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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!

chessie

Showing 2 responses by ritter06

ritter06
53 posts
 

FWIW I have 801 S2 Mk IIIs. Currently in a medium sized, treated room. Formerly in a very large room. I have used various amps in biamped configuration- Krell, Crown and Mac.Since new I made sturdy pedestal bases filled with sand that must weigh about 35 lbs. That puts the tweeter at ear height when sitting.

 

Bass has never been an issue. Even though I have a subwoofer (VMPS) for extreme bass,  I can switch it out on my pre amp and on most music I don’’t miss the sub- the 801’s are very adequate .

Right now run they with Mac 250/w amp (un biamped) and never sounded better.

 

As always, YMMV but the consensus opinion is that for these speakers, large current has always been recommended. Amps are easy to swap in and out- if you can borrow from a friend or dealer and experiment. Let us know 

 

ritter06
53 posts
 

IMHO these are not great low level speakers. Some are but not these.

Even at low levels the drivers seem to need high current to get decent sound out.

The “stands” are basically 3/4” sealed wooden boxes the speakers sit on to raise them up and decouple from the floor. I’m traveling so can’t give you the size but they are a few inches less than the footprint of the speaker bottom. They have a “port” that opens in back allowing the sand to be filled then closed.

There is no more bass in this configuration but what there is is tight and the tweeter and midrange better time aligned.

Here’s a link to an old picture. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/22jnvdhc0ycwqh5q44y28/IMG_2505.HEIC?rlkey=lf812chkjqqm1x7sntg9c7vww&st=8lqwzgmp&dl=0

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