I need help convincing me.... 804's vs Polk LS70!!!

[turbokuo]

Wow, after 5 weeks of research and going to 3 different audio stores I had my heart set on N804 (used) and then I came home, popped in Nora Jones, plugged in my Polk LS70's, (9 years old but less than 30 hours of use, $1,100 a pair floor speakers) and gave them a good listen and guess what they sound pretty damn good!?!?

I guess only a side-by-side will resolve this but not possible so can someone please convince me that the 804's are that much better? I'd hate to buy them , bring them home and find out that I like the Polk's better. Maybe I'm just not a high end speaker dude? I'm 29 with still a good set of ears so I thought I could more easily discern a difference but I'm having a hard time!!! Fortunately within these 5 weeks, I now can tell that Bose isn't too good, but I'm still having a hard time with the 804 vs my Polks.

[dpolmann]

auditioning speakers

I have 804's and went through a very deliberate process to pick them out. For the auditioning process, I created two home-made CD's on my computer with songs that I was very familiar with from listening on my old stereo system. One disk was "lighter" music, primarily with acoustic, piano, vocals, instrumentals. The second disk was "heavier", with rock, jazz, dance music, etc. Every store I went to, each salesman was wowed by my preparation and was more than happy to let me click through all of my songs. One guy even told me he wanted copies of my discs! I had chosen each song with something particular in mind, and I could really focus on the differences in the various speakers even though I couldn't do a straight A/B comparison. I was keying in on very specific passages of music that I knew very well (I hate when the salesperson pops in the CD they always use, to try to sell you on things in their own mind/ear). This approach allowed me to go to different dealers and audition different brands. I listened to a wide range of speaker sizes and brands from Polk, Boston Acoustic, to Monitor Audio, Sonus Faber, B&W, and Dynaudio. In the end, you won't be disappointed! Take your time. Enjoy each and every stop. Have Fun!

[BlazeMaster]

a side-by-side comparison is probably the only way you can tell the difference apart. For me, even the side-by-side demoing between the 705s and 805s, I didn't even hear that much difference other than the fact that the 805s had almost no cabinet resonaces at all. I'm 25 and just bought my first system consists of 603s as mains, LCR600 as center and 601s as surrounds. The speakers are very pleasing to listen to in my room and the only thing I have against the 600s are that there's more cabinet resonaces and especially with female vocals. I've always wanted the higher lines of B&Ws, but with my genre of music and most of usage being movies, I don't see much benefits of going higher. Haven't heard the Polks that you own, but from reading reviews the LS/i line are supposed to be top of the line in Polk's products so it shouldn't be that bad. Like you said, I just don't really see myself as an "high-end audiophile" at the age of 25, maybe later as my taste in music changes. At this point, I'm quite happy with my 600s made out of "fake wood" at a much cheaper price. I'd rather spend more money on upgrading the electronics and getting my first FP. Good luck, turbokuo.

[shep]

take them home, compare, return if not satisfied

Most B&W dealers will give you a loaner pair, or else let you return them for a full refund within 30 days or so. Do the A-B comparison at home if you can, as that is where you will end up using them. I also replaced a pair of Polks with used Nautilus 804. Of course, my Polk 7c speakers date from the mid-80s, so there is no comparison, but Polk was a more respected company back then. I am about to trade in my N804s for the new 804s, as I finally had a chance to hear them today they are just enough better to "maybe" justify the upgrade. Still wrestling with that one.

If you are really not sure, and don't want to bring them home, then you probably need to listen to more speaker brands before deciding. Most of us on this forum will be happy if you choose the B&Ws, but you have to trust your ears.

[turbokuo]

Most B&W dealers will give you a loaner pair, or else let you return them for a full refund within 30 days or so. Do the A-B comparison at home if you can, as that is where you will end up using them. I also replaced a pair of Polks with used Nautilus 804. Of course, my Polk 7c speakers date from the mid-80s, so there is no comparison, but Polk was a more respected company back then. I am about to trade in my N804s for the new 804s, as I finally had a chance to hear them today they are just enough better to "maybe" justify the upgrade. Still wrestling with that one.

If you are really not sure, and don't want to bring them home, then you probably need to listen to more speaker brands before deciding. Most of us on this forum will be happy if you choose the B&Ws, but you have to trust your ears.

By the way, I was able to compare the N804 against the 804s (about 20 hours the dealer told me) directly and here was my conclusion the only way I know how to describe it:

Nora Jones - 20-30% better
Sarah Brightman - 20-30% better
My GF's Audio Slave - 100% better (not sure why with the N804 these songs sounded terrible to the point we turned it off after 10 min but with the 804s they sounded really good!)

[turbokuo]

Most B&W dealers will give you a loaner pair, or else let you return them for a full refund within 30 days or so. Do the A-B comparison at home if you can, as that is where you will end up using them. I also replaced a pair of Polks with used Nautilus 804. Of course, my Polk 7c speakers date from the mid-80s, so there is no comparison, but Polk was a more respected company back then. I am about to trade in my N804s for the new 804s, as I finally had a chance to hear them today they are just enough better to "maybe" justify the upgrade. Still wrestling with that one.

If you are really not sure, and don't want to bring them home, then you probably need to listen to more speaker brands before deciding. Most of us on this forum will be happy if you choose the B&Ws, but you have to trust your ears.

Thanks didn't know this because my dealer didn't offer this information maybe because they are selling like hotcakes in LA. Ya, I want to like the 804 so much because in addition to the sound, they look WAY better than most of the speakers out there.

[turbokuo]

Good news....took the suggestions of some board members and wrote down notes of certain sections of Nora Jones' CD that just didn't sound quite perfect on my Polks. Later when I listened to the new 804's, it resoved the problem. Also 5 min later I listened to the Paradigm Studio and Signature line and liked my Polks much better. So it's definitely B&W or nothing at all.

[willbrosk]

I also looking to upgrade and have a suggestion. I think using specefic segements of songs is a good idea. However, dont just do one song. I have been auditioning many speakers lately and find I will like 1 song/scene better on one and another on different. Also try to keep the amp the same. If the paradigm you were listening to were using a different amp pre-amp etc it may be the difference in it you were hearing. I actually carry my reciever in with me and make them hook it up now. Last if your dealer offers you clearance B&W 802s at 40% off dont tell him you will think about it, or you might come back the next day to find them gone yes i am still crying over this, I may need to go get some prozac :P

[turbokuo]

Willbrosk,

Wow, 802 at 40% off!!!! Ouch sorry about the loss!