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What would improve the soundstage of my B&W 802s3

Just purchased B&W Matrix 802s3. Upgraded from Polk Monitor10-B. Driving with B&K EX-442 200 wpc, dual mono, And Audio Research LS-7 tubed preamp. Audioquest Indigo speaker cable and AQ Ruby interconnect from pre to amp. Would it be better to go to monoblocks i.e. B&K M200's or a better amp like Mark Levinson or Classe' Or Better cable? Maybe even a tubed amp. I dont know much about bi amping. Tried bi wiring but no big difference. These speakers do double duty as home theater speakers, I unplug the bananas from the 2 channel system and plug in the bananas from the surround system for movies, so bi wiring is kind of out of the question right now. I'd really like to get more depth in the sound stage although placement of voice and instrumentation are very good, though limited to between the speakers. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
128x128poloman
8 responses Add your response
bufus
149 posts
 
I can't answer about the electronics but I was wondering if speaker placement / room acoustics could be hurting your soundstage depth. I found that pulling the speakers further from the rear wall really increases depth. Cardas recommends the distance of the speakers from the rear wall to be: (Length of rear wall) x 0.447

My rear wall is about 14 feet wide so my speakers are over 6 feet from the rear wall. If I start pushing them back towards the rear wall, the soundstage depth starts to diminish.

http://www.cardas.com/insights/index.html
aball
2,016 posts
 
Speaker placement could be an issue as Bufus said. Also classe and mcintosh are good on the N802s. I had a pair for a while (got them as a great deal) and found mcintosh worked well with them. They are frequently auditioned this way to tame their brightness. They can have really good soundstage when the system is just right but part of getting that is luck/trial and error. Arthur
nikkidanjo
26 posts
 
As a suggestion to make it easier to go between HT and 2 channel, if you receiver has preouts you could connect the receiver into your preamp. The preamp acts as a pass through to your main amp. If your preamp doesn’t have a volume bypass (my Classe doesn’t) set the preamp volume to say 50% then adjust the level controls on the receiver to balance everything out. Instead of switching wires you set the preamp to the receiver input and set the volume to 50%. After that it’s just like using the receiver.
The reason I suggested all this is it would let you bi-wire the 802’s without having to mess with changing the wires all the time. Of course if your receiver doesn’t have preouts…
sol322
426 posts
 
Poloman:

I second Bufus position regarding room setup and acoustics.
802's are nice and should be able to provide a satisfying presentation.
Double check if the wiring is OK in other words that all +go to + and negatives to negatives.
Did you have the same situation with your previous speakers?
Besides speakers did you made any other changes?
Regards
poloman's avatar
poloman OP
96 posts
 
I forgot to add. I have a 53" pioneer RPTV between the speakers although the B&W's stick out a little in front of the tv. Also I wonder if re-tubing the preamp would help.I Wouldnt go thruogh the reciever into the amp. its not as good as the ARC switching wires takes 2 seconds anyway, and theyre in separate racks on opposite sides of the room which is 18 by 20
davehrab's avatar
davehrab
380 posts
 
Hello Poloman,
Speaker placement and room treatments are very important to realizing great sound.It seems you've gotten some great advise so far but, I'm going to take the other fork in the road.I believe a reduction in the systems noise floor will greatly help in revealing those subtle spacial clues that define the acoustic space.They could be easily masked by the on line noise your equipment is picking up.A dedicated power line to your equipment or premium power condtioner and powercables may help in lowering that noise floor.With out making any changes to your system give a listen at 12midnite (when the power is usually much cleaner).If the sound goes beyond the speakers then, but won't at mid day,you may have possibily located a source of the problem.Won't cost much to try.Good luck
davehrab
tsouthworth
59 posts
 
Poloman,

For something completely diffrent, you might also try completely covering your RPTV with a blanket or other padding when listening to music (sure won't help the viewing!). In some instances, the screen/box causes problems with imaging-centerfill-depth. My Quad 63's don't appreciate my direct view TV between them and they have almost no output at the sides. And if the cover does nothing or you don't like the effect, whip it off! A no cost tweek.

Good Luck
poloman's avatar
poloman OP
96 posts
 
This system is in a custom built dedicated home theater/ sound room,all electrical lines are dedicated (check out under system) Trying different cables now. Thinking about re-tubing. Have original tubes (sovteks) about 9 years old. Came with ARC preamp. I've been an audiophile for about 26 years about when I bought my original stereo. Fisher receiver25 wpc and Fisher speakers XP56-s at Newmark and Lewis (remember them ,In New York) Also a member of the New York Audio Society. Now Starting a club in Long Island, If your from there Email me for membership info. Kind of got into the movie/home thyeater stuff, but with the purchase of the B&W's I got caught up with the bug again. Thanks everybody for the input keep it coming. Poloman
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