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Old school shootout: Snell A/III vs. Original B&W 801

I miss Snell so much, especially the A/III.  Amazing imaging on and off axis and bass that made you think they could pop your room apart like a balloon.

Along this time the original B&W 801s also were making the rounds, and ... I'd still take Snell every time.

One of the weird combos that was popular was Audio Research + B&W and man, I hated that combination.  It was so gutless and lean.

erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by jasonbourne52

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jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 

@erik_squires +1! I agree! Snell Type A’s one of the all-time-great dynamic speakers. I first heard them at Audiocom in CT in 1977. They were driven by the GAS Ampzilla. Price was $1390/pr. Talk about value for your dollar! Several years ago I was lucky to find an original owner pair bought at Audiocom - $400 + shipping to Florida by USPS ($400). The owner had passed away and his son sold them to me. They arrived safely and remain in storage until I can find space for setup.

jasonbourne52's avatar
jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 

Audiocom also had the B&W 801 first series. As fine as that speaker was the Type A’s were even better - more holographic and dynamic. They could make the back wall vanish! This was a time when we only had LP’s for demonstration. The Philips Colin Davis/Concertgebouw Rite of Spring was indeed a sonic spectacular heard on the Snell's!

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