I have used B&W 800 series speakers for over 10 years. Starting with the original N800 to the latest 800 Diamond. The speakers had been driven by high power tube amps like Sonic Frontiers Power 3 and Audio Research Reference 250 and solid state amps like Mark Levinson 436 and Pass Labs Xs150.
I think I know the sonic signature of B&W 800D. The treble extends to the top but the presentation is light and no bang. The bass goes deep and tonal but not tight enough for some people. The midrange is the weakest part. The borderless driver lacks dynamics and resolution when compared with more resolving speakers like Wilson Audio.
B&W has to be driven by high power solid state amp with fast and bright sound to compensate the speaker deficiency. Class A Pass Labs is not a good match because it has more a tube sound than many tube amps. Top model Classe should match it well.
I think I know the sonic signature of B&W 800D. The treble extends to the top but the presentation is light and no bang. The bass goes deep and tonal but not tight enough for some people. The midrange is the weakest part. The borderless driver lacks dynamics and resolution when compared with more resolving speakers like Wilson Audio.
B&W has to be driven by high power solid state amp with fast and bright sound to compensate the speaker deficiency. Class A Pass Labs is not a good match because it has more a tube sound than many tube amps. Top model Classe should match it well.