the crossover is different. I have the limited edition matrix 801's that say "abbey road " on them. They have the series 2 crossovber and tweeter. I changed the crossovers to northcreek which smoothed them out a lot.
Now this doesn't make them more neutral. If speakers were truly neutral and full range they might be kind of unpleasant to listen to
To me the later matrix 801's are more precise up the freq range than the N series, but the N series smoothed out the top a lot which is easier for less than stellar program material.
801's were very popular in recording studios as reference monitors for their type of sound and how it translated, but as always it is a matter of personal taste.
Now this doesn't make them more neutral. If speakers were truly neutral and full range they might be kind of unpleasant to listen to
To me the later matrix 801's are more precise up the freq range than the N series, but the N series smoothed out the top a lot which is easier for less than stellar program material.
801's were very popular in recording studios as reference monitors for their type of sound and how it translated, but as always it is a matter of personal taste.