You had better have a amp with very healthy output for these to work well....also, they are very bass heavy. I've seen them working with a Crown 1000 watt amp, and pegging the meters.
What is a B&W 801M?
Thought I would get more specific. Pair of B&W 801's I'm looking at are labeled on the plate on the back 801M. Is this a matrix cabinet or a series 80 non matrix ?