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No bass on B&W 800D2

Hi,

I’ve been a B&W fan Since the late 90s and have owned many different speakers over the years. I’ve owned a pair of 802Ds (first gen) For a long time and those had always been my dream speaker. 

I recently had the opportunity to upgrade to a pair of 800D2. I had never heard the 800 or the second generation diamonds before, but was tempted by the idea of owning the flagships. I don’t like the looks and sound of the newer generation 800 so in my mind, I was upgrading to the top of the line speaker of the last generation that I like.

I’ve had these speakers for three months now, and I’ve played around with positioning and levels of my subwoofers. when I first set them up I immediately noticed a lack of bass compared to the 802’s. I listen in the near field and have the 800 approximately in the same position as the 802, although with slightly more toe in and a little further away from the wall as they seem more sensitive to room placement than the 802s did. Even pushed up to the wall there is not more bass, just boom. 
 

I’m powering them with a Classé sigma amp 2, which doubles to 400W a channel on 4 ohms. Before you say it’s the amp, the 802s sounded exactly the same on my Denon 4520 as they did on the Classé amp after I upgraded to that - so I don’t really subscribe to the “more power” idea and believe an amp won’t change the sound dramatically as long as it’s decent quality and has enough power. I mostly listen at lower levels anyhow. 
 

Has anybody had the same issue with the 800D2 lacking so much bass compared to the 802D? The midrange sounds about the same and the highs are way more tame, which I like, but this lack of low end authority is making me seriously consider selling these again which makes me sad - since they are absolutely gorgeous in the looks department. 
 

thanks for your thoughts in advance - would appreciate hearing from actual owners of these. 

seb_audio
mbrusso
3 posts
 

I definitely feel your pain as I have been craving more bass ever since getting into this hobby in the 90s.  I have had similar experiences with a pair of Paradigm signature 100 v 3s (these are also power hungry speakers which require a lot of power)

I thought I 'd share an experience with interconnects that might present some options. I have found over the years the signal strength of your sources, the pre amp and interconnects play a huge role.  - I recently upgraded/ changed my cable from my home theatre smart connect box - going from a digital optical out though a dac to a direct analog heimdall 2 3.5 mm to rca into my pre amp- It woke my speakers right up- the difference was huge.   Combination of higher quality interconnect, a better connection through the analog output resulted in great bass response I did not think was possible.

zuesman
100 posts
 

get rid of them get the monitor audio platinum 200s or 300s there's so much better than B&W.

oneofew
2 posts
 

seb-audio,

800D2s do not lack bass, I"ve had mine well over a decade, never felt I had the need to add a sub either. I think the disappointment you're experiencing has to do with the volume and distance you enjoy your music. 

I graduated from N803s to 800D2s with a similar experience as you , let me start by saying my N803s play nicely at modest volume levels with my trusty MC352 amp from a 6-7ft listening distance. In contrast 800D2s deliver deep n tonal base, much different than N803, about 5-7 feet further back than my usual  listening distance. They sound flat at modest listening levels, they're at their best in a fairly large rooms at moderate or greater sound levels. 

Your N802 fall somewhere in between my N803s and D2s , try pulling back your listening area and play them louder, they will impress you.

ghdprentice
6,910 posts
 

OP…”do the woofers on your 800 move noticeably under load? Mine barely move while my subs are going nuts. I’m not expecting the same level of excursion on the 800, but more than nothing. ”

 

I have been scratching my head at your problem. B&W tend to be bass heavy. When I read the above, it makes me think you are not going for accurate sound reproduction… or even close. I’m not being critical, different people want different things. I used to have dual B&W 800 series subs with my system, in a large room. They had to be turned down below 10% or they would screw up the imaging and sonics. I could never see them moving. Having subs going crazy might be true in a home theater playing U-571 with the depth charges going off but not in a two channel audio system playing music. 

It sounds like this version of speakers may simply be more accurate and thusly less bassy. they are up a tier from your old speakers. It sounds like the version of music you want may require equalization to give you the accentuated bass you are looking for.

scaf_007
22 posts
 

Woofer diameter matters because it affects the size of the sound wave. I've had a few different speakers in my room with dual 7" woofers that produce "apparent" less bass than some other pairs of speakers with dual 5.5" drivers that actually filled the room much better. My best guess in your situation is the 802's simply play "nicer" than the 800's. There are different reasons why companies offer different size of speakers, one often overlooked reason is the size/shape of your listening environment. I sure hope you get your situation figured out!

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