B&W Nautilus 803 & 804 Vs The World


How different does the 803 and 804 sound? And how do these compare to other comparablely priced dynamic speakers, such as a Revel F30, Dunlavy Aletha or even the more expensive Avalon Arcus?
tbonephile
Can one judge a speaker's performance by its frequency response alone ? Does a flat response from 50 Hz to 20 KHz imply that it is a good speaker ?
I listened to the N803's and thought they sounded good. Then right after to the N802's and the difference was tremendously better in favor of the N802. The N802's are more revealing and have better bass extension plus the styling makes quite a visual statement.
yes, if it can stay flat throughout the freq range, you've likely (but not necessarily) got a fine speaker on your hand. speakers shoudl not distort. anything other than a linear response is distortion.
I thought that the Joseph Audio rm25si's had a nicer sound than the 804's, and were less expensive too!
I believe part of your decision can be based on room size.
The Nautilus 804's sound awesome in small to medium sized rooms. I think the N803's really come alive in a larger room. They present a much larger soundstage plus you have the added benefit of the better bass extension.