B&W 805D2 or Magico Q1?


Has anyone compared these two speakers? with all of the over-the-top reviews for the B&W's and the reputation held by Magico for their pursuit of a new paradigm of perfectionism i am left wondering if there is any real competition or should i just trust the numbers, i.e. $24,950 vs $5,000...? i am not trying to start a fight here either, but theoretically what more can "anyone" do with a woofer and a tweeter with a single crossover and a rock-solid cabinet?
just as an aside, $5K used to buy you a (new) state-of-the-art FULL-RANGE B&W speaker system that could play at LIVE SPL's. of course they couldn't compete with Wison's or Sonus Fabers for resolving fine detail, but umteem improvements later we (supposedly) have a whole new ball game out there.
french_fries
I just started a post for TAD speakers owners. We can take it there if you want. so far there are 0 posts...

But if it is going to be to write non sense, it was not really the intention of the if manual you feel TAD has no deep bass you either have to listen again, or get your ears checked. CR1 goes down to almost 30 although then it drops death. And the R1 have not done the test but bass is very very very deep.... And controlled as well. Quite something

Also to call these speakers colored, has me wondering what have you listened to. You may like or not the sound, presentation etc, but it is a fact these sepakers (the 3 of them) are not colored at all. Most neutral and accurate in tone I have heard ( again the 3 of them each in its range).

Your comments about deep bass and color, plus quality of materials/components, where per instnace, the concentric mid/tweeter Be drive both reference share, may be one of the most cost expensive out there really has me very surprised and wondering...
Manual, looking at your posts, are you a magico dealer, associate or similar, or have any financial interest on it? You only seem to post on magico threads or magico related, and in common always all magico are great and all the rest is bad....¿?
I heard both the TAD CR1 and R1 at Rocky Mountain in 2010 with the Walker turntable and Technical Brain electronics. Outstanding. Actually, I think the CR1 sounded better because of the room sizes. I own the Magico Mini 2 and though the bass does not go as deep, it is different because of the sealed design. The Magico is also less expensive, but if I could afford the TAD, it would be on my short list for sure. They are great looking also, IMO.

Manual's opinion of the TAD speakers is clearly in the minority.
Eelii08 - Sound to me like you are offended. Next time before you jump in with statements like "Do not want to offend anyone" (or accuse someone of lying, just because he does not agree with your views), think about all those you may offend. I myself, don't really mind. But don't come crying when someone disagree with you, especially if he presents you with simple facts, like measurements and photos. I post mainly when "love and thoughtful" guys like you show up. Unfortunately, it is usually on a Magico topic. Now, lets move on, unless you wish to continue debating facts, not fictions.
Peterayer - "Manual's opinion of the TAD speakers is clearly in the minority."
So is yours on the Magico. So what?

I have an opinion that I backed up with both measurements and photos. Whatever people accept reality or not, is beyond my control.
Manual, see, until your last post I was not. Your opinion about this or that speaker is just that and is fine with me, even though some of the things you say are simply not true (giving you the benefit of the doubt, let assume due to pure ignorance). And so I argue otherwise. But that is ok too, although of very little use. But if you take it personal, That I dont like.

since you dont seem to listen much... And you read a lot, or so you say, you should get better at it... PeterAyer owns a magico pair... He just wrote. i would assume he likes Magico.

an opinion on speakers based in measurements and photos you say you have? Pathetic... Not to mention measurments and photos done by someone else.

I see you think you know me very well. but we have never met, speak.. So once more you just read a few words and you know it all (but now on a personal level) So is this a general attitude in life you have and not only in audio?

This is the first time I have ever gotten in such a situation with another poster here or in any other forum. Not your case I see.... If you like to take it personal, look for your next Magico thread and go get personal and bother someone else. You seem to have lot of experience at it. With me you are done, I cry.

Get a life... Or a pair of speakers you like enough to actualy listen and do more lof that and less reading

Bye now.
I LIKE B&W SPEAKERS. my 801's (as well as the 802's) were amazingly good in their day (and can still be modified and improved). i heard the Nautilus snails at a Stereophile show and was very impressed (although the presentation was very brief). but they were pretty special (and still are). the silver signatures were some of the best monitor speakers i ever heard. i couldn't get too excited when the Nautilus line came out (1st generation) but i never got to hear the diamond V1 or now the V2's, but i have heard good things about them from people who have no economic interest in telling me they were very good. the build quality has never been an issue either- the cabinetry is as smooth as a babies' "ear".
if you "detest" them, you have an agenda.
i would love to audition the Magico's someday. but they will have to be
full range to be worth spending money on.
French_fries, I did not like the fact that you started a thread asking for opinions in good faith, which is what it all should be about, and you were forced to leave to avoid being attacked. That is why I jumped in giving my opinion. if you look at the different posts in this site of Usermanual, it is clear he has an agenda.

He looks for Magico threads, or threads of the type, best speakers of... And writes saying they are the best regardless of the model or anything else, and attacks systematically anyone who says not to like Magico, regardless of the gear he likes or owns. Just look at his posts and that will be enough to see he has no credibility. Either he has an agenda and a clear economic interest, or a Magico mental disorder....

if you do not want to get into a personal discussion, just to ignore him if he writes.you now where he is going to be coming from and going to.

Getting into music, yes I agree. B&W are good speakers, and specially in terms of price/performance. i have lisent the snails several times and they are very good indeed. If it wasnt for the mess of all the amps you need to drive them they would have been a speaker to consider in my case. They been around for many years, so they most be doing something right.
i forgot to mention the time i auditioned the Matrix-800 speakers. not only did they sound like a million bucks, they looked like a truly exotic best-we-know-how-to-make reference. they didn't sound as good as the $100K Wilson WAMM system on the other side of the room, but they still possessed many of the same qualities- only on a smaller scale. if you could afford the kind of gear and wire to get the most out of them (and a good-sized listening space) you could have an amazing experience every night for many years to come.
strange how a lot of super-speakers today bear a similar design to the Matrix-800's. maybe B&W should think about revisiting that approach with their newest drivers. that might make a bunch of folks want to hear them BEFORE making any final decisions about making a purchase. the "snails" are gorgeous speakers but probably very expensive to manufacture. (OTOH i would love to hear the present incarnation under better circumstances.)
Eelii08 - I thought I am the one who should get a life. You seem to have a talent to contradict yourself, at least once, in every sentence you write. You advise all to avoid me, yet you keep mentioning my name, and in the wrong connotation as well. I have not mentioned the word B&W even once in the entire thread here. Based on your replies and rants, it is clear you have not even read my posts, and if all you can shout is "you have an agenda", I would say; who doesn't? If I am not mistaken, this post is about Magico/B&W, why are we talking about TAD? I am not the one who brought them up. Regardless, all my points are still valid. As I said, I backed them up with both independent measurements and photos (Taken by TAD themselves, BTW). My opinions, and yours, do not matter without them. You can learn from what I presented, but instead you choose to stay uninformed, and personally attack me, the messenger. As I said, whatever you accept reality or not, is beyond my control. Please try to be more coherent and objective in your replies. You surly like to get my reaction here, but this is becoming a bore.
some people want to do battle and others like to talk about their experiences with stereo equipment and recordings they like to listen to, or concerts they enjoyed attending. for those more interested in mortal combat i suggest karate lessons;
for those who had a great time at a store or someone's home listening to music
i would love to hear what you experienced. most if not all of this equipment is (ridiculously) expensive, but it can also take you much closer to what you heard when the performance was live.
that magical experience should not be downgraded by anyone even if they're
experts at speaker/component/wire design. SHARE information, don't beat me down over it. Over and Out.
French_fries - It is just semantics. Passive-aggressive style ("Do not want to offend anyone, BUT..."), very American dare say, is just as offensive to me, as mortal combat to you. What is nice here on-line, is that you get to ignore posts/people, or not, at your own will. Having it both way, will be difficult. I have no valid information nor an opinion on the B&W/Q1 question. However, I do about the TAD vs. Magico, and since it was brought up, in a condescending manners and out of context, I felt I had something to say, gloves-on. Sorry if the style offended you, but as I said, please feel free to ignore me, none of it is worth getting upset over.
Could not agree more French_fries.

Does B&W have new drivers coming out or you mean the ones currently going into the 800Di?
Mr. EELLII08- i was merely speculating about a tower-style system (like the MM3's by evolution acoustics for ex.) with B&W drivers, perhaps even 2 x 12" woofers
instead of 10's, perhaps even self-powered, etc. that would be one heck of a cool project for them to try. they certainly have the facilities and the expertise to make speakers that can throw a really large image into a good-sized room. AND the price could probably be "a little" more reasonable than Kharma or Magico, Wilson, etc.
Even so, i do believe the 805D2 speakers, while also not inexpensive, can make a lot happen on the other end of the size/cost spectrum.
look, once upon a time i had a pair of used ADS L-15/90-II speakers ($1200!) with two 10" woofers, a mid and a tweeter/side that sounded really terrific.
and the beat goes on....
P.S.- Mr. Usermanual, no problem, just recovering from the attacks further up the list
of comments regarding the degree of difference between the Magico Q1's and the B&W 805's.
both great speakers but you are comparing apples and oranges. That being said a great review article would be the new mini monitors b&w 805, focal diable, raidho c1.1, magico q1, As good as the B&W is (i own 800D) the magico cabinet and drivers are state ot the art and is a speaker I could consider replacing my floorstander with. As well the equipment you would need or use properly with these 2 quite different producte is significant.
I read a review by What HiFi magazine of the B&W 805Ds and although they liked them a lot, they felt they did not have the pace, rhythm and timing or they said something to that effect. I've not heard them and have heard the older Matrix 805s with tube gear years ago and liked them a lot, but they need to be played somewhat loud to get going, and I generally play music at more modest levels and with lower powered equipment. But I too am tempted to get the 805Ds. I may instead get something like the Spendor SA1s or Reference 3A mm deCapo i's.