B&W 800 Series Reviews

[magrillz]

Hi All,

Not sure if anyone from the magazine will read this but is there likely to be some reviews any time soon on the latest B&W 800 series. I'd love to read about the 805D and especially the 804D.

Would be nice to hear how they compare with other similarly priced speakers such as the Monitor Audio Platinums etc.

Had a quick listen to some 805D's and they sounded excellent! []

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

surely if you listened to and liked them then that is all that matters? btw, make sure not to confuse the D's with the Diamonds, the latter being the the most recent edition.

 

[Andrew Everard]

805 Diamonds tested in the January issue, going out to subscribers before the weekend and in the shops next week.

 

[pwiles1968]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:surely if you listened to and liked them then that is all that matters? btw, make sure not to confuse the D's with the Diamonds, the latter being the the most recent edition.

I was under the Impression that the 'D' did stand For Diamond ??? http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/Speakers/Home_Audio/800_Series_Diamond/805-Diamond.html

As far as I know previous Models were Matrix 805, Nautilus 805, Signature 805 and 805s -- (Stunning Finish on the Sig)

Have not heard the 805 Diamond, But do own the 805s and I am biased but think they are a stunning speaker, not sure how the D top end will change but I can not see them making a worse speaker. Have not heard the Speakers you mention but have heard the Spender A6 and think they would be tonally similar if you like the B&W sound I really liked them but I would not swap my speakers for them

 

[jaxwired]

Spent about an hour with the 805d yesterday and I came away underwhelmed. IMO the spendor A6 outclasses the 805d. I much prefer my Dynaudio Contour S1.4s to the 805d at half the price. And I'm not just talking bass here. My Dyns sound more open and transparent as well. Now part of this could be due to the electronics. The shop was using all McIntosh equipment which is highly regarded, but might be partly responsible for the sound I was hearing. I was listening to my own music that I am highly familiar with.

Did they sound good? Yes. Did they sound jaw droppingly great? Not in my opinion and given the price they need to.

Just one man's opinion. No offense meant.

 

[Anonymous]

jaxwired:
Spent about an hour with the 805d yesterday and I came away underwhelmed. IMO the spendor A6 outclasses the 805d. I much prefer my Dynaudio Contour S1.4s to the 805d at half the price. And I'm not just talking bass here. My Dyns sound more open and transparent as well. Now part of this could be due to the electronics. The shop was using all McIntosh equipment which is highly regarded, but might be partly responsible for the sound I was hearing. I was listening to my own music that I am highly familiar with.

Did they sound good? Yes. Did they sound jaw droppingly great? Not in my opinion and given the price they need to.

Just one man's opinion. No offense meant.

I have heard all the 800 diamond speakers ( apart from the aliens ), Glasgow Audio have them. The larger more expensive models are really impressive but you need to spend a serious amount of money on partnering equipment to get their full sound. I personally think that the 805 and 803 are the worst of the bunch, the 804 are in the middle and in my opinion they are the only ones to go for without spending vast amounts. Before getting my A6s i auditioned various floorstanders including the 804 ( not the diamonds ), they were nice but not in the same class as the Spendors, and Matt and the guys agreed. The lesson was that you really always don,t get better if you pay more.

 

[magrillz]

Andrew Everard:805 Diamonds tested in the January issue, going out to subscribers before the weekend and in the shops next week.

Thanks Andrew,

I'll look forward to receiving this months magazine and keep my eyes peeled for a review of the 804's

 

[magrillz]

Thanks for the comments guys, appreciate your thoughts and comments on experience listening to the different speakers. It's the 804d's (the new range) that I'm specifically looking for, but not just yet as I'm doing up the house at the moment. They would be part of a 5.1 system overhaul. Currently got a system comprising of the older B&W 603's with a PV1 sub and Denon 4306 AV Receiver so that will need upgrading too (keeping the sub). The new 800 series was appealing as I'd heard good things about the old series and they also look great too so the boss gave the thumbs up

When I was last in my local Music Matters they had the 805d's linked up to some Naim equipment and they sounded great to me but I haven't heard many other speakers in that price range yet to compare. Heard some Neat floor standers that although small sounded excellent too.

I would definitely listen to some alternatives nearer the time, they had just shipped the 804d's to a different branch. I almost don't want to hear them yet as it will make me want to upgrade now

Thanks again guys.