803D side by side 802D

[jayhawk75]

has anyone done this i looked through the threads and didnt see any. your thoughts please. with the 4k difference and i consider the 803D more pleasant to look at in a living room setting.

[PewterTA]

For you it's not worth it.

From an audio standpoint, yes, the 802Ds are that much better "IF" you have the money for them...

Either way, you should be happy with either at home. The only way you can really tell there is a true difference is when they are side by side....other than that, get what you like the best (sounds and esthetics)!

[sikoniko]

the 802d's have a wider soundstage. to me, the 803d soundstage is small, but detailed. if you don't listen to the 802d, you will like the 803d.

[nkb]

802D over the 803D

I listened to the 802D's A/B with 803D's. To me the difference was quite obvious with the 802D's just sounding better in every way. But, as another poster has said, if one hadn't heard the 802's then the 803's are an excellent speaker.

If you like the looks better, and the price is certainly better, then you undoubtedly will be happy with the 803's. But, if you tempt yourself, you might be seduced into the 802's like I was.


Either way, good choice.

[DavidB]

I listened to 803D's and 802D's back to back, the difference is substantial. Even with electronics that a lot of people on here wouldn't say are capable of driving the 802D's it was a obvious how much better they are.

The looks is a personal thing and obviously having the space to let the 802D's work is also important.

[earwit]

THe 802's clearly go one notch up from the 803's, in sounstage, low end,
and dare I say according to my wife the looks ..
Still the 803d's are a wonderful speaker.

Keep in mind if you jump to the 802's they need more power then the 803's , I'm using a Mcintosh MC352, at 350 watts per side, I can sense the 802's could happily handle more wattage . What amp would you use ??

[jayhawk75]

living room is 15x22 with speakers on 22' wall current amp to power is rotel rb 1092

[Aussie Geoff]

Jayhawk,

Don't listen to the 802Ds unless you can afford them (by selling a kidney or something!) since on a good system - to my ears - they are in a different league to the 803Ds in their midrange transparency (the Marlin head perhaps) and the faultness integration with the treble.

The 803Ds are very good speakers and sound like it.... The 802Ds make beautiful music

Geoff

[norpus]

as a recent 802d owner, I am gratified by your almost overwhelming support for the choice. I think the 803d is a great looking speaker. But I like hugging the 802d. Lucky they weigh 80kg or they'd be in bed and the WAF would be further thru the floor ahahaha ahem :rofl:

[Birdy]

Jayhawk,

Don't listen to the 802Ds unless you can afford them (by selling a kidney or something!) since on a good system - to my ears - they are in a different league to the 803Ds in their midrange transparency (the Marlin head perhaps) and the faultness integration with the treble.

The 803Ds are very good speakers and sound like it.... The 802Ds make beautiful music

Geoff

Thats' why I don't dare to listen to the 802D I'm still counting my money...

And my wife has still to judge the look....

2 important factors before I can even dream of listening to them.

[DM3000 Owner]

Thats' why I don't dare to listen to the 802D I'm still counting my money...

And my wife has still to judge the look....

2 important factors before I can even dream of listening to them.

You can always pick up a set of N802's...

[jlr_1304]

Yes, you could pick up a pair of N802, but only if you have the amps to go with them. i use 2 MC7300 as monoblocs (600w). I've heard the 803D, and though they are good, they dont have the finess and bass of the N802.

The MAC rep told me i would be better bi-amping the N802 with my mac, with the 4ohms output, instead of using them as monoblocs. Costly alternative as i use transparent ref XL speakers cable and balanced interconnect.

[RebelMan]

jayhawk75, I completely sympathize with your dilemma. I am also faced with the same agonizing decision. I also find the 803D’s more domestically friendly than the 802D’s both in terms of foot print and appearance. I already own and enjoy the 803S’s but I find them a little bass shy and slightly edgy on top. The 803D’s would address part of these weaknesses while complementing the physics of my room. But in return I would lose the benefits of the 802D’s smoother midrange/presence, its somewhat seamless integration with the top-end and its overall dynamic expression.

For me the question is not a matter of which sounds better, as clearly the 802D’s are they. Rather, it is about what tradeoffs am I willing and able to make and live with. If cost issues are not your concern then you will be faced with similar choices. The only way to know how much those tradeoffs will cost is to demo them both side-by-side, which is what I intend to do. I have heard each model independently many times before and in some cases both were used to compare the same equipment. This will be the first time I compare them directly head-to-head to hear how much difference there is between them.

Maybe I am just trying to find ways to talk myself out of the 802D’s rather than into the 803D’s. LOL

[ShadowZA]

There is no right or wrong decision here ... simply a difficult one, imho. As RebelMan says, it's about tradeoffs. If you can, try to demo the 802D side-by-side to the 803D using your familiar music. Then make a list of points, for and against both models. Then assign values to these points (in other words, rate them). Once you've done this, sleep on it; mull over it & come to an eventual decision. Be careful of things like greed, snob value ... even good old fashioned pragmatism ... can all get in a way of decent decision-making

Lotsa luck

[Race Car Driver]

Or..... A set of used N802s :idea:

[Ben Diss]

I listened to 802D back-to-back against 803D and went through the very same thing you're going through. It's really easy if you can't afford the 802D's, but I suspect that's not the case hence your question. I think what you really want to know is if it's worth it. One way to look at is this: The 803D cost $8k and the 802D cost $12k or 50% more. Do they sound 50% better? No. Do they sound better at all? Yes. How much better is really the question.

Like all things in the land of audiophilia, the cost rises exponentially in relation to the quality of the sound. If you're the kind of guy that's going to drop $300-$500 on interconnects to go along with the $5k amp, then get the 802D. If $50 interconnects will do for your $1500 amp then the 803D is the way to go.

I have a pair of used 803D's (bought for $6k) that I power with a Parasound Halo A21. My source is a Squeezbox running a Lavry DA10. I use cheap balanced XLR interconnects and I made my speak cables with Carol power wire. The sound is simply stunning.

-Ben

[jayhawk75]

i accomplished 2 rounds of side by side 803d/802d yesterday
1st round guitar music 802 win you could here the fingers move across the frets & 803 was muddy in lower ranges 45minutes
2nd round vocals 803 win on beauty as no difference heard except distinct bass on the 803 2 hours
winner so far 803d
next week if still available at dealer it will be a big band test

[Stevebez]

I demoed the 802D's and bought the 803D's as I thought even if the 803's are 90% as good they will be fabulous ... and they are (don't have space for the 802's at mom).

As has been said the 802D's are better though. My plan :twisted: is to eventually get the 802D's for the fronts and move the 803D's to the rears. I dont think I will ever sell my 803's ... they have gotten better and better with age and now really shine with the Rotel-1092 500wx500w digital amp. It really needs allot of amp headroom to shine.

[tboooe]

jawhawk, interesting observation. I listen to a lot of jazz guitar and flamenco. I find the 802D are superb for this type of music. I guess my listening prefs just happen to fit what the 802d do best! Unlucky for me since I "had" to pay for the more expensive 802d!!!!

[jim777]

next week if still available at dealer it will be a big band test

If you have Dave Holland's "overtime" album, please bring it to your test - it is a great big band album

[jayhawk75]

If you have Dave Holland's "overtime" album, please bring it to your test - it is a great big band album

i did the band test using phil collins big band and the 803d put smile on my face. more muscial and more like a stage than the 802d. i also noticed the 803d seem to throw the music farther than the 802d almost to the point that no surrounds would ever be needed. my thoughts on that are that the 803 is a taller speaker making it more like a stage than the 802. the next test was ellington at newport. 802 more detailed but still has a sterile sound as if waiting for somebody to make a mistake on their note and then you will hear gotcha. 802d win on this cd. i guess it is going to change from cd to cd. so i am going to use my 804s for a while longer as i still havent made a decision.
life should be simpler.

[jim777]

i did the band test using phil collins big band and the 803d put smile on my face. more muscial and more like a stage than the 802d. i also noticed the 803d seem to throw the music farther than the 802d almost to the point that no surrounds would ever be needed. my thoughts on that are that the 803 is a taller speaker making it more like a stage than the 802. the next test was ellington at newport. 802 more detailed but still has a sterile sound as if waiting for somebody to make a mistake on their note and then you will hear gotcha. 802d win on this cd. i guess it is going to change from cd to cd. so i am going to use my 804s for a while longer as i still havent made a decision.
life should be simpler.

If it's 50/50 but the 802D is 50% more $$, then isn't the 803D a clear winner for you?

But on the other hand, the "802" has always been considered "the real thing" :twisted:

Decisions, decisions..

[jayhawk75]

If it's 50/50 but the 802D is 50% more $$, then isn't the 803D a clear winner for you?

But on the other hand, the "802" has always been considered "the real thing" :twisted:

Decisions, decisions..

yup my decision has been made... that way if i ever decide to match up rears i wont have to knock down a wall. plus i am breaking in the 803d's (which the dealer brought in cherry my favorite color) with all of these hours at the dealer. money wasnt the real issue the smile factor, size and beauty won me over

[jim777]

yup my decision has been made... that way if i ever decide to match up rears i wont have to knock down a wall. plus i am breaking in the 803d's (which the dealer brought in cherry my favorite color) with all of these hours at the dealer. money wasnt the real issue the smile factor, size and beauty won me over

When you talk about the "smile factor", do you mean that the 803D is more musical and the 802D more analytical? I would like that.. And moneywise the 803D's are not as far away as 802D's. However, I wouldn't want to do it if it would only be to change again later for 802D's (or whatever will be in that range at that time).

Thanks for your comments jayhawk

[jayhawk75]

When you talk about the "smile factor", do you mean that the 803D is more musical and the 802D more analytical? I would like that.. And moneywise the 803D's are not as far away as 802D's. However, I wouldn't want to do it if it would only be to change again later for 802D's (or whatever will be in that range at that time).

Thanks for your comments jayhawk

the smile came when the horn section came in and the sound washes over you with authority(punch). they almost had surround effect without surround. i couldnt get that with the 802d, which to me searches for the individual instrument in a specific row, so yes the 803d to my ears is more musical. note the dealer has to move the 803 from another room for me because i think they would have a difficult time selling 802 over 803. the 803 is a beautiful piece of furniture also. i went into dealer fully expecting to buy 802 he made the mistake of bringing in the 803 in my case.
i usually buy what i like right then, but in this case taking my time because the sound is different. this time i walked away wondering if i was to put the 802 on pedestals or stage i could get the same wash effect, since 803 is taller than 802

[jim777]

That's funny because my dealer put the 802D's on a kind of 8-10" stage, but not the 803D's

[Kal Rubinson]

the smile came when the horn section came in and the sound washes over you with authority(punch). they almost had surround effect without surround. i couldnt get that with the 802d, which to me searches for the individual instrument in a specific row, so yes the 803d to my ears is more musical. .......... this time i walked away wondering if i was to put the 802 on pedestals or stage i could get the same wash effect, since 803 is taller than 802

To each his own. That 'wash' is, for me, a lack of imaging precision and one that is dependant on the room acoustics. To be so immersed, I prefer real multichannel.

Kal

[WI Rotel]

The 802's advantage in stage or otherwise is due to it's bottomless and distortionless bass capacity. IMO yes they do sound better, is it worth another 4k? Not in your life! Hi-fi audio is the biggest example in life of the law of diminishing returns. If 4k is chump change for you well then the 802 is your speaker. If you are stretching yourself to buy the best you can afford the 803 is an extraordinarily better value.

[jim777]

The 802's advantage in stage or otherwise is due to it's bottomless and distortionless bass capacity. IMO yes they do sound better, is it worth another 4k? Not in your life! Hi-fi audio is the biggest example in life of the law of diminishing returns. If 4k is chump change for you well then the 802 is your speaker. If you are stretching yourself to buy the best you can afford the 803 is an extraordinarily better value.

I guess the midrange should also be better, since the FST enclosure is a lot different with the 802D. I would need to A/B them to be sure of the differences. Besides, IMO 4k$ may not be too much $$ if you're going to regret your choice for years

[jayhawk75]

I guess the midrange should also be better, since the FST enclosure is a lot different with the 802D. I would need to A/B them to be sure of the differences. Besides, IMO 4k$ may not be too much $$ if you're going to regret your choice for years

in my case money at this level is not the issue. i have found that these 2 speakers have different sound. my ears say that the 803d is like sitting in the 20th row of a concert hall with ears at stage level. the 802d is like sitting on the stage and turning to watch the player move up and down the instrument. the question for me is can i get great enjoyment of listening for hours to the 803d as i enjoy the 20th row. for me the 803d is a more pleasing piece of furniture and suits the spots i have allocated in a living room. if you go to the regret route why didnt i just double up and go with the 800d instead of 803vs802. now you got me thinking again.

[jim777]

And if I want the 6th row?? :P

Have fun with your new 803D's - they are really great. :dancenana:


P.S. I'm sure your choice of room acoustics will make a bigger difference than the difference between the 802D and 803D..

[tboooe]

Jim, good point about acoustics...I am in the process of measuring my room and purchasing some treatments.