay as the B&W online store was showing not available. It turned out to be a good news story as the tweeter showed up in a few days, the replacement was relatively easy (after watching a few really good B&W tweeter replacement videos on YouTube), and my speakers are as good as new.
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@sfstereo , found my multimeter. Forgot I had another toolbox. The faulty tweeter, as expected, shows an open load (infinite resistance).
@audphile1 , the retailer has been very responsive even late last night, and has said they will try to figure out how to get me a new tweeter (either through a spare that they have in the shop, or ordering through B&W). If through B&W, the lead time will be very long, I assume. I'm sure that the retailer must have missed doing a thorough check of the speakers when they acquired them to sell.
@jon_5912 , guessing your theory is correct regarding this tiny wire constantly flexing and eventually breaking. I’m wondering about purchasing a backup tweeter from B&W just in case - I plan to have these speakers for a very long time, as I feel I’ve managed to get to my "lifetime system". But you know how these things go. The replacement tweeter is very expensive though - they list it at over $800 USD (this is just for the tweeter itself, not for the full assembly which I wouldn’t need and is even more expensive). Wonder if I should pick up a spare crossover too!
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There is a tiny wire to the coil and since the coil moves the wire constantly flexes and eventually will break. It may be visible, maybe need a magnifying class. My guess is that it's not fixable, at least not without specialized tools. I've had a couple of tweeters go this way due to a faulty crossover.
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I wouldn’t sweat it about crossover damage if it sounds fine.
Just enjoy it. I would insist though to get reimbursed for new twitter.
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@sfstereo Good idea. Went to find my multimeter and it’s not in my toolbox! Will have to hunt for it. Haven’t used it for a year or so…
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It’s unlikely the crossover since tweeter from your 803D works in the 802D. Have you measured the resistance of the bad tweeter? You can measure the one from 803D for reference and compare the two. Typically it’s between 4 to 8 ohms. The voice coil may be open. The wires that connect to the voice coil is super thin and can be damaged easily.
rich
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One question, in my research I’ve found that in some cases where tweeters have failed, I’ve noted there are some cases where there is also crossover damage.
The speakers work perfectly with the tweeter from my 803D2’s, but I thought it could be worth inspecting the crossover just in case?
I believe the crossover is in the pedestal, so accessing it looks fairly easy with Allen bolts on the bottom. Any advice on how to verify the crossover? I have a multimeter (and I know how to use it) and can check resistances at appropriate places to check.
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@audphile1 I think you must be right. After the store also suggested that I install a tweeter from my 803D2 into the failing 802D2, the 802D2’s now work perfectly and sound great!
I tested the tweeter in my 803D2 and it still fails.
The dead tweeter looks perfect, with no damage at all. It just fails to make any sound!
I’ve asked the store to send me a new teeter. On B&W’s website it says that tweeter will be available to ship soon, but I’ve heard that in general B&W is often delayed far beyond their reported availability dates.
Good new is I really like the 802 D2’s now….
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@nyev either the retailer never tested these speakers to verify they were working properly or something happened in transit (doubt it). Start simple - check the connections if you can pull the tweeter.
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Lol…. After doing a bit of research, I strongly suspect that the tweeters in my 803 D2’s are the same as in the 802 D2’s. I couldn’t find definitive proof because there is no tweeter listed on the B&W parts page that says it’s for the 802 D2. I suspect they forgot to add the 802 D2 model to the tweeter that is listed to be compatible with the 803 D2.
I watched a YouTube and it looks simple enough to swap out. Might try swapping out the dead tweeter for my 803 D2 tweeter tomorrow…
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Look on the bright side; your ears will only hurt half as much.
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I had a similar failure of my 802's.. it's easy to take out the old and install a new one.
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I should also mention, should it come to it, I am handy with a soldering iron.... I've heard you can order service parts from B&W for older models, but I expect it would take a long time as they'd likely need to make the part as a special order....
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