a great speaker. not quite as detailed (read warmer)as the later designs, but certainly a classic. like older kef,rogers,wharfedale, and imf models, they have their fans. very, very scarce.
I spent a lot of time with the B&W 808 AND the Matrix 800s. I used to work at B&W research and development in Steyning. I would 'borrow' the 808s for the odd show - a presentation I did and a fashion show in Arundel castle. For the latter I used a 500 watt bridged amplifier - 1 kw in total. The 808s filled the entire banqueting hall with top end audio. They are really amazing for very large rooms. However its easy to fry the tweeters as they are plastic domes. The Matrix 800s have similar power outputs but are built using matrix techniques giving less boxy artifacts. Similar problems with the tweeters which are nearly 2 inches, they can fracture under heavy load. Sound on both is more 'rock stadium' than subtle. Certainly the nearest you can get to a 'live' sound. If you can get your hands on a pair of 808s you won't be disappointed even though the sound is a bit old fashioned, its a warm tone, not clinical, and tons of power in the bottom end too.
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