Are Bowers and Wilkins speakers overpriced?

@erik_squires,

I am trying to understand your agenda as you came out with your stale opinion of ‘quirky’ and then tried to justify it with a 7 year old article.

Do you buy components based on stereophile articles or what sounds best to your ears?

Please enlighten us which audio brand is perfectly designed and executed.

All of you arguing with me need to know that you literally can't.

I've made my points, and they are not arguable:

1 - I don't like B&W that much.  You can't argue personal taste.

2 - They are not objectively neutral  - Proven in measurements

3 - B&W has changed their curves over time - Again, proven.

Those of you who love B&W, I suggest you want to stick to what you love about them, instead of trying to disprove facts.

Enjoy the bonfire I've left here for you, because this is silly and I'm done. :)

Erik

paulgardner - When you say tuning of upstream components, what are you referring to? Things like tube rolling? Adding an EQ? Room treatment? Thx

Paul - yes but it depends. let me explain, but its getting outside of your OP question. I break it down between big rocks and smaller rocks. Bigger versus smaller expected changes.

For example you mention tube rolling.
I consider tube rolling a smaller rock. It’s a refinement, of what you already like. You're on the same road.
Now going from Solid State to Tubes, and Vice Versa - that is a bigger rock. That is a change in the road. Now IMO, one can (and I have and do) run B&W 800 series with Tubes and SS, it just depends on the size of the room and your listening style.

make sense?

Yep. Makes perfect sense. I’ll admit the 805 d3 did sound a bit bright initially but since changing over to a tube power amp and tube phono stage, I’m very happy with the results. I recently picked up a Herron VPTH-2A. I truly love it. I’ve only had it a month or so and cannot find a single fault. 

@Nigel squires

1 - I don't like B&W that much. You can't argue personal taste.
2 - They are not objectively neutral - Proven in measurements
3 - B&W has changed their curves over time - Again, proven.

1. You havent heard them in every room or with every cable or with every amp so how can you say you dont like them based on a quick demo? have you heard them after their crossover have been modified? I'm assuming you havent?

2. there is no such thing as neutral. No matter how you tune a speaker, the recording will also affect what you hear so there is no inherently neutral speaker.

3. You are arguing that the curves are deliberately designed that way. There is no evidence of this. You are also using stereophile to support your claim about the curves. Response can vary depending on how you do measurements. One reviewers measurements do not mean its conclusive. You havent even mentioned off axis response. You are wrong erik.