B&W 804S

[BWLover]

I'm in the market for a pair of B&W 804S' i currently own a pair of 683's, I'm wondering if the bass from the 804's will be as powerful and loud as the 683's? I'm using a Rotel RSX-1058 as a processor and RB-1080 amp and RCD-1072 CD on a piece of slate on feet of silence. when I`m listening to music i can easily turn the vol. up to 88 and the speakers are pretty much topped out. sometimes i push 90 but usually 88 will do it, but the bass is very strong and loud and i like it. i was looking at the 804's in a showroom and the surround on the woofer looks like the don't have much excursion (if that's the right word) I`m still pretty new to this hi fi world but I`ve listened to the 804S' and they have a much better sound then the 683's (obviously) but I`ve never herd them (the 804's) in the showroom as loud as i would at home so i don't know if they keep up bass wise. what do you guys think.

[htsteve]

BWLover,

First off, welcome to the forum. It's a great place to gather information and solicit opinions.

As to your question, the 804S will be definitely superior than the 683's. Every aspect will be better. Better tweeter that rests on top. The FST midrange is smoooooth. And the rohacell bass drivers, are really fast and tight. They will be very good. And loud. The internal bracing is much better in the 804S. The 804S's will maintain their clean sound as you play them louder. They are excellent speakers.

I own the predecessors, the N804's, as well as previous models in similar ranges to the 600 series.

You have a good amp to drive the 804's. I had a 1080 driving those N804's I have.

BTW, if you have a home theater, and the 804S's would be your mains, the 683's would make very good rear speakers.


Also, your thread will likely get many more responses in the B&W forum in the specialty clubs area. Maybe the moderator can move it there.


Hope this helps.

[Russ L]

Try posting this thread in the Club B&W section of the forum. You should get more and better responses. And welcome to the HT Forum!

[BWLover]

would there be any difference in 2 channel sound quality between using a rotel surround pro (in 2 ch bypass) vs. a stereo pre amp

[htsteve]

would there be any difference in 2 channel sound quality between using a rotel surround pro (in 2 ch bypass) vs. a stereo pre amp

BWLover,

Generally, yes, there would be sound differences. A stereo pre-amp pretty much has one thing to do, be a stereo pre-amp stage. A receiver has stereo, a tuner, multichannel amps, video, etc.. The engineering and parts are spread out over a wider base in a reciever. A quality two channel is great for stereo.

A good Rotel stereo pre-amp would be excellent for 2 channel, better than a receiver. If you just do 2 channel, then look into the Rotel stereo pieces. I also believe their new 15 series will have two channel pre-amps out fairly soon.

Hope this helps.

[BWLover]

no sorry i mean a surround processor vs. a stereo pre amp

[htsteve]

no sorry i mean a surround processor vs. a stereo pre amp

BWLover,

Sorry, I got a bit confused. Actually, my answer above is for a receiver. When comparing a surround processor (AV pre-amp)vs. a stereo pre amp, the issues are somewhat similar. A surround processor does not have amps and a tuner. So less competition for the available dollars in engineering and parts. AV pre-amps are better laid out, have better power supplies and better chips/parts. It will be similar to a stereo pre-amp. An AV pre-amp will have both a digital and analog sections to it. A stereo pre-amp is just analog, so in theory, it will produce the best two channel performance.


Hope this helps.

[BWLover]

What would you say about bi-amping the 804s' with a rotel rb 1090 for the bass and a 1080 For tthe mid high?

[PewterTA]

There's no need for that, the 1090 has two binding posts and MORE than enough power for the 804s.

The sound stage is different between the 1090 and 1080 (I have both along with the 1095). You wouldn't want to bi-amp them that way, it would add no benefit and smear the soundstage.

The 804s definitely have a better mid range and the highs are somewhat better too. But the bass is just about equal. The 804 is slightly tighter of a bass, but its not as much of a difference as one would think.

But if you are using a 1090, it's going to basically dominate each speaker. I've not heard a better sounding/controlling amp at the price range.

[BWLover]

You said the 804s have better this and that...better than what? What would you bi amp with from rotel?