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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
ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,906 posts
 

@chessie Wrote:

 

Would like to get more bass out of my B&W 801 series 2 speakers

Why not connect your JBL subwoofer up?

Mike

sc53
722 posts
 

I owned those speakers for several years in the late 8os through the 90s and they need good solid power—I used a Class A British Fidelity amp that looked and gave off the temps of an oven. My room at the time had big row of French doors and windows behind the speakers so not ideal, but there was plenty of bass and the overall tone was warm, rich, and plummy. I loved them! I played my very first CDs on them, via a two box tube CD behemoth called the Cal Audio Labs Tempest II. That was one of the best sounding systems I ever owned, even with the French doors and big windows. I’d get a different amp for sure. That old Adcom might work but don’t spend too much on such old gear.  

davwill
3 posts
 

I have a pair  or REL  SE 212.  powered subwoofers hooked up to my B&W 800 diamonds Solved all my base problems two mono black Macintosh 1.2 KW’s my house is rocking

Good luck

Dave

chessie OP
18 posts
 

I’ve been thinking I could run my amp in bridged mode to test the affect of more power. Is there a good album or other recording that I could get a good signal on one channel only?

 

It puts out 620W @8ohm in bridged mode.

glenmschneider
35 posts
 

My living room is large like yours and seems to just swallow up bass. My prior speakers did not work at all there but were gloriously full in a more moderately sized room. Do you have the ability to test that out a smaller room as an experiment? My fix was a larger more efficient speaker but subs can work wonders too and you can dial them in to the level you need. Also an amp with a different sound profile might do better for you.

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