would b&w 802n be an upgrade to my b&w 804S?

Hey Now Baran:

I can only assume that you are not happy with your 804S ???

Those should be providing you all that you need with your Anthem P5...I would be afraid that your jump to 802N would end up draining more power from your amp to drive them and you may have to go to monoblocks....Your 804 series is best suited for your desire in Home Theater and a little bit of music along the way. The 802N is becoming dated at this point regarding its age as they are probably 10 plus years old. I would stick with your 804S or consider a different line of speaker.

Cannot audition them at my home. they are hours and hours away. i can hear them at his house. but different amp and room.

i am happy with the 804S i have five of them. just saw the older 802N for a pretty good price and started to think... always loved the looks of the 802. just didn't know how it would compare to what I have and for what i use them for. i do not know what if anything i am missing.

i do know, i cannot go 8k for a used set of 802d or even more for the 802d2 or 800. hell even the 803d are selling for over 5k.

Honestly you are not going to get much difference other than an additional bass aspect, and if your sub is crossed over correctly this is a moot point. Plus if you do not have a separate amp to drive the 802's your benefit will be minimal at best. I would keep what you have if you are happy so far IMHO.

Baranowski, your anthem amp will easily drive the 802n. It's a beast of an amp and made to drive a good full range speaker. Personally I'm not a fan of the metal tweeter used but if you want to stick with B&W the 802n is your next step up. I would look for a good price in the used market for the 805d and then go with good subs. The 805d is more extended and much smoother than the 802n and the mids seemed less dry.

Rose...anything can drive the 802's for sure...but to get the best of what they desire its best to have them on monoblocks or to their own amp. The Anthem P5 is suitable but if he is running the other 804's off of this amp he can make breakfast with it in 10 minutes...I like my eggs over easy with crispy bacon please.

Plus the 802Ns are not much more different in sonic range than the 804S. Plus we are talking about home theater and not a 2 channel or musical application as the OP states. His benefit to go up to the 802N will be minimal at best in his home theater set up.