What are your general thoughts of B&W speakers


What do you guys think of B&W speakers. Specifically, the 800 series diamond line. What are their strengths and weakness? I know I will get quite a few different opinions on this subject. If you had 8 to 10k to spend on a pair of towers, what would you choose? I prefer to buy new so, for the sake of this discussion to new retail products only and stay away from used. I have listened to the B&W 804 diamond quite a bit. I don't have any high end dealers near me but, I can make a drive to audition some brands within an hours drive. What should I sit down to listen to in this price range?
andyprice44

Showing 1 response by eniac26

I own a pair of 803 Diamonds and prior to purchasing them was able to directly compare them to the 804 & 802 Diamonds in the showroom. For me, in my room, the 803 Diamond was the ideal solution. They have a very noticeable advantage in bass output and ultimate SPL capabilities over the 804 line and give up very little to the 802 Diamond.

For me, I went into the dealer with full intentions of getting the 802 so it wasn't really a matter of cost for me but after hearing the various models the 803 was a better fit in my room which is rather small at (12x9). The front firing port design of the 803 was the deciding factor for me over the 802 as it would allow me to position the speaker closer to the rear wall.

I am powering my 803 diamonds with a Pass Labs x250 which is complimented by a full Ayre front end and the results are impressive to say the least. I will be moving up to the x350.5 line at some point but not because they are under powered now but more to do with me wanting more Class A power.

I do not experience any of the negative affects mentioned previously in this thread in terms of of the speakers being too bright or to mellow. Please note, this coming from someone who sits only 7ft away from the speakers front plane.

If you want a speaker that is true to the source without added spices or false ingredients then you owe it to yourself to check out these speakers.