How old are the 803s? What edition are they? That amp/pre combo will sound good driving the Kantas but better than the B&Ws is going to depend on which model.
Looking at Focal
I'm looking to replace my B&W 803s for the Focal Kanta 3. It's hard for me to travel so can't go listen. What differences could I expect I have an upgraded Carver TFM 45 & a 1070 Rotel pre.
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I brought the kanta3 home for a week long demo, they were the store demos and had plenty of hours on them. In my room there was a 10 dB peak at 100 hz down to-20 at 80hz and gone by 60 hz! The mids and treble were smooth and enjoyable and I liked the sound stage, moved them around and in that week couldn’t get the bass right so they went back. The experts say everything below 300hz is the room and my room has humbled larger speakers than these. If I used subs I probably would have kept them but I moved on. |
Can't comment on your specific B&W but I did demo current 802D along side Kanta 3. I ended up with the Kanta 3. I thought the Kantas had a more precise and larger soundstage, more robust bass and highs that were detailed without being harsh. I also prefered the look of the Focals and characteristics of the flax drivers and beryllium tweeters over diamond and Kevlar. |
Not to throw a wrench into things but at the price point of the kanta 3 you might want to take a look at the magico a3. Imo they are a better built speaker that I would say beats the focal in terms of resolution and has tighter bass and better staging when properly setup. They are more demanding of the equipment feeding them though. |
Magico are a better speakers, and I hear that the A5 is game changer https://www.soundstageglobal.com/index.php/product-debuts/magico-a3-december-2017/739-magico-a3-loudspeaker-the-sound |
Good luck and have fun in your search. I too shop exclusively in the used market. Speakers obviously present a greater challenge to buying and reselling, but can still be handled with some effort. Be sure and watch each speaker's respective present value in the marketplace and pay a fair price. I enjoy the research and hearing other's experiences with audio gear, but understand that it is not necessarily transferable to my system. I have Platinum Audio Quattros that have four 4.5in drivers...good bass isn't possible, right?? Well, I can tell you that in my large space of 16x45 with 10' ceilings, their bass out-performed Focal 1038Be with those three 7in woofers! They were also too bright for my taste so I resold. I recently got a pair of 1st gen Wilson Audio Sophias. They outperform the Focals in every way in my space. I haven't ever heard B&W in my home, but hope to one day. All this to say Sophias should be thrown into the ring to potentially gain the spot in your room. There is debate of which gen of the 3 is best, but all can be had for under $10k. |
We enjoy B&W 802Ds in our family room, and Focal Kanta 3s in our more ‘dedicated’ (and smaller) home theatre room. I own both because, in my opinion, they sound amazing but of course, different...and one isn’t better than the other. For me, the B&Ws sound more balanced, with a deeper and wider soundstage; deeper bass, and liquids highs. The midrange is a little more “laid back” than the Focals, and overall when listening at reasonably high volumes the B&Ws fade into the background and the soundstage takes over, the musicians precisely and clearly etched in my family room. Alternatively, while I don’t feel the soundstage with my Focals is as deep or wide than the B&Ws, this isn’t a problem in my smaller room. What I do enjoy with the Focals, to my ears is a tighter bass, amazing vocals (particularly female), thrilling if even a touch bright highs, and a “faster” and overall more forward presence than B&W. For movies, I feel the Focals offer a more engaging, if a touch less “lifelike”, performance. Obviously your ears will make the best choice. However, my guess is if you like B&Ws “signature sound”, and can work them into your budget, you should at least audition the 802Ds. |
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I concur with jrbirdman. I have a set of Dynaudio Contour 60i on order. They are supposed to arrive to the US shores in August. For me, the Dynaudio sound is just right and completely natural. A very comfortable and enjoyable speaker to listen to for hours on end. At high volume they remain the same and don't fall apart. Everything is full, smooth, and coherent; just absolutely natural sounding. As I was about to buy the Contour 60 the new i version was introduced. There are numerous upgrades to the already stupendous sounding Contour 60. So, I chose to wait the additional 3 months and get the new generation. Read up on the Contour 60 reviews, then read the up on the Dynaudio website about the improvements to the 60i. The best review on the Contour 60 is the one from Soundstage Ultra. It can easily be found with a Google search. Full retail price on the Contour 60i is $10,750. |
An additional note on comparing speakers. My other option was the Focal Sopra No. 2. I found that for the high frequency range they are too similar to the metal dome tweeter I am getting out of. That is, listening fatigue. That's just me and my ears. Your audio preferences and ears may be very different than mine. For me, the Dynaudio has a better tonal balance and more lifelike sound reproduction. |
My previous speakers were B&W Matrix 803's from the late 90's. If you like their sound, you may find the Kanta 3's to be a little bright and shouty compared to the B&W's. My neighbor has the Kanta 3's and they are in my opinion, a little fatiguing at times. He is also using a modified Carver amp (M1.0t MKll OPT002) which may be similar to your TFM 45. Good luck in your search! |
