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need advise on speaker buying

i am investing in a good sounding system for music i have a home theater system already . i have all the equiptment for my audio system except for the speakers. i have listened to the b&w 801's for hours and i love the way they sound when the are cranked up i have not listened to the 802 i here alot of talk about all these other speakers like hale, wilson, tannoy ect. are the 802 as good as the 801s? i have not heard them yet! i will be biamping the speakers with classe amps. please help are there any othere speakers which are not as pricey as the 801 which have the sound staging, imaging and texture i am looking for. every high end audio store i go into they try to sell the 801's i live in new jersey so there is limited high end audio stores to listed to a good varity fo speakers.
kt88man
hellohifi
120 posts
 
I suggest you lose every dealer you have dealt with. Buying your speakers last? You always buy speakers FIRST. Would you buy tires before you knew which car you wanted? As far as B&W N802/N801, I suggest you listen to the Dunlavy SC-IV/A (same price as N802, and a better speaker than the N801), also easier to drive (91db).
satch
329 posts
 
If you like the sound of the B&W 801, but don't have the money, go for the 802's. They sound similar, although with less extension in the low end (but more then enough for me though). Just make sure you listen with your own gear, because the speakers must work well with your amp. If that's not possible, make sure your dealer offers some kind of money-back guarantee. As for buying speakers last: no, the best thing is to buy everything in one time, but if finances don't allow that, it doesn't really matter what you buy first. Otherwise upgrading would be impossible... The most important thing is to listen. If you like what you hear, buy it. You must listen to it, you pay for it, so you should be happy.
hellohifi
120 posts
 
That's a mixed bag of good and bad advice. ALWAYS buy your speakers FIRST, and it ALWAYS matters when building a system from start to finish. Yes, the best thing would be to buy everything at once, but that almost never happens (we have *1* customer who bought everything at once; people almost always do it in steps, usually in the form of upgrades). Everything will revolve around your spkr purchase, especially your amplifier/s. Buy the amp before the speakers and you might find out the amp doesn't have enough power for the speakers you decide on (among other things). Speakers first (cables last).
hellohifi
120 posts
 
As far as B&W N802 vs N801, I would take the N802 between the two. B&W's have problems with realistic bottom end, especially on the 801s, and especially if there are room problems (too small, too close to a wall) and even more so if your amp is lacking in power. N802s multiple smaller bass drivers do a better job than the large bass driver in the N801. I have owned B&W (several 801s, 802, 808, and 800), and now I own Dunlavy (Aletha & SC-IV/A). Regardless of your speaker choice, make sure you have an idea of what your complete system will be before purchasing.
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