Forgot to mention that I have listened to the 803D3 couple of weeks ago.
Unfortunately I don't think the setup was up to the task at all, so I cannot really say much for sure.
From the current setup I can to guess these new speakers don't sound very far from the D2, but that again, the setup was to poor to make a true statement on how they sound.
If anybody has listened to the D3 in a proper setup please comment I am really curious to know other ppl's opinon.
Unfortunately I don't think the setup was up to the task at all, so I cannot really say much for sure.
From the current setup I can to guess these new speakers don't sound very far from the D2, but that again, the setup was to poor to make a true statement on how they sound.
If anybody has listened to the D3 in a proper setup please comment I am really curious to know other ppl's opinon.
Finally found it - on AVS forums
Quote:
Originally Posted by wse View Post
Lucky, how much did you sell them for?
I cannot tell. It was arranged by B&W (via a local dealer) as part of the delivery of the 802D3s.
Kal Rubinson
"Music in the Round"
Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile
Music in the Round | Stereophile.com
I had a decent listen to the new 800D3's recently, in a pretty good room and came away thinking that they're a definite step up on the D2 model. Tonally, very accurate and very high res. Bass was near perfect.
The lower woofer distortion has also removed a cloud from the mids and the new continuum driver blends really well with the tweeter.
Technically, tonally they are probably ahead of the Wilson Alexia's but what I heard wasn't quite as real and nuanced as I've heard from Alexia's.
I would need to hear them again in different environments to verify of course.
Thank you for your listening! How would you compare them against the signature model? I am very curious to know your opinion!
Would you get 800D3 over the Sig800? Would it be worth the price tag to change them?
Would you choose Wilson alexias over these 3? I have heard several top level Wilson's model :Alexia, Sophia, Aleex...e neither one of them really impressed me.
I always had the impression that there was a hole in the mid and that sound is set up to impress listener and suit more high-end A/V applications....but this is just my opinion based on these particular setups in which I have listened them in.
Please give me your opinion on this...I am very interested to know more what you think about it!
Once again you refuse to listen to things and only base your opinion purely on measurements! There are hundreds of products in the market that behave like you ideal.....cheap speakers that have perfect frequency response...but that I would not even dare listen to them for more than 10 seconds!!!!
You have same approach people had back on the 80's with electronics...they would only look at numbers and no need for listening if it measures fine!
How do these electronics sound??? in one word: TERRIBLE!!
How do electronics with less than perfect response sound?...I qill leave the answer to this rhetorical question to you.
No, I listened to the B&W D line. What I have not done is compared the D2 to D3 directly, but I've heard the D2 for some time. There's a store 5 minutes from me that has the D3 playing all the time and I've never been moved to stop and pay more attention. It is very hard for me to imagine a speaker that measures so closely doesn't have the same attributes as it's predecessor, but maybe the D3 really is so much better. << shrug >>
B&W has always seemed from "meh" for the mid-line (or Matrix) to "bright" at the top of the current line for me. In particular, I like very smooth treble responses, followed by a natural tonal balance. B&W doesn't sound like either to me. I'm particularly unhappy with movies mixed with 802's that have dialogue you can't hear in theaters or home without them. Not a mark of a really neutral speaker.
I'd rather have a mid-line Monitor Audio thank you than just about any speaker B&W has built in the last 20 years.
But, as always, buy what you like, just don't try to tell me B&W is a neutral reference.
Best,
Erik
B&W has always seemed from "meh" for the mid-line (or Matrix) to "bright" at the top of the current line for me. In particular, I like very smooth treble responses, followed by a natural tonal balance. B&W doesn't sound like either to me. I'm particularly unhappy with movies mixed with 802's that have dialogue you can't hear in theaters or home without them. Not a mark of a really neutral speaker.
I'd rather have a mid-line Monitor Audio thank you than just about any speaker B&W has built in the last 20 years.
But, as always, buy what you like, just don't try to tell me B&W is a neutral reference.
Best,
Erik
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I would not be the first one to say this nor the last one! they are used in many audiophile recording studios, I didn't force them to buy them and use them as reference for mastering process!
Fwiw, they were hooked up to an all Krell system and the music selection was mostly high res pcm and dsd from a music server.
From experience, the demo room isn't bright and has been designed dimensionally to minimise standing waves, and fine tuned with diffusers and absorbers, including the large sofa. In lively rooms they may well sound bright, but in the demo room the treble balance was spot on.
I've seen measurements for the 802D3 but not yet the 800D3 so I can't comment.
Even Vs the 800S I would say that the new D3 is slightly less coloured and more resolving, but without hearing them side by side in the same room it's difficult to give a detailed appraisal.
To an extent, I agree with your comments re Alexia. The bass is difficult to get right in most rooms and the overall balance isn't as warm as the B&W's, but in the right room they are really good at differentiating everything, and with excellent depth of stage.
Alexia's also have a nice treble, though less open than B&W at the very top it's equally resolved without ever sounding prominent.
That said, based on my experiences to date, if I was choosing a speaker to replace the 800D2 I would probably go with the 800D3.
I think it's a case of horses for courses.
There's a MA dealer in the city I've been to a few times and they have a reasonable demo studio with PL300's which I personally like. However, the sales guy who works there conceded to me that his dream speaker is the B&W 800 Diamond.
Same thing at the local store that sells Legacy speakers. When I last visited, the store manager was saving for a pair of 800 diamonds for his home system.
I agree, I too have found the Alexia to have a very deep soundstage and good sense of discrimination against SW played.
I am not sure about the room, however it was treated and seemed to not having massive problems. All the 3-4 top Wilson I listened to had the same exact sonic signature across the board, which isn't bad given that customer wants to buy a "recognizable" sound.
Your review has made me really curious! If price will justify the performance difference between my Sig800 and the 800D3, I will probably press the trigger and update my speakers.
I would still advise a try-before-you-buy policy to make sure you like them.
My modified D2's sound better than normal D2's but not quite as good as the D3's in my view, though in some respects it's a case of being different rather than better or worse.
Interesting! I would think new woofers and new structure would make a clearly audible difference...but then again..the previous 800 was already made superbely..so maybe these are not as important improvements.
For me if the difference is not striking it is not worth the upgrade.
If I could find in that price range something significantly better than mine..regardless it is a B&W or not..then I would consider the upgrade!
Conversely if it is just a matter of a different presentation...then I wouldn't see the point in doing that!
Many people just change for the heck of it...not me personally! I like to change if it means going for a clear improvement!
For me if the difference is not striking it is not worth the upgrade.
If I could find in that price range something significantly better than mine..regardless it is a B&W or not..then I would consider the upgrade!
Conversely if it is just a matter of a different presentation...then I wouldn't see the point in doing that!
Many people just change for the heck of it...not me personally! I like to change if it means going for a clear improvement!
Anybody heard the Giya G1? I am thinking of upgrading in the near future to this speakers!
I have heard the G3 and sounded great but not enough volume to replace my sig800. The G1 is said to set an absolute reference for speakers accordingly to many reviewers!
Considering also that it is the same designer that designed the original Nautilus...I mean I can only take my hat off and admit he is a genius!
My question is: does anybody know if he is the same designer as the sig800? I was told he was but I am not sure...just a curiosity more than anything!
I have heard the G3 and sounded great but not enough volume to replace my sig800. The G1 is said to set an absolute reference for speakers accordingly to many reviewers!
Considering also that it is the same designer that designed the original Nautilus...I mean I can only take my hat off and admit he is a genius!
My question is: does anybody know if he is the same designer as the sig800? I was told he was but I am not sure...just a curiosity more than anything!
As far as I know, Laurence Dickie of Vivid Audio invented the Nautilus speaker while being at B&W. I don't know about the 800 signatures. I had a chance to meet him in person in Munich at the Highend society audio show and have a talk with him. He is a true gentleman and a modest person. He dedicated 5 minutes to general loudspeaker discussions with me, and it was not even directly bound to Vivid Audio speakers. He was explaining me what could be the reason for honkyness with many speakers that my ears are sensitive to.
Yes, his speakers sounded fabulous to me, no coloration whatsoever, no apparent beaming, drivers blended well, gorgeous look.
Yes, his speakers sounded fabulous to me, no coloration whatsoever, no apparent beaming, drivers blended well, gorgeous look.
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Erik what are you even talking about??
You are bashing so badly about B&W and you haven't even had a chance to listen to the Sig800 you talk so bad about, so how can you say that??!!!!
I am sure now you have now prerogatives about Vivid as well because it has a deep/peak at 60Hz don't you?
I am starting to think you have a weird concept about speakers....why do you even listen to the speakers you make?
Simple answer...why would you? You don't need to....use your soundcard and microphone and measure them all out and then give us a review on how they sound without listen to it!!
EDIT: have you stopped reading the Stereophile article at the measurement sets or have you actually read what the person who listens to them has to say about it? If you have, then you will see he doesn't mention not even remotely the awful sound you "found" with these speakers in object! Now I think you should write him and take his place!!
You are bashing so badly about B&W and you haven't even had a chance to listen to the Sig800 you talk so bad about, so how can you say that??!!!!
I am sure now you have now prerogatives about Vivid as well because it has a deep/peak at 60Hz don't you?
I am starting to think you have a weird concept about speakers....why do you even listen to the speakers you make?
Simple answer...why would you? You don't need to....use your soundcard and microphone and measure them all out and then give us a review on how they sound without listen to it!!
EDIT: have you stopped reading the Stereophile article at the measurement sets or have you actually read what the person who listens to them has to say about it? If you have, then you will see he doesn't mention not even remotely the awful sound you "found" with these speakers in object! Now I think you should write him and take his place!!
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I have heard the G1s. They are absolutely fantastic speakers with seemingly infinite dynamic range and no noticeable coloration. They were driven by Devialet amplifiers.
I must point out that in the 3 best systems I have heard (G1 system being best), a lot of effort was made to make the room as acoustically blameless as resources would allow. Additionally, in the G1 system there was room correction (Dirac) applied. My observation is that it is a waste of money to buy the best speakers you can afford, while neglecting the room acoustics. I heard the Vivid G1s both before and after room treatment. "Before" you could tell that the speakers were something special, but that was nowhere near how they sounded after acoustic treatment and digital room correction (the latter in the low frequency region) was implemented.
Distortion and/or dynamic compression - that provide clues as to how loud the music is playing - was so low in this system that you could listen at excessively high volume levels and not be aware of it. The first clue I got was when I stepped out of the room and tried to start a conversation with someone there...
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