vr4 Jr vs. B&W Signature 805

Prpixel, $2500.

I'd also like to add, for the readers, another opinion of the Signatures finish. I own the same finish as Prpixel had above, grey Tigers Eye, but my reaction is just the opposite; "regular" nautilus speakers, while very nice, pale IMO after owning the Sigs; I cannot express enough how much I like the finish on the Signatures. To each our own.

I have the Red Bird's Eye, one of the best looking finishes ever put on a speaker. Resembles some of the limited Steinway finishes. Is the new 805s the same speaker as the signature except for cabinet?

James, the main differences between the two are, the new N805S has a different (improved) crossover design and the beautiful Signature finishes are not available, obviously; so yes, they are quite close to one another in that they incorporated the Sig technology into them.

Let me explain my comments about the finish on the B&W's. Being a woodworker, I have an appreciation for the natural beauty of wood. I think that the natural grain and color of the wood be allowed to speak for itself. I guess you can tell that I don't use stains on my projects. If I want something to be red, then I use a natural red wood like bloodwood or paduak. If I want black, then I use wenge or ebony. I don't like to use finishes that cover up the grain of the wood such a poly or many coats of lacquer. The only time I use poly is on table tops; two light coats with sanding between applications.

In my opinion, when you use many coats of finish to make the wood look like "plastic wood" then you might as well use plastic wood and save some time and money. I guess you can tell that I'm not a big fan of "piano" finish. However, there are places were they look very classy, such as on pianos.

This is just my opinion. If you like "piano" finishes or "lacquered" finishes, that's fine with me.