Lots of experience with that generation of B&W 801. My friend still runs a set driven by a pair of bridged GFA555s. When I hear them I remember why that was a speaker that always sounded right to me, even today. I did have to rebuild both his crossovers last year because the high-pass caps for the midranges fried, but the midrange drivers remained unscathed. Whew! I hope your crossover mod addressed that issue. B&W did offer around this time an EQ that was placed between the amp and preamp. If I remember correctly, the EQ changed the woofer roll off from a 4th order to a 6th order Butterworth alignment, adding a half octave more of bass extension and a steeper roll off below that point. They are still found on eBay occasionally. Krell made one too but they were very expensive and really didn’t sound any better than the more modest B&W option.
In all, I agree with others that a LARGE subwoofer, or two, might be your best solution especially considering the size of your room. Though I do remember selling a pair of B&W 801s and a brace of Adcom GFA565 monoblocks to a couple who wanted to take advantage of the casters on the speakers so they could roll out their speakers onto their outdoor deck to provide proper music for their lakeside parties.
Would like to get more bass out of my B&W 801 series 2 speakers
Hello,
I've been forum diving about ways people improve their music listening experience. So many directions to choose from, I'm looking advice which will give the most bang for the buck given my situation.
Years ago I was visiting a friend who had these same exact speakers, and I went on a quest for my own pair. His setup had a *more rich sound*, but he is no longer with us for me to pick his brain. Don't know anything about how he was driving the speakers.
In general I think the current setup gives me good detailed sound, but probably a little thin in the bass. Might be because of my listening levels (low to moderate). I wouldn't call the mid/high frequencies warm, but they aren't harsh either... which was a concern with the class D amp. I'd characterize them as clean and detailed.
What I'd really like to do is bring out the low frequencies to join the party.
Environment:
massive, 32x40 with vaulted ceilings. Lots of windows.
Hardware:
B&W 801 S2
- on the original casters
- crossovers modified via the common Van Alstine mod
NAD C298 amplifier
- some decent biwire speaker cables
NAD C658 streaming DAC
- balanced xlr interconnects
Rotel CD player
What I listen to:
I listen to a wide assortment of music, this morning I went from classical to jazz... but usually I listen to rock/blues/reggae. You name it I listen to it.
Things I have considered:
- buy/build stands for the speakers.
- try out different amp(s)
there are a pair of GFA555 series 1 available locally (bi-amp?)
lots of folks recommend the Classe delta line
Any advice is welcome, thanks in advance!