I went from the N802s directly to Thiel 3.7s back in 2012. I thought the Thiels were better across the board. They have less bass but the quality is unquestionably superior. The midrange was clearer. I definitely heard/understood things through the Thiels that I never had through the B&Ws. The highs were better too. The B&W tweeter, while very good, had an unmistakable peak that made them hard to listen to in certain recordings and covered up some detail. The Thiels were much less colored. Really an open window. Every time I listen to them I can't imagine ever being dissatisfied and wanting more.
I was surprised by this experience. I had the B&Ws for 6 years and I had the 804s for a couple of years before that. I figured since it was such a big company they'd be able to build better stuff than a company that was basically one guy. I was wrong. Speaker building is a black art I guess and the instincts and skills Jim Thiel built up over decades allowed him to build better products than a huge company with a far greater research budget, better facilities, etc.
I was surprised by this experience. I had the B&Ws for 6 years and I had the 804s for a couple of years before that. I figured since it was such a big company they'd be able to build better stuff than a company that was basically one guy. I was wrong. Speaker building is a black art I guess and the instincts and skills Jim Thiel built up over decades allowed him to build better products than a huge company with a far greater research budget, better facilities, etc.