tyler linbrook signatures vs. b&w 802

Jhjf123456

I'm not going to get into a debate with other posters, i'll just tell you MY onw experience. My Previous speakers were B&W Matrix 801 Series 3. My current speakers are the Tyler Linbrook Signature Series (one piece).

While I had the 801s i enjoyed them very much. I replaced them for the reason stated above - if a driver went bad, i was out of luck. I tried the Tylers because i wanted to give an American speaker maker a try. I bought them without ever having heard them.

When i first got them i was afraid I had made a mistake. But I put a disc on repeat play and walked away for a week. I came back to find a different speaker. Another week went by, and I found myself stunned and amazed. I was grinning ear to ear. Superior to the 801s in every way. Maybe not quite as deep in the bass but the Tylers do go down to 25 hz - CLEANLY. 801s - NOT too clean.

These are my real life - actual experiences - no theory, or guessing here.
Do I miss the 801s? Not even a little bit! :-)

Best of luck.
paul

Krellm7..I've seen posters ask polite questions about B&W and Judy426 will attack like a pit bull. For you to be talkin' smack about B&W, I'm afraid this could get very ugly. You are about to face the wrath of Judy426, my friend..good luck.

B&W is one of the most overrated and overpriced speakers on the market. Kudos to companies such as Silverline, Tyler, Merlin, Coincident, etc. as mentioned for offering superior speakers at lower prices.

I've not heard the Linbrook Sigs, but have heard a smaller speaker in the Taylor line. I remember the 802's clearly.

I did not like the sound of B&W's speakers. Last year while visiting San Antonio I stopped by a place that happened to carry the top-of-the-line B&W's. I couldn't stand their sound. I preferred the Dynaudios and Definitive Techs to the B&W's despite the former costing about 1/5 (or less, depending on the model) of the B&W's.

The Taylor speakers, which I heard in San Diego earlier this year, were incredibly transparent. I had a musician (non-audiophile) friend with me. One of the CD's I used for the audition has a part where the guitarist slaps the body of the guitar with his palm twice and then the heel of his hand once. I didn't know what this sound was, but the Taylors were so transparent and accurate he recognized the sound immediately, and couldn't believe the system could reproduce that sound so clearly and accurately. When I dropped him off at his house he demonstrated the guitar slap and sure enough, sounded the same.

I didn't buy the Taylors, but they're on a short list to re-audition when I do get the urge to upgrade my speakers.

In short, B&W has a "sound." If you like their "sound" you should happily go that route. The Taylors are, IMHO more accurate and transparent regardless of the source material. I also the the Taylors will be less forgiving of your front end.

good luck!

I've demo'd the B&W 802 several times and though it's a very nice speaker, I prefered the Tyler Linbrook Signature System (one piece) which I purchased. I have nothing against B&W, in fact my office system has a pair of B&W 602s and I gave a pair of 602s to an employee as well.

When you're at this level, it really is the sound, not the name that matters. The way Ty voices his speakers rings true for me, it may not for you. Take a look at his Home Demo page and find a local owner who will let you come over and demo the speakers in a real setting. If that's not possible, order the speakers and if you really don't like, send them back. Ty will not hassle you in any way - he really wants you to be happy with the purchase.

Some may want to diss Tyler because it's a small operation. No big deal in my book - it's neither an advantage or disadvantage. What you're not paying for with the Tylers is all the massive overhead including huge ad budgets and nice dealer margins. Plus, you get to deal with a really nice guy, instead of a salesperson who thinks B&W is the end all and be all of high-end. Right.

BTW, if you look at the most recent issue of The Absolute Sound, you'll see they give them a thumbs up in their Rocky Mountain show review.