Narrowed to 3: 802D3, Sopra 3, Reference 3


Hi all,
Here's the situation:
Room is 14x17 with vaulted ceilings from 9" to 14", and the room is mostly open to a foyer with high ceiling and is about 10x10.

I'm currently running a setup scavenged from my home theater:
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > Rotel RC-1590 Preamp > Rotel RB-1582 mk2 amp > B&W 805 D3

The sound overall is excellent, but it's a little bright and lacks bass presence (as you'd expect for a 2 way bookshelf). Here are my top speakers I've auditioned:

B&W 802D3 ( Auditioned with: Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C52 > McIntosh 601) at Magnolia

KEF Reference 5 (Auditioned with Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ > McIntosh C47 > McIntosh MC452) at Magnolia at the same time as the 802.

Focal Sopra 3 (Auditioned with NAIM DAC > NAIM NAP 500 DR Amp - 140W per channel) at difference location

I also heard the KEF Reference 3 and Blade but ruled them out, the Ref 3 for sound, and the Blade for price and it being kind of ugly.

Here's the thing, I feel like I'm not sure what to get. I love the general sound of the 802, but I'm afraid even with the MC452 it'd be a bit bright. It also really lacked the presence in the bass like the Reference 5.

The Reference 5 sounds wonderful, and the bass is prolific, but I'm a little concerned about it being too warm. I heard the Ref 5 and 802s in the same room with virtually the same equipment, back to back, and they were so very different. The Ref 5 was warm, with rich full mids, that maybe were even too lush, with bass so good I honestly thought the subwoofer was on.

The 802 had good bass, but nothing to write home about (and it even had the more powerful 601 monoblocks), but the clarity was astounding, I just fear it'll be a little too bright for my room, which seems to lean bright already. That said, there is just something so exciting about the sound of this speaker playing orchestral. The problem was I much preferred the KEF for rock/r&b.

Then, to add to the mix, I liked the Focal Sopra 3 a lot, but I also felt it lacked bass presence, though it was on the weakest amp by a wide margin. The Focal seemed to be the middle ground between the B&W and KEF, but the bass concerned me. I'm not a bass nut, but I do want my bass to be powerful and don't want to have to add a sub. (Even for orchestral, I felt the Focal lacked a bit in the low cello and bass parts)

My plan was to keep the Mytek, and probably get a McIntosh C47 and MC452 or MC462, as I think the Rotels are probably too bright and underpowered for any of these setups. I was definitely hitting 300+W on the 802s during my audition while listening to orchestral music.

Thoughts? Is the KEF really that pudgy in the middle, is the B&W really that bright, and does the Sopra 3 really lack bass presence?

p.s. I thought the Blade was better balanced, but also still pretty warm.


Ag insider logo xs@2xmayoradamwest
As a side bar to this discussion:
Solid gold decisions are tough to make and i appreciate "the angst" that goes into decisions such as these as well as anyone else.
Just yesterday i painted my listening room and will soon order sound panels (Acoustimac) as the next step in raising the acoustics.. New-er speakers ( and amp) are on the horizon as well but i will at least will have a "new nursery" awaiting any new pieces be it speakers or amps. ( Get it-raising acoustics-nursery)... 
@mrdon
Solid gold decisions are tough to make and i appreciate "the angst" that goes into decisions such as these as well as anyone else.

This guy gets it :-)

While I love reading about people with huge budgets, amps that cost more than the speakers, or even cables that cost more than the speakers, that's not what I want. I love music, and I want to set this system up right, but I'd love to set it and forget it for at least 10 years. I'd rather lease another car than spend 30k on cables. For this setup (802+McIntosh), I was looking at finding used Kimber cables at reasonable prices. All in, I suspect this setup will run me a little less than 40k (half of which is the speakers). 

Again, thanks everyone for input. At least for me, right now, it's a pretty big financial commitment, so I want to make sure I wasn't overlooking something obvious. To be honest, I could probably just listen to my 805+Rotel+sub setup for 10 years and still be pretty happy.
I think control the room, and you will be happy with the 802d3.

Heck I think any of those 3 and you’re still beyond 99% of the population.

Re my system, it was built for the sole purpose of pushing whatever speaker I had beyond reasonable limits, it’s not typical.  Because I bought smart, my total cost is approx 60 for all not including room.
I agree with jimmydd. When you hear the right speaker you will know it. You know what you're accustomed to. It's happened to me only 3 times. Don't be in a hurry with that type of investment. The last time I wasn't even considering new speaker. But why I bought them is because after hearing them I couldn't get that sound out of my head for months.
If not that much trouble bring your pre/amp/cables with you for a demo. That way you'll know if the electronics are right for the speakers.
Best of luck
The 802D3’s have amazing bass.  Don’t blame the speakers if your not hearing it in a demo.