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Finish : Rosenut
Reviewer Type : HiFi enthusiast
Previous Speakers Used : Boston Micros II
Price : ~£5000
Location : London, UK
Auditioned : 802D
System : Rotel 1075/1080/1068, Arcam DV88+, Pan TH42PWD5, Pan TH37PWD7, Velodyne DD12
Unit run in (hours) : approx 100-125 hours at mostly low SPL
Power Rating : 50-500W
Amplifier used : ROTEL RB1080 (2x200w into 8ohm 2x300w into 4ohm)
Movies : 55% (various)
Music : 45% (J-Lo, Dire Straights, Yazoo, Yello, ABBA, Gwen Stefani, Anastasia, Black Eyed Peas, Sinatra., DVD-A in DD5.1 Donald Fagen – Nightfly & Eagles -Hotel California)
Physical
The units look is somewhat understated when compared to the more well known and bold design of the 802. The benefit of the 803D is the smaller foot print and narrow front line which blends into a lounge allot more easily - particularly if the space is on the smaller side. The design has some costs in that the port is now on the front panel and not on the underside as in the 802 design - which is a more clever layout with the pedestal adding not only presence but function.
Never the less the 803D looks quite sublime with its front panel in situ and really looks the part once removed revealing 4 drivers of 8”. 1 FST Kevlar surroundless driver and no less than 3 x 8” bass drivers. The technical aspects of the contruction and materials I will not go into … although what I do appreciate is the thicker cone of the bass drivers isolating internal cabinet colourations.
The constant curve of the frame adds some elegance to the overall impression and making placement into tighter locations even easier. But at over 40cm deep it is still not a small unit and at around 40kg each not easily moved around.
The top of the unit slopes gently forward (and is slightly domed) revealing the all too familiar metal housing of the now diamond derived tweeter. Completely isolated (in terms of vibration) from the main cabinet it stands out quite proud, and a little more forward than on previous models, but adds a lovely detail to the rather plain design of the 803D.
On the negative the tweeter being so exposed leaves it susceptible to be damaged. And at £1500 to be replaced is a little bit of a worry. My positioning is limited so to enter my lounge you basically have to walk right by the front of the unit. Thankfully thus far there have been only near misses – but I fear a future repair may be inevitable – and I just hope it will be limited to a tweeter grill. I have already discovered a tweeter grill slightly dislodged – but with no harm done – so it seems these grills do the job quite well and are fairly robust. The forward position of the tweeter face does not help in this respect either – although sonically this is a more optimal position.
The main grill cover is relatively flimsy and offers only minor protection – in fact I think all it would really do is avoid clothes brushing against any of the drivers and keep the dust out. They material is quite elastic in nature and defeats the object of protecting the drivers. A stiffer more robust grill would be a very useful after market option.
Finish
The unit was ordered in Rosenut which blends well with my existing Mahogany furniture and the grain and quality of the veneer was quite uniform indicating some effort had gone into matching the veneers which are clearly of good quality with no blemishes that I could notice.
The connection terminals have two pairs for low and high range to allow bi-amping. I assume the high feeds the tweeter and FST driver and the lower terminal the bass drivers – but I did not investigate this further as I am not bi-amping. Simple interconnects provided connect the two pairs – although the fit is a little clumsy and also a little untidy. Two solid metal plates as provided with the HTM series would have been a better solution. For the UK market the binding posts have plastic inserts which prevent input of banana type plugs directly from the rear. This, I believe, is to prevent someone plugging in a wall plug into these points These can be removed with some needle nose pliers but no mention of this is stated in the user booklet – which otherwise is very comprehensive.
The drivers are perfect in construction and the FST looks lovely with the grill removed adding some colour to the bland face of the 803D. It also sports a black plastic phase plug. The fact that plastic was used is mentioned in some literature that it has been sonically matched and plastic was determined to be the best. I have not yet determined if it can be removed or not, but as we know some enthusiasts have milled their own aluminium ones. I can only speculate as to the sonic difference.
The unit can be mounted on rubber feet or spikes – both versions included in the package. I have the unit fitted with the rubber feet on a wood floor.
Initial Impressions
After a relatively enjoyable process of unpacking and placing the units in their position and taking some care in the wiring up process I sat back for my first impressions.
Immediately I noticed I required more power to get the same SPL’s as the Micros which is understandable given the Micros had efficiency of around 94db and the 803D’s 90db.
The only concern I had was whether the 803D would have the same low end definition I enjoyed so much from the 802D’s. The timing of 3 bass drivers caused me some concern too as I thought it may cause some flabbiness as higher SPL’s- more on this in a minute.
Moving from Boston Micros to 803D’s is bound to cause a major sensation. I did not audition the 803D’s but auditioned the 802D’s and ordered the 803D’s effectively blind. The sensation was non-the-less impressive.
Low End
Tight , controlled, defined and refined are the words that spring to mind. Here I cannot compare to the Micros at all since they only go down to 100hz, so my comparison here is relative to the 802D’s. I have to say I thought the 803D held its ground pretty well. I think it does suffer a little from the front mounted port though and the superior design of the 802’s port shows its mettle – but really only just and at very high SPL’s.
Fortunately having the Velodynes DD12 calibration mike handy I could do sweep of the 803D’s output across 15-200hz. True to the specs it has significant output starting at about 30hz rising very quickly to almost flat output from 35hz plus, excluding any room effects. Impressive.
For music sources I doubt a sub would be necessary with this pair, provided you have a sufficiently large amp. The 1080 is probably just enough but will be stretched at higher SPL’s in big movie passages with lots of LFE. So for movies I would suggest a sub will be necessary especially if you want the 15-35 hz range to be sufficiently saturated.
Eagles Hotel California is simply stunning on the bass side.
In summary I have not heard a better bass delivery from ANY speaker with the exception of dedicated sub and the 802D’s – but again relative to the 802D’s it is really at the very margin. In my opinion it is a result of the design rather than the drivers. Bass timing and definition at high SPL’s remained tight and refined and my concerns about 3 drivers were without foundation.
Mid End
The FST driver is superb and the surroundless design quite ingenious making the cone size effectively a fraction larger than its “8-inch” bass cousins. Speech is clear and rounded without any unnaturalness. What I noticed the most about this driver is that I did not notice it …it was as if it really did not exist and it is blended so smoothly into the sound field and I could not distinguish any difference between the 803D and the 802D in this department.
High End
To say that I was impressed would be the understatement of the decade. I was completely blown away. Whether the diamond cone has anything to do with it or if its down to the simpler crossover I don’t really care - the top end sound is without doubt the most natural and detailed I have ever heard. Again I could not distinguish a difference to the 802D’s – and I don’t suppose I should given that they are the same drivers. The delivery is presented in such a relaxed fashion that the sound at first may appear lazy until you come across a passage of acoustic guitar or an element where your tweeter is really being stretched (which does not fatigue the listener at all – but instead invites him closer – is the best way I can describe it). Simply amazing is all I can say. I listen to track 7 from J-Lo’s album over and over again and I just cannot believe the detail and accuracy of the guitar passages. Moreover I am not fatigued by the detail after a couple of hours of listening.
Conclusion
Having said all this about the sound of each contributing driver – I cannot help but conclude that the overall result is far greater than the sum of the parts. The manner in which the different components contribute seamlessly and unnoticed to the overall sound is a something else that has me simply floored. In addition setting up a decent soundstage is accomplished with minimal effort and with some positional changes this can be improved fairly significantly.
The bass is really so well defined I seldom have my DD12 on for casual listening and only hook it up for some serious occasions, although I am planning to have it integrated more permanently into the setup. This will take some time though and hopefully I will give it a bash over the next couple of weeks and update the review.
I have tried to cover all aspects of the unit, but no doubt I have missed some element that someone would have liked to know – so just reply to this thread and I will update the review where possible with more detail.
Rgds Steve.
Reviewer Type : HiFi enthusiast
Previous Speakers Used : Boston Micros II
Price : ~£5000
Location : London, UK
Auditioned : 802D
System : Rotel 1075/1080/1068, Arcam DV88+, Pan TH42PWD5, Pan TH37PWD7, Velodyne DD12
Unit run in (hours) : approx 100-125 hours at mostly low SPL
Power Rating : 50-500W
Amplifier used : ROTEL RB1080 (2x200w into 8ohm 2x300w into 4ohm)
Movies : 55% (various)
Music : 45% (J-Lo, Dire Straights, Yazoo, Yello, ABBA, Gwen Stefani, Anastasia, Black Eyed Peas, Sinatra., DVD-A in DD5.1 Donald Fagen – Nightfly & Eagles -Hotel California)
Physical
The units look is somewhat understated when compared to the more well known and bold design of the 802. The benefit of the 803D is the smaller foot print and narrow front line which blends into a lounge allot more easily - particularly if the space is on the smaller side. The design has some costs in that the port is now on the front panel and not on the underside as in the 802 design - which is a more clever layout with the pedestal adding not only presence but function.
Never the less the 803D looks quite sublime with its front panel in situ and really looks the part once removed revealing 4 drivers of 8”. 1 FST Kevlar surroundless driver and no less than 3 x 8” bass drivers. The technical aspects of the contruction and materials I will not go into … although what I do appreciate is the thicker cone of the bass drivers isolating internal cabinet colourations.
The constant curve of the frame adds some elegance to the overall impression and making placement into tighter locations even easier. But at over 40cm deep it is still not a small unit and at around 40kg each not easily moved around.
The top of the unit slopes gently forward (and is slightly domed) revealing the all too familiar metal housing of the now diamond derived tweeter. Completely isolated (in terms of vibration) from the main cabinet it stands out quite proud, and a little more forward than on previous models, but adds a lovely detail to the rather plain design of the 803D.
On the negative the tweeter being so exposed leaves it susceptible to be damaged. And at £1500 to be replaced is a little bit of a worry. My positioning is limited so to enter my lounge you basically have to walk right by the front of the unit. Thankfully thus far there have been only near misses – but I fear a future repair may be inevitable – and I just hope it will be limited to a tweeter grill. I have already discovered a tweeter grill slightly dislodged – but with no harm done – so it seems these grills do the job quite well and are fairly robust. The forward position of the tweeter face does not help in this respect either – although sonically this is a more optimal position.
The main grill cover is relatively flimsy and offers only minor protection – in fact I think all it would really do is avoid clothes brushing against any of the drivers and keep the dust out. They material is quite elastic in nature and defeats the object of protecting the drivers. A stiffer more robust grill would be a very useful after market option.
Finish
The unit was ordered in Rosenut which blends well with my existing Mahogany furniture and the grain and quality of the veneer was quite uniform indicating some effort had gone into matching the veneers which are clearly of good quality with no blemishes that I could notice.
The connection terminals have two pairs for low and high range to allow bi-amping. I assume the high feeds the tweeter and FST driver and the lower terminal the bass drivers – but I did not investigate this further as I am not bi-amping. Simple interconnects provided connect the two pairs – although the fit is a little clumsy and also a little untidy. Two solid metal plates as provided with the HTM series would have been a better solution. For the UK market the binding posts have plastic inserts which prevent input of banana type plugs directly from the rear. This, I believe, is to prevent someone plugging in a wall plug into these points These can be removed with some needle nose pliers but no mention of this is stated in the user booklet – which otherwise is very comprehensive.
The drivers are perfect in construction and the FST looks lovely with the grill removed adding some colour to the bland face of the 803D. It also sports a black plastic phase plug. The fact that plastic was used is mentioned in some literature that it has been sonically matched and plastic was determined to be the best. I have not yet determined if it can be removed or not, but as we know some enthusiasts have milled their own aluminium ones. I can only speculate as to the sonic difference.
The unit can be mounted on rubber feet or spikes – both versions included in the package. I have the unit fitted with the rubber feet on a wood floor.
Initial Impressions
After a relatively enjoyable process of unpacking and placing the units in their position and taking some care in the wiring up process I sat back for my first impressions.
Immediately I noticed I required more power to get the same SPL’s as the Micros which is understandable given the Micros had efficiency of around 94db and the 803D’s 90db.
The only concern I had was whether the 803D would have the same low end definition I enjoyed so much from the 802D’s. The timing of 3 bass drivers caused me some concern too as I thought it may cause some flabbiness as higher SPL’s- more on this in a minute.
Moving from Boston Micros to 803D’s is bound to cause a major sensation. I did not audition the 803D’s but auditioned the 802D’s and ordered the 803D’s effectively blind. The sensation was non-the-less impressive.
Low End
Tight , controlled, defined and refined are the words that spring to mind. Here I cannot compare to the Micros at all since they only go down to 100hz, so my comparison here is relative to the 802D’s. I have to say I thought the 803D held its ground pretty well. I think it does suffer a little from the front mounted port though and the superior design of the 802’s port shows its mettle – but really only just and at very high SPL’s.
Fortunately having the Velodynes DD12 calibration mike handy I could do sweep of the 803D’s output across 15-200hz. True to the specs it has significant output starting at about 30hz rising very quickly to almost flat output from 35hz plus, excluding any room effects. Impressive.
For music sources I doubt a sub would be necessary with this pair, provided you have a sufficiently large amp. The 1080 is probably just enough but will be stretched at higher SPL’s in big movie passages with lots of LFE. So for movies I would suggest a sub will be necessary especially if you want the 15-35 hz range to be sufficiently saturated.
Eagles Hotel California is simply stunning on the bass side.
In summary I have not heard a better bass delivery from ANY speaker with the exception of dedicated sub and the 802D’s – but again relative to the 802D’s it is really at the very margin. In my opinion it is a result of the design rather than the drivers. Bass timing and definition at high SPL’s remained tight and refined and my concerns about 3 drivers were without foundation.
Mid End
The FST driver is superb and the surroundless design quite ingenious making the cone size effectively a fraction larger than its “8-inch” bass cousins. Speech is clear and rounded without any unnaturalness. What I noticed the most about this driver is that I did not notice it …it was as if it really did not exist and it is blended so smoothly into the sound field and I could not distinguish any difference between the 803D and the 802D in this department.
High End
To say that I was impressed would be the understatement of the decade. I was completely blown away. Whether the diamond cone has anything to do with it or if its down to the simpler crossover I don’t really care - the top end sound is without doubt the most natural and detailed I have ever heard. Again I could not distinguish a difference to the 802D’s – and I don’t suppose I should given that they are the same drivers. The delivery is presented in such a relaxed fashion that the sound at first may appear lazy until you come across a passage of acoustic guitar or an element where your tweeter is really being stretched (which does not fatigue the listener at all – but instead invites him closer – is the best way I can describe it). Simply amazing is all I can say. I listen to track 7 from J-Lo’s album over and over again and I just cannot believe the detail and accuracy of the guitar passages. Moreover I am not fatigued by the detail after a couple of hours of listening.
Conclusion
Having said all this about the sound of each contributing driver – I cannot help but conclude that the overall result is far greater than the sum of the parts. The manner in which the different components contribute seamlessly and unnoticed to the overall sound is a something else that has me simply floored. In addition setting up a decent soundstage is accomplished with minimal effort and with some positional changes this can be improved fairly significantly.
The bass is really so well defined I seldom have my DD12 on for casual listening and only hook it up for some serious occasions, although I am planning to have it integrated more permanently into the setup. This will take some time though and hopefully I will give it a bash over the next couple of weeks and update the review.
I have tried to cover all aspects of the unit, but no doubt I have missed some element that someone would have liked to know – so just reply to this thread and I will update the review where possible with more detail.
Rgds Steve.
ops: , but I am told by those who have the 803D is at least as good... At this level of performance though the gap will be pretty marginal methinks ...I would let your own ears be the judge though - often we are too influenced by other people's opinions...and sometimes it comes down to your taste in sound.
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