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

The main room is 28x32, with the speakers on the 32' wall.    However, there is another 14x28 (open) space/room at the rear of this room, so it is a lazy "L" with one wall being 56'.    There is no other wall where the speakers could be located.    

I owned the exact same speakers as you, the Sound anchors stand's requires you

to remove the plate on the bottom to mount the speakers on the stands.

This raises the speakers up aprox 4- possibly 6 inches  and also gives them a

slight tilt back, I also had the original B&W bass extender that goes into the tape

loop on your preamp, This unit is cheaply made, so I  had the Krell extender

that B&W asked Krell to design for this speaker and contrary to what people are

saying it does make a big difference to the Bass along with useing the sound

anchor stands. Originally the Krell unit sold for aprox $1000.00 but if i see them

now the cost runs between $2000.00- $3000.00 depending on how gready the

sellor is or what they Paid for them. I would recommend Getting the sound anchor

stands designed for these speakers as it lifts them up aprox 4" so the Twitter is at

aprox ear level when sitting in a chair. But I would wait untill you tried the higer

powerd amp to see, as I was driving them with a older Krell 600 wpc amp that

weighed 200lbs to see if you notice any changes in the Bass extension, before

starting down the road to be making changes to your system, also the speakers

were aprox 2 feet from the wall. They were also in my great room, where the ceiling

started out at 8' and ran up to 22' high on a 32 foot wall as I have a fireplace in that

room.

This fixed all my problems with the bass. Ihave since moved on with a newer 

system but this is what I remember when I owned the B&W 801 series 2 speakers.

Hope this gives you some more clarity on your system. Good Luck !

 

@chessie I own a pair of 801 series 2 which look just like yours. But in your room, they look small; in my room they hulk up like your JBLs (see more below). While they may be a bit insensitive, I was told on this forum that due to their relatively benign phase angle, that they were relatively easy to drive to the point that my Rogue Audio all-tube Stereo100’s (100 wpc) could ‘make them sing.’ I’ve never tried that combination, but have bi-amped them in several ways, although currently drive them with two McIntosh solid-state MC252’s bridged to mono for 500 wpc. I don’t find that giving them access to more power gives them any more volume; although it seems to help the dynamics a bit. I added a bit of low-volume subwoofer which helped their extension a little.
All of which is to say that I don’t think the amplification is your biggest problem.
I think your biggest challenge is the room, as in, it is very large, at least to me. I can’t speak to the efficacy of room treatments, but they seem to be used more for ‘trapping’ excess bass, rather than enhance it, in an effort to curb room modes.
Now, if I could put my McIntosh XRT-20’s in your space, let me assure you— you would hear the bass! Then you might need to reach for the bass traps!

Big room needs big driver(s) to move the air. Then look at your amp if they have trouble providing the power required by the driver(s) you have chosen. Not to say the 801’s can’t get the job done, but worth asking the question, in my opinion.

Neat house. You deserve the bass you need. I paid less than half what I paid for the 801’s to obtain the XRT’s as they are not as highly regarded, but boy do they deliver good, rich bass from the bottom to the top of the range (using series 2 crossover). Some say their best feature is the midrange, while the engineer was proudest of the tweeter tower. 

@chessie

You have not said how your floor is constructed but the law of action and reaction may have a bearing.  When your big driver moves forward, an equal force tries to move the cabinet back, especially if the speakers are on rollers. You need to mechanically fix the cabinet to the floor, with spikes or an equivalent, to give the big driver a steady platform to perform from.