Cape Town Launch

[caleb]

Just to let you all know that the new 800 series is being launched in Cape Town on Friday at my local dealer.

There will be three models at the launch and the electronics will be by Classe.

Can't wait, 48 hours and counting! :T

[Mia]

Just to let you all know that the new 800 series is being launched in Cape Town on Friday at my local dealer.

WOW!

[ti33er]

hehe Caleb you already have an incredible system, especially for a Capetonian so make sure you leave your wallet at home - in fact you probably shouldn't go at all...upgradeitus bugs us all!

[sugarmedia]

Perhaps for some it is better to have upgraditis bother them, rather than their conscious.

South Africa (Capetown) is a beautiful place, but there is still ALOT of segregation. (Remainder of post removed by administrator)

[js24]

got diamonds?

[jazznsoccer]

Well Caleb I expect to see the review of the diamonds in... what .... 2 weeks? :B

Anybody care to start a pool to see how long he can hold out?

[Jeff]

Sugarmedia, in most of the 170 or so countries you will find a sizable disparity between those with $ and jobs and those without. You and I have Nautilus. There are not many in the world that can make that statement.

I hope we are thankful for what we have.

Caleb, tell us all about it when you have the chance! :T

[JCL]

It is a crime not to post pictures of this Have fun!

[sugarmedia]

Sugarmedia, in most of the 170 or so countries you will find a sizable disparity between those with $ and jobs and those without. You and I have Nautilus. There are not many in the world that can make that statement.

I hope we are thankful for what we have.

Yes Jeff, we should all be very thankful! I travel to S.A. about 3-4 times a year on business and am always humbled by what I see. (Remainder of post removed by administrator)

[georgev]

Perhaps this discussion on another forum?
Let us enjoy the music from our wonderful speakers and systems.
Thanks,
George

[Mia]

I was watching Oprah a few months back and she had a special on south africa. It is such a pretty place and with all those vineyards. But yes, the whole poverty/racial issue is just disgusting.

Have a great day!



Mia

[Stevebez]

Howzit boet!

From a fellow Seth Efriken now living in London. Well have to say I got the 803D's a month or so back and "shoe wow" ... :banana:

Running it off ROTEL front end which should be up to the task - although some say it deserves better - this may be true but my credit card is toast! :#

True lifetime investment in my view - even the wife likes them!!

Curious as to what they retail for down there ... let me know when you get a chance.

Rgds Steve

[caleb]

(Post removed by administrator, as it was a response to a deleted portion of a prior post)

[Stevebez]

Caleb I can only second your comments re Sugarmedia.

(Remainder removed)

[sugarmedia]

Come on boys, lets not act like grumpy old men. (Removed by administrator)

No further comment.

[Pieter]

Stephen,
Los die ou, dis nie die moeite werd om sy uitlatings met n antwoord te regverdig nie.

[Stevebez]

Mark,

I don't understand why I "need balls" to make a comment ? Seems logical not balsy ... anyhow I certainly was not expecting any comment like the one you made in this forum ... it only caught my eye when caleb responded and wondered what could have provoked it.

What a hack indeed.

I hope you have fun next time you are in SA ... :W

Rgds Steve

[Stevebez]

Pieter ek is siek en sat met hierdie ouens wat dink hulle weet alles wat in SA aangaan.

Maar jy is reg ons los dit nou ...

Totsiens.

[sugarmedia]

(Post removed, please refrain from attacking one another, thanks)

[caleb]

Pieter & Stephen,
Ek stem saan hierdie mense is nie veerd om te antwoord nie.
( not bad for a yorkshireman ).

[Pieter]

Caleb,
Ja, gladnie sleg nie. Welgedaan!

[JCL]

Pieter & Stephen,
Ek stem saan hierdie mense is nie veerd om te antwoord nie.
( not bad for a yorkshireman ).

hahaha ben benieuwd of jullie ook echt Nederlands kunnen lezen, niet lullig bedoeld natuurlijk.

I'm curiose if you can read real Dutch as spelled abouve. Not that I mean that as a bad thing or something, just funny how our two (one?) languetses (ohh, thats wrong!) look al like.

[Pieter]

Jeroen,

Hier's joune in Afrikaans: Ek's nuuskierig of julle ook egte Nederlands kan lees, niks lelik bedoel nie natuurlik.

Your mother tongue gave birth to Afrikaans, so it's not that strange that we would have retained a lot of the Dutch language.

Ons kan selfs volg wat julle se, solank julle nie te vinnig praat nie.

[Jason R]

Sugarmedia, i have been paying attention to your posts for a while since your debate as to purchase B&W's or the Logans, and since then have not seen one useful post from you, only antagonistic responses such as buy martin logans to every person who asks a question in the B & W forum.

I don't feel i am in a position to comment on your countries situation, and even if i was i would not do it in a AV FORUM.

Please do us all a favour and start arguments in a martin logan forum somewhere. I do believe your posts in this thread have crossed the line of what should be allowed by the moderators and should have been removed.

We are not allowed to discuss cable brands, but can go on about the political situation in a country we don't even live in and happen to visit once in a while, give me a break.

[sugarmedia]

Jason-

I'm glad you are part of my ever growing fan club. To actuallly search out and read all of my posts... I'm flattered. I did however end up choosing B&W's...sorry I had not made that clear in any of my previous posts you were watching.

Sometimes it is good to favor one brand over another in a forum which is heavily subjective to bring out points that you may not hear anywhere else. Follow me if you can.

(Comments removed by administrator)

Let's get back to the music.... Did you see this article on Bono?

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050407/ap_en_mu/people_bono_pitt

[ti33er]

lol.....why cant we all just....'get 'a 'long! ...come on guys we all need each other, as different as we may be we are all part of the same family here *BiG*GrOuP*HuG*

[Kevin P]

Ok guys, let's cool it with the attacks and discussion about segregation and politics and get back on the topic of B&W Speakers, ok? I had to do some pruning here. If the thread continues to veer off topic it will be locked.

[caleb]

I really wish I had not started this thread, and I certainly wont be sending a report of my listening experience in case the lunatic fringe get the wrong impression.

Lord forgive if I was to actually BUY a pair - just think I could build two houses for that money (LOL).

[jazznsoccer]

Hi Caleb,

I hope we can get this thread back on topic - this should be a place where we can respectfully share thoughts, perspectives and experiences about the gear we are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy. I'd still like to hear from others as I've learned a lot on this forum. And I've had a great time with it because (almost always) the inhabitants have been friendly.

[js24]

This is like the funniest thread I've ever seen (the art work was top notch)
comon on pple, peace ~~ peace what's the point of all this?

caleb,
I'll be thrilled to hear what you have to say about the Ds
but in English for an ignorant like me
p.s. just out of curiosity, can any of you s. africans gimme a quick lesson on the origin/history of the afrikaan language?
Jay

[Stevebez]

I was always told its an old / ancient type of Dutch (similar in nature to old English I imagine) spoken by the Dutch settlers in the 1600's. The Dutch in Netherlands evolved differently to the "Dutch" spoken in SA. Having said that some say its a derivative of Dutch - a dialect if you like and not like ancient Dutch at all. Also apparently it sounds more like Flemish now than Dutch( ??)

I really don't know the exact truth to be honest ... its really funny when we are in the presence of "real" Dutch people as they think our accent and language is really funny.... having said that I guess real Dutch sounds funny!

A word of warning to the Afrikaners out there never say "verskoon my" to a Dutch man. In Afrikaans it translates as "Excuse me", in Dutch it translates as "clean my nappy" or something along those lines ... maybe some Dutchman can help me out here !!!! :rofl:

Back to the music though ... took big step yesterday to order the Velo DD-12 :B sub to partner the 803D's ... big jump from the old REL Quake still dont know how I am going to sneak that past the wife...

Next move is for the HTM2D ... but that will have to be from next years bonus !!!

It never ends does it !!!

Rgds Steve

[Pieter]

Jay, my stab at Afrikaans' roots:

I’ll not state that South African history started with the establishment of a Dutch way post in 1652 for the assistance of ships enroute to and from the East, for there is much of interest that pre-dates this. However, the date could be considered the start of that which created the Afrikaans language.

But first it is necessary to distinguish between a common and a cultural language. Common language is that as spoken in general, everyday discourse, i.e. by the man on the street. Cultural language is mostly written, as in official documents, text books, etc.

The early Dutch settlers had their cultural language, Hooghollands (High Dutch), those that were literate anyway. The Bible, as example, was read in High Dutch. They also had a common language, which was usually a Dutch dialect as spoken in the region from which they originated in the Netherlands.

It is only natural, with the passage of time, that these various Dutch dialects, used as common language, would acquire a unique and local flavour, distinguishing it from those in the Netherlands. Mix in some cross cultural influences obtained from the indigenous people, other outsiders like the English and then the Malay slaves and you have a language in the making.

I have read that Afrikaans is an amalgam of Dutch, English, Malay, Khoi and a potpourri of other local languages. I do not agree. There is the odd word which roots, or entirety can be found in another language. Afrikaans adopted the word “sosatie”, which is Malay for kebab. But the word “shampoo” does not give the English language an Indian bent, does it? A language is more than just the words, there’s grammar and syntax to be considered. In these areas Afrikaans is predominately Dutch, not only rooted but often exactly similar. On phonological grounds Afrikaans has 95% in common with standard Dutch and if considered a dialect of standard Dutch it is even closer to it than some Dutch dialects spoken in Europe today.

Time passes and Afrikaans as common language is spoken, not only by the white boor, but by his coloured servants too. When the 1910 constitution is laid down it proclaims two official languages, English and Dutch. Afrikaans is still a “kombuistaal”, a language fit solely for the kitchen, whilst High Dutch remains the cultural language. But the Afrikaner is assertive and in 1925 Afrikaans is placed on equal footing with Dutch. Nationalism rears its head, skews the white Afrikaner’s sense of pride and identity and gives birth to a “Republiek” with Apartheid a sibling. 1961 and there are once again two official languages, English and finally Afrikaans. Afrikaans is recognized as cultural and common language. We have one Afrikaans language meeting our needs, to be used in the kitchen but equally welcome in the drawing room or on the pulpit.

A problem has been brewing. Afrikaans becomes more than a language; it becomes a symbol, a symbol of white Afrikaner pride and identity. It sets him apart and he spirals out of control… well, most of you know the rest.

It is a great pity that the Afrikaans language is branded and associated with Apartheid, for it is beautifully expressive but also very direct. It is shorn of most excess Dutch, both in speech and thankfully in spelling. It does not have the soft melodic sound of the Flemish dialect, and is often brusque, indicative of its history and the country which gave it birth.

Pieter

[Lex]

English is our language of choice for HTGuide. I will delete the next post in any language besides English where a political or otherwise social problem discussion exists. Why? Because I don't know what you are saying, and neither do others that you are potentially talking about. We can all type in one language we understand, and thus should.

Next point is, while this was an announcement of a new speaker viewing. (Within guidelines of this forum), many posts thereafter seemed to drift off topic and could well be deleted under our "on topic" policies here. Stay on topic, fact is, other than the report back on what the speakers were like, there's not much more to be said here. We are watching.

ONE more mention of a political or otherwise social issue and the whole thread is locked or deleted. .

Lex

[Pieter]

Doug, noted.

Caleb, which Cape Town dealer is holding the launch? Not that I'd be able to make it, but I'll be in Cape Town again towards the end of the month and would like to pop in at the dealership.

Pieter

[caleb]

Hi Pieter, the dealer is AUDIO COUNSEL in Canal walk.

I asked them and they will have the speakers at the delership untile end month.

BTW your local shop should be Hi Fi Excellence and I also beleive that these are the importers.

[Aussie Geoff]

Guys,

I'd recommend going to the launch if you get the chance. B&W usually go "all out" on these events and it can be a great chance to see and hear some speakers that you may never get to hear in comparative combination again... Usually there are some private follow up events (that night or the next day) where you can get in and do some focused listening of the new speakers on the same music and gear.... Well worthwhile.

Geoff

[Pieter]

Caleb, thanks I've actually been to that shop. I think I'll definitely drop in at the end of the month, even if only to chat.

Pieter

[js24]

Thanks Steve and Pieter, that was very helpful and educational

[caleb]

Aussie Geoff, you were spot on.

The event started with an explanation of how the new range was developed and they had many items that you would not normally see like a cutaway matrix 805, the new FST driver and the foam sandwich cone from the new Rohacell bass unit as well as an example of the new diamond tweeter dome (costs about US$2000 to replace!!!!!)

The models demonstrated were the 802D in Rosenut, the 803D in cherry, the 805S in cherry and spectacular was the new HTM1 - wow what a MONSTER this is.

Sound wise - difficult to tell as there were 17 of us in the demo room and therefore seating positions not ideal etc..etc..

They did a 5.1 dem using "gladiator" - sound was awesome espescially the front info t=from the HTM1.

However wehave been invited back individually for two hours each and asked to bring our favourite music to l;isten to - mines in an hour so this is just a quick mail to wet your appetite.

Talk to you later.

[ti33er]

ARGH! I missed the recent 800 London event and every time I go to these hifi shows in the UK, B&W never have on display what I deem to be unusual - one time they had a whole lot of 705's placed around an enourmous bar/lounge playing some odd compilation, and that was IT, nothing more nothing less!!! ;(

Caleb, I am deffo popping round next time I am in CT cos I know what direction you are heading!

[caleb]

Now convinced

After spending two hours alone with familiar music listening to the new realeases I can vouch that the new series has definately been improved over the old.

I opted for the 802's to do the majority of my listening, and can best decribe the difference between thse and my old ones as saying the the high, medium and low frequencies are more seamlessly integrated together.

Even though the human ear cannot in theory hear to the level that the new diamond tweeter can reproduce music the difference is very noticeable.

The new Rohacell bass drivers also give a lot more "slam" to the bass.

Long and short of it is that I have ordered two sets of 802's in cherry and also the new HTM1 to make up my 5.1 surround in my new theatre that I am currently constucting, later this year I will add two 805's for the 7.1 rears.

It unfortunately means that I will have to have three more Bryston 7B SST to drive them - but what the heck - it's only money!!

There is a wating list for these speakers which suits me fine as I only really will need them towards June - it will be the longest two months of my life.

I have decided to sell my old system to the South African centre for currently disadvantaged in order to boost morale amongst them.(ROTFLMAO)

Any offers??

[Stevebez]

Caleb I knew you would be impressed. You not going to be running TAGMCLaren on those ??

What are they selling the 803D's for in good old SA Rands then ?

Rgds Steve.

[caleb]

Hiya Stevebez,

Price for the 803D are R72,000, and the 802D are R97,500.

Current exchange reate is about 11 to the pound I think.

[Stevebez]

I hope thats for a pair !!!

Rgds Steve.

[georgev]

Roughly translates to $16,000.00 per pair of 802D's. Pricey.
In the UK?
I think we are being ripped off here by the importers.