2. member-reviews
  3. 1034605103

Review: B & W Loudspeakers Nautilus 805 Monitor

Category: Speakers

My musical tastes run from classical to soft rock.
The most important aspects of sound for me are the ability
of any sound system to take me as close as possible to the musical event itself. The music must move me to feel what the composer of the song wants to convey in his or her music. The worst thing a system could do to turn me off is
to place a veil between myself and my music, so clarity is of most importance to me. I have had the B&W Nautilus 805's
in my music system for about 2 1/2 years now. The 805's replaced my Vandersteen 2ce's. The addition of the 805's to my system have brought me to a new emotional high, as now Celine Dion can raise the hairs on my back as never before.
The 805's strengths are the following: 1)clear silky smooth
highs.2)excellent rendition of vocals.3)Great soundstaging
ability and 4)surprising amount of defined low bass that they produce from such a small box. I have yet to determine any weakness from these speakers yet other than the ability
to go lower in the bass region. If money were no object I would still own these speakers as they give me great pleasure.

Associated gear
VPI HW19 Mk3 Turntable
Koetsu Rosewood Needle
SME V Tonearm
Levinson 38 Pre-Amp.
Levinson 334 Power Amp
Levinson 37 Compact disc transport

Similar products
JM Labs Mini Utopia
loopinglou
judit
217 posts
 
I also own the N 805s. Although the tweeter isn't as sweet as it might be, what I love about these speakers is that they reveal and respond to everything upstream. This has allowed me to build a great front end and eventually think about speaker upgrade. One other point, these speakers do a great disappearing act.
pgulrich
17 posts
 
Try the N-805's with the SET Cary 805C's and you'll hear space and top end air unmatched by anything in the price range or way beyond. I also own $8K Aliante One Zeta's but the B&W kills them on treble definition and depth.
flip
37 posts
 
I read the reviews above and figured I better keep my opinions to myself concerning B & W speakers. Then I read the honest opinions concerning Bose 901's, a healthy discussion of why audiophiles (myself included) tend to trash them.

So I came back to this B & W thread, mainly to gain some understanding. I've never understood the rave reviews about this company. Almost every audio reviewer on this continent and Europe loves B & W loudspeakers. I audition every speaker I can find, and I find myself wanting to like B & W's, mainly so I can hear what everyone's so excited about. Yet every time I audition them (no matter what model) I leave disappointed. What am I missing here? Are my ears so much different from the majority of the audiophile world? I'm not trying to trash B & W; I feel the same after listening to Paradigm, Theil, PSB, Legacy, etc. I tend to lean towards; Wilson, Alon, Nestorovic, Aeriel, and VMPS.

Are tastes in speakers really so vastly different?
Are my ears just screwed up?
Is there a learning curve I need to catch up to?

I'm feeling so alone!:-)
stephen_fitts
3 posts
 
Flip,
I feel your pain! I've never been impressed by B&Ws despite having many friends who swear that they "disappear" and are perfectly neutral, etc. etc. The sound I hear? Dry, I call it, and lifeless. Even metallic and edgy sounding. Not like the Thiels I've been so impressed with, Linns, or even the el-cheapo(el-cheapest more like it) Sound Dynamics RTS-3s I can't seem to find much wrong with. Must be my low-grade ears. Oh, the original DM-302 went the right direction, IMHO (even more evidence of my low-grade ears).
Stephen
rbmanlim-c6b7
1 posts
 
The not so positive views on b&w products are understandable. It only goes to show there are as many opinions and views out there of what good sound really is. I've listened to a lot of brands myself and i've settled with this brand because to my ears they have done a better job at balancing the virtues and sins that many others are less successful at. I agree it sounds dull at first, but kevlar cones are known to break-in longer. Once it's settled, it gives you honest and neutral delivery which is a good temper for a lot of bad recordings out there(especially on cd).It combines good rhythm, midrange clarity and expression a decent bass and imaging to create a believable soundstage. They are not party animals for sure but its handling of a wide range of material is an acceptable compromise. Also, selection of ancillary equipment is critical.
More to discover