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B&W 800D or 802D Cosmetic Issues

Hello folks,

I am seeking feedback from 800D or 802D owners only. I have recently order a pair of 800D2 from my dealer. The pair arrived 2 weeks later and delivered to my home. Upon close inspection, I notice finish imperfections on one of the speaker's Marlan head and tweeter tube. There are several deep scratches embedded in the finish that are visible in day light or with the flash light. If you stand couple of feet away, you cannot spot these imperfections. The other speaker is perfect with no sign of scratches...the finish is smooth and inky glossy black.

The dealer sent over the field inspector to address the issue. The inspector notice the imperfections and gave the following explanation -

"800D are hand made, no two speaker will have the same finish and you may find these minor imperfections on another pair as well". He went on to say, that I am being 'picky' and no one really inspect these speakers with a flash light.

I feel bit disappointed with the craftsmanship and still in disbelief that these speaker passed the Q.C. test at B&W facility and no one noticed these imperfections.

I do realize that over time piano black finish tend to generate surface scratches....sort of nature of the beast. I can understand the disparity in wood grain finishes but these Marlan heads and tweeter are being painted and applied several coates of lacquer, shouldnt they be identical and spotless?

I wonder if anyone out there experienced these issues with the finish. For what I have seen at dealer showroom and another pair at local shop, a brand new pair shouldn't have these cosmetic issues. After all you're buying a flagship pair at a 24K price point.
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Showing 1 response by yamahafirth

yamahafirth
18 posts
 
Funny, I just had this happen to me on a pair of speakers costing $29,000. When I received them I noticed a few scratches when going over them with a flashlight at night to remove dust. I noticed a few imperfections and started asking questions. The dealer stated they were NOS and when I received them they were in fact sealed as if they were new, staples and all.

I contacted the importer, not the manufacturer and they ended up finding out they were sold as demo pair because they were used in shows as displays.

I contacted the dealer and they said there was a mistake and they were told they were NOS and had no idea. Well, if they did or didn't they did end up making is right by sending the new model at $34,000 a pair.

After receiving the new pair it was a world of difference in the paint finish. I can tell you there was no swirl marks or any scratches. Happy days.
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