I love that two B&W haters point out that they sound terrible, at least with solid state, specifically Rotel, but good with Pass amps. Yes, it is true B&W's will reproduce the horrible stuff in your electronics that other speakers mask, either with blandness or too much energy directed elsewhere. They reproduce and amplify what ever they are fed, and a lot of electronics are truly horrible. That is why so many speakers either sound bland or overly dynamic in certain frequencies, to hide the horrible electronics in most electronics. I recently had an two extensive listens to current 804's, with current Rotel CD and electronics. At first, I thought my ears were defective.. That is why I returned. If your electroinoc make B&W's harsh, too bright, etc, no matter how much you want to love your particular electronics, it is not the speakers. The simple fact that they sound good with Nelson Pass electronics should have alerted one writer. he might have sounded great if the source were better. I really believe that people dislike B&W's because of the price, and that is totally fair. I have owned one set for 40 years. These replaced some older ones. My "New" ones are twenty now. I also have several sets that were in various rooms of my old houses, before I downsized to one little one. My Maggies and Acoustats came and went while I had these, although the Acoustats did stay for 25years. I have never bought new B&W's, but love people who spend a fortune on them, and sell them for a big loss, to people like me.
