I would say yes, but approach things cautiously. When you let her in the room mention "how the curves of the speakers are as sexy as hers!" and be sure to be at least arms reach plus 4" unless she is a larger woman (knuckle width) if she is not amused as you are. If you need a ref and live down here; could possibly come help! :-) Seriously, my 804's do alright in a 18 X 20 X 10' w/vaulted ceilings. Best, Charlie |
I'm sure that would sound pretty darn good and probably make you very happy but nothing is sadder than having to return a piece of gear becaue "the wife said no." I used to work in a high-end store and I've seen it happen. I almost had to take an N801 return because the wife thought they looked bigger in their house than in the store. Fortunately they sounded awesome and as long as the grills were kept on he could keep them. B&W has taken some slams here recently but trust your ears, that's who will be enjoying them. |
Actually, my friend had the N802s & the Mac 352 & C2200. You'll be very happy with the sound. |
I knew it wouldn't take long...he he he.Enjoy! |
Depends how YOU talk to THEM!
Appears that your room is long enough for proper coherence of these drivers. Just make sure you don't sit in the nearfield...HER'S either for awhile!
And NO, they don't sound AT ALL like 804s to me....have fun.
(MY wife thought the N802 looked like Darth Vader trying to sneak into a convent! Ha! She also thought Disney designed the Revel Salons....) |
You *just* get by size-wise; a little room treatment on side walls wouldn't hurt the sound (but that's stretching the waf, isn't it?). Otherwise, I'm not sure you can get 10 b/ween the speakers--too close to side walls? Just to be on the safe side, ask Rives about treatment b/ween the speakers.
WAF: Try showing her a pair of big Apogees first -- by comparison, the B&W's look normal...
(My wife thinks Duevels look like an old laundry machine with a traditional chinese cap on it, & Apogees belong to a construction site.) |
Hey - we won't tell her if you don't! Install 'em while she's out, and just wait and see how long it takes her to notice the change on her own. I wouldn't say anything - just have some of her favorite music playing when she gets home! |
My wife loves them and I just had to have them. I did a 10 hour round trip selling my 801 III's and buying my N802's. My wifes words were "they are fabulous" as we sat and listened. They are a much improvement on an already great speaker. We just love the looks, and the HTM1 center is a huge improvement and awesome match in the theater. Gotta love 'em and happy listening! |
Put whatever your wife loves in a box; right next to your system. Whatever it costs. Consider it part of the price of your speakers. It's always helped me. Good luck. |
Make sure you get the spikes for them. They are free but only given out if you ask for them. |
Tell her that you are buying it and selling it back on Audiogon to make a profit. Then tell her that no one is interested in purchasing it. Then the speakers are yours to keep..:-)... |
Longho68, you are a funny, funny guy...I just hope you aren't married! :-) |
My wife loved the appearance of B&W 803's so much she did not even ask how much they cost. I am not sure if there is a speaker made that has a better WAF than the Nautilus line assuming that you have a contemporary decorated living space. I replaced the N803's with ProAc 3.8's. At least they are not Magnepans (the only speaker that my wife made me sell due to their appearance).
The old, "What are you talking about? I have had those (whatever new component is in my system) for a long time.", line stopped working after the fifth or sixth attempt. However, if any of you have a really good line please share it with me. I am always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to make both my marriage and my audio hobby work together.
Good luck with the N802's. |
While my girlfriend did get used to the N804 she said she could never like the looks of the "bowling ball" N802. Who cares what women think? Buy what you want ;~). |
When I went from the N804s to the N802s, my wife commented that it looked like I had brought 2 R2-D2s to live with us.
She has grown used to them and enjoys the sound. |
When rationalizing with my wife, I always contrast my benign audiophile habits with those of my even more terrible friends who indulge themselves in airplanes or multiple motorcycles.
That usually calms my wife down enough that she will accept a diamond, art object, house modification, or some-such as compensation. |
To answer your question regarding the room, it is certainly large enough and you will have more than enough power. That said, N802's tend towards brightness with SS gear so be careful of component matching. A friend has his mated to an all Linn system and that sounds good, not overly bright. The appearance is stunning, hopefully the wife will like them. Mine are the light cheery stain and frame a set of french doors that have a similar stain color and that is the focal point of the room. I use tube power. |
show her the 802N she will feel much better with the tiny foot-print of the 802's. |
I don't know how my wife let me keep the 801 III Matrix so long other than they sounded great. The N802 footprint is much smaller and they look magnificent. I mentioned that to my wife prior to getting them. The apperance unquestionably will bring quality to any room, and they are a one of a kind in audio right now. The sound is scary real and she will love them as much as you do:-) |
When I bought the N801 my wife thought they looked like huge teddy-bears. I have to admit that they do kind of overwhelm our living room though...sonically and visually. Good thing my wife is very understanding about my hobby but warned that "this better be the last set of speakers you buy". |
Ha! My wife took a quick look at the LITERATURE, nevermind the real thing, and yelped! She barely tolerated my plopping down the 803, but they didn't cohere in my similar-sized room. And there's the rub: the Nautilus need a good 12-15' of lstening distance before the drivers sum nicely. Do you have that in your listening geometry?
I don't and fortunately found Verity Parsifal Encores that work astoundingly well. That B&W tweeter was a bit much, too.... Godd Luck. |
My Odysseys helped sell the listening room - there was no way that they were going into a "publik" room! |
How's this strategy? I don't know exactly how much those babies are going to cost, but tell her you're very interested in (you pick the speaker) some speaker that you know costs significantly more and is quite ugly. When she freaks, as you know she will, you tell her: "ok hon, I'll get these instead. They are much nicer looking and they cost 5 grand less. Look at all the money we're saving. Why don't we go and buy you a nice piece of jewelry with that 5 grand we saved." It may cost you more for the speakers, but watching your wife eyeball her beautiful ring, while she's listening to how wonderful your new speakers sound, will be a good thing. Especially when she says (don't hold your breath on this one) "Hon, I can't believe what a great deal you got on these speakers." |
'Course, as long as you're gonna be spending more to put this thing over anyway, why not just go ahead and spring for those Signature 800's in the tiger's eye maple with the Connolly leather and pedestal bases? Supposed to be the best speaker they make, and the WAF might just peg the meter... |
