I am not sure you will get an accurate response to your question since their are many varying opinions. For example, this statement "but the tweeter's usually wear you down over time; diamond or aluminum (Zd542, 2014)", is not my impression and certainly not with the N800 series, which is the pre-diamond series.
I find the sound of the B&W N800's excellent and very pleasing to my ears, so my opinion is the polar opposite of some others. Note that the N800's are not the same types of tweeter as the newer 803D's; so my impressions are based on that particular model; however, I would suggest you make your own informed decision based on critical and fun listening sessions.
The only way you are going to get a good impression of the speakers you are interested in is listening to them in different stores, audio shows, and bringing your own listening material for your very own reference. Home tests would be the best scenario. For every B&W speaker I have listened to over the years in a variety of venues, I have occasionally found a reason to not like that speaker for some other reason, the room acoustics, source and amplification. The same can be said of other speakers, so you will have some homework cut out for you. There are many reasons why a particular speaker will sound good or bad based on listening conditions.
I find myself getting lured into a relaxing state of mind with my B&W N800's, and can listen for hours on end. The only other speaker which gave me the feeling of being relaxed like my B&W N800's, was my friends Magnepan 3.6's.
There, some more variables added to the equation. Good luck and happy listening.
Ciao,
Audioquest4life
I find the sound of the B&W N800's excellent and very pleasing to my ears, so my opinion is the polar opposite of some others. Note that the N800's are not the same types of tweeter as the newer 803D's; so my impressions are based on that particular model; however, I would suggest you make your own informed decision based on critical and fun listening sessions.
The only way you are going to get a good impression of the speakers you are interested in is listening to them in different stores, audio shows, and bringing your own listening material for your very own reference. Home tests would be the best scenario. For every B&W speaker I have listened to over the years in a variety of venues, I have occasionally found a reason to not like that speaker for some other reason, the room acoustics, source and amplification. The same can be said of other speakers, so you will have some homework cut out for you. There are many reasons why a particular speaker will sound good or bad based on listening conditions.
I find myself getting lured into a relaxing state of mind with my B&W N800's, and can listen for hours on end. The only other speaker which gave me the feeling of being relaxed like my B&W N800's, was my friends Magnepan 3.6's.
There, some more variables added to the equation. Good luck and happy listening.
Ciao,
Audioquest4life