Better B&W Matrix or Nautilus?

I have owned both and will try my best to put into words the differences. The 802S3 is a real three way speaker. This can be good and bad. It definetly goes very deep in the bass department but also lacks some of that mid bass punch that I like and prefer. The midrange unit in the 802 is superb but is very room dependent and electronics sensitive. To put it simply the 802's required a great deal of effort to sound good, almost too much effort. The N805's are a different animal. I have accepted the lack of very low 802 type bass. The punch is great, and treble cleanness is better that the 802. The 805N is also very room and electronics friendly. They never cease to amaze me in the situations that they sound good. I use my speakers for strictly two channel audio so low bass is not very much of an issue for me. I think my opinions are somewhat valid since I have owned more expensive speakers and higher end B&W's specifically. The N805 are special and always just sound great. I find myself more apt to listen to the music, then when I owned 802's and would analyze and nit pick every little detail and had little musical enjoyment.

I had owned the 802 Series 3 for several years and prior to that the original 802 for over ten years. I now have the 802 Nautilus (about one year) and on an absolute basis, the Nautilus is better. It offers a more realistic treble presentation, a much wider sound stage and far greater bass extention. I must caution you that it can sound 'bright' with the wrong amp/or cables so auditioning with your equipment is important. Also, it can really soak up the power - to sound its best it requires a powerful and high quality amplifier. I currently use the Matrix 805 for surround and they are quite good but the new Nautilus 805 is better in the upper registers and has slightly deeper bass. However, both have fairly weak bass and need a sub to sound their best. In conclusion, if price is not a concern, go for the new Nautilus series (I have not heard the N 804 or N 803 but I bet they sound great). If adhering to a strict budget, you would be well served by a pair of late model Matrix 802s.

I have a set of Matrix 802 S3's & love them; one of the few components I rarely think about changing. However I would be interested to know if Krellnot or anyone else has any comparisons with the M802's & N805's.

I have owned the following B&W's for extended periods in my own home in this order: 1.) B&W DM640 2.) B&W Matrix 802S3 3.) B&W Matrix 804 4.) B&W Nautilus 804 5.) B&W Nautilus 805 I by far enjoy the N805 the most. The N series is cleaner in the treble but I find the FST speakers to be a little forward sounding. The N805 is the best of both. Basically the old laid back matrix sound in the midrange with cleaner treble response. At the new price of $2000 for the N805 used M series are a tough sell - at least to me. Keep in mind I have a music only system.

The matrix bracing system has been carried over to the Nautilus line. The major improvements in the Nautilus series is the cabinent design and the tweeters. I have heard the N 801m 802, and 805 and was impressed with them all. However the original Maxtrix series are impressive in their own right. There is a big difference in price between the 2 series as you know so the best advice I could give is listen to both and decide for yourself if the improvements are worth the extra dough. Both lines have their benifits and whichever you choose you know you are getting a quality product. Good luck.

Having had a pair of 801 Matrix III's for 5 years and selling them for the Wilson Watt/Puppies 5.1's before the Nautilus 801 arrived, I would have opted for the new B&W's. The Nautilus are superior in efficiency, dynamics and imaging over the Matrix. The tweeter and midrange have been dramatically improved and the "polite sound" people criticized the original 801's of having is gone. I like my Wilson's, but the extra cost isn't worth the value associated with the Nautilus. By the way, I ran a Theta transport into an old Theta GenIII D/A through all Transparent Reference cable and interconnects into a Krell KRC-HR and a Krell FPB-300 amp.

Speaking dollars only, an excellent condition used pair of Matrix speakers can be had for half their original list, or one-third what the equivalent Nautilus cost. So is $3500 for the N804 better than $1100 for a pair of M804s. Or $5000 for the N803 better than $1700 for the M803s Excellent used pairs are hard to find, so you will have to wait. A lot of the small M805s appear more often as do the very expensive 801s.