802D or 800D?

[Jesse111]

I could really use some first hand experience on this one fellas. I have an opportunity to get either of these models at a fairly good price. However the 800 will still cost 5K more than the 802. I've had a chance to audition the 802D's and found them to be amazing to me. The bass control was magnificent and with a very pleasing upper range. Unfortunetly I won't get a chance to audition the 800D's. My question is, if money was no object would the 800D's be a better speaker? I can come up with the extra 5K but I don't want to throw this much money away if it's not worth it. From what I've read, it appears it's the bass that is the only real difference between the 800 and 802. I would sure appreciate anything that anyone had to say on this. Especially those who may have had first hand experience listening to both models. I have a pair of McIntosh 501's and I use Integra Research equipment.

My room is 19' wide and 24' long and I listen mostly to light rock and folk/blues rock as well as some hard rock and heavy metal. But I also listen to a small amount of classical. I've owned 803S's in the past and they were sensational but of course I'm ready to get more out of my music with this next move. I am very interested in everyones opinion on this.

Thanks.

[jericho]

Go for the 800D if money is not a problem.I've got a pair of them and a friend of mine took the 802D altough he could affort those 800D's.After two months he sold the 802D's because he heard those 800D's at my house.Low end is a lot better IMO.

[Jesse111]

Go for the 800D if money is not a problem.I've got a pair of them and a friend of mine took the 802D altough he could affort those 800D's.After two months he sold the 802D's because he heard those 800D's at my house.Low end is a lot better IMO.

Thanks Jericho. I'm still very interested in hearing from others on this subject but your experience is about as first hand as it gets. As I stated before I've not heard the 800D. I am concerned about the bass not being as tight and conctrolled with the 800 as it is with the 802 that I heard. But it sounds like my fear of that should not worry me according to you.
Thanks again, your experience is just what I am looking for.

[tboooe]

Your room is VERY similar to mine. The low end freq response graphs of the 800 and 802 are very similar. In fact, in my room I am looking at room treatments to help tame the bass the bit. I think the 802d will sound great in your room. I wonder (though I have no experience) if the 800 would be too big for your room. Something to consider are the electronics. If you save $5k by getting the 802 you can spend that on top rate electroncis.

[Jesse111]

Your room is VERY similar to mine. I think the 802d will sound great in your room. I wonder (though I have no experience) if the 800 would be too big for your room. Something to consider are the electronics. If you save $5k by getting the 802 you can spend that on top rate electroncis.

I'm actually very happy with my electronics. Are you suggesting that McIntosh and Integra Reasearch are not top rate? If so why do you feel that way and what would youi suggest to replace them? Your concern about the 800 being too big for my room is also the concern that I have. But according to Jericho, his experience tells him to go with the 800. I'm leaning towards the 800. Does anyone have 800D's in a similar size room? If so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

By the way Jericho, what size is your room and your friends room that upgraded to the 800D's?

Thanks.

[tboooe]

Sorry Jesse, I did not read your post completely. Mac and Integra Research are great! But I would suggest looking into room treatments...

[Jesse111]

Sorry Jesse, I did not read your post completely. Mac and Integra Research are great! But I would suggest looking into room treatments...

Absolutely no need to apologize. I am truly interested in anyones opinion even if it is with my electronics. I'm glad to hear you find my equipment of good quality. Yes, I do have some room treatment. But I certainly see your point. A 5K savings could be used for numerous other things if it's not necessary to spend.

Thanks again.

[jericho]

I'm actually very happy with my electronics. Are you suggesting that McIntosh and Integra Reasearch are not top rate? If so why do you feel that way and what would youi suggest to replace them? Your concern about the 800 being too big for my room is also the concern that I have. But according to Jericho, his experience tells him to go with the 800. I'm leaning towards the 800. Does anyone have 800D's in a similar size room? If so I'd love to hear your thoughts.

By the way Jericho, what size is your room and your friends room that upgraded to the 800D's?

Thanks.

My room is 7 meter by 8,5 meter.I think bass is much tighter on the 800D's

[Aussie Geoff]

Jesse,

I've done a in depth (2 hours comparative between the 800D and 802D and, in summary the 800D is better accross the frequency spectrum (most marginally in the Treble), but noticably more demanding with the electronics. The 800D has a much more complex crossover built to a higher standard than the 802D which just opens the sound up a little more and deals with the slight midrange recess effect the 802D has (the improvement is measurable and audible). Also the 800D has an even more advanced and larger Marlin Head for the FST and seems to have even cleaner midrange... And, in the right room, the bass is awsome... You will need the 501s to drive them though - the 800Ds suck the life out of many lesser amps with their low impedence on the bass / mid bass.

If you have the room (and you do) and the money (and you do!) and you like the 802D (and you do!) well these are 802Ds on seroids... Enjoy!

Geoff

[sikoniko]

When I compared the two, I liked the 802d better. I felt the 800d was better, but not enough to justify the extra cost. I also found that the 800d would probably enjoy a larger room than the one I was in.

as far as electronics, that will always be a personal preference. my personal opinion is, if you listen to something, and you like it, dont listen to something else, because there is always something better.

for example: by itself the krell fb700 sounds great on a pair of 802d's. it has some of the best bass you will ever hear. when you compare that to a pair of classe ca-m400's, I find that the krell is rather forward and more fatigueing to listen to. It presents too much high end, whereas the classe is more laid back. the krell is awesome, in short doses, but the classe I can listen to for hours without noticing the time. life is a compromise.

of course I don't own either, but that is my opinion based on my observations.

[Jesse111]

Jesse,

[color=navy]The 800D has a much more complex crossover built to a higher standard than the 802D which just opens the sound up a little more and deals with the slight midrange recess effect the 802D has (the improvement is measurable and audible). Also the 800D has an even more advanced and larger Marlin Head for the FST and seems to have even cleaner midrange...
If you have the room (and you do) and the money (and you do!) and you like the 802D (and you do!) well these are 802Ds on seroids... Enjoy!

Geoff

Very informative. Just one question. When you mention the 802 midrange recess effect and also the fact that the 800 has a cleaner midrange, could any of that possibly translate into harshness? I listen to a lot of classic and hard rock. But when I listen to my folk rock, jazz and blues I want to be there with the performers. Do you think the 800D's can deliver both styles of music well? I've had a pair of VMPS 40's a few years ago. Awesome on the accoustical stuff but I couldn't listen to them for more that 20 minutes with any other type of music.

Thanks Geoff

[Kal Rubinson]

The 800D has a much more complex crossover built to a higher standard than the 802D ...................... Also the 800D has an even more advanced and larger Marlin Head for the FST and seems to have even cleaner midrange... Geoff

Can you offer some evidence of these issues? I've never seen any information one way or the other.

Kal

[fauzigarib]

You've heard it so get it!

Jesse,

Even though the 800D is a higher price, and from what I've read the crossover is far more complex, I don't think $5,000 is something you should spend on something you haven't heard.

For my money, I'd go for the 802D just because I have heard them.

Of course, you might get stuck with the "What if?!??!" blues once you have the 802's installed.. but I'd rather live with them, then get stuck with paying more for something I ended up not liking.

Good luck whatever you decide... Do let us know though.

Fauzi

[VictorHRS]

Also the 800D has an even more advanced and larger Marlin Head for the FST and seems to have even cleaner midrange...

The Marlan head is exactly the same for the 802D, 801D and 800D, and so are the drivers, tweeter and midrange. As for the crossover, it´s expected to be a little different for the bass portion, no more than that.

In comparison, a magazine that does fairly "objective" tests with audio components, german Audio, has rated the 802D and 801D just 2 points apart. The first with 99 points and the second with 101 points.

For my, only if the room is very large I would expend the extra money to get the 800Ds...

[Eliav]

The Marlan head is exactly the same for the 802D, 801D and 800D, and so are the drivers, tweeter and midrange. As for the crossover, it´s expected to be a little different for the bass portion, no more than that.

In comparison, a magazine that does fairly "objective" tests with audio components, german Audio, has rated the 802D and 801D just 2 points apart. The first with 99 points and the second with 101 points.

For my, only if the room is very large I would expend the extra money to get the 800Ds...

I know this has been discussed before, never to a final conclusion though, what is "large room" or " too small for 800/802d " ? do you guys have certain criteria which room is too small for a certain speaker ?
Eliav

[Jeff]

Your room is large enough for either speaker. Often times if there are issues with low frequecies it has to do with speaker placement, not that the drivers are to big.

How flexible is your room for speaker placement? In the end, if you placed either the 800 for 802's in the same spot, you would likely have similar sound. After all, they are very similar is many respects. I would consider the purchase of the 800D. That's a lifetime speaker purchase with no looking back. Your McIntosh amp will sound wonderful with the 800D's

Jeff

[gerardhn]

Victor

Those 2 points rating difference in the magazine is the same as the difference between 802D and 803d.
SO.....

[Jesse111]

Jesse,

Also the 800D has an even more advanced and larger Marlin Head for the FST and seems to have even cleaner midrange...

Geoff

Hey Geoff, you spent 2 hours A/B-ing the 802 and 800. No doubt you could see first hand that the Marlin Head was larger. However, others seem to dispute that fact. Could you please verify that it is in fact larger? Perhaps you meant larger in a way that is not readily noticable to the naked eye (ie. internal measurments).

And like one member mentioned, I suppose I will have to find a way to audition the 800D. I would like to assume that the 800 is just more of a good thing. While I suppose some would agree it is just that, some may also feel the 802 actually sounds better than the 800. I feel I'm benefiting from everyones comments, please keep them comming. I'm working hard to conclude my decision and all of this is very very helpful.

Thanks.

[sikoniko]

While I suppose some would agree it is just that, some may also feel the 802 actually sounds better than the 800. I feel I'm benefiting from everyones comments, please keep them comming. I'm working hard to conclude my decision and all of this is very very helpful.

Thanks.

I dont know that anyone would say the 802d sounds better. I think the issue is the cost to benefit ratio will depend heavily on the room IMO. I think 90% of the people that would chose between the two would be happy with the 802d. But its always that last few percent that costs more, isn't it? if you can afford it, and want it, go for it.

[Kal Rubinson]

AFAIK, the only difference between the 800D and 802D are the size of cabinet and crossover adjustments needed to accommodate the different woofers. Measurements, anyone?

Kal

[Indytown]

AFAIK, the only difference between the 800D and 802D are the size of cabinet and crossover adjustments needed to accommodate the different woofers. Measurements, anyone?

Kal

The difference in the depth and width is approx. 3 inches either way, but that 3 inches translated over the entire curvaous body is very substainal.

I have my 800D's in a 21ft. by 27ft room, ceilings going from 8ft to 15ft with a large peak in the ceiling between the speakers. The back part of the 27ft open to another part of the house. All in all the room sounds very good with no treatments yet.

I found the 802's to be very good. The biggest difference with the 800D's is the bass (tighter, effortless) but interestly the whole sound field the 800D produce is wider and has more texture and substance to it. The instrument are all there in their respected places as with the 802D but there is no segmentation from one instrument to the other. The 802 has air around each instrument which sounds wonderfull, the 800D has the same seperation and solidity but the air and instruments/singer interestingly are integrated better- seamless.

Could this be the result of a larger cabinet, different crossover, larger bass drivers reproducing slighly louder and more clearly along the hz octave range, I don't know but the 800D does sound different with quality electronics.

I have to agree with Geoff, the midrange does sound differnt on the 800D also, even if they are the same marlin head and driver, it is clearer.

[Jesse111]

Thanks Indytown. It appears that the folks with the most experience with both models do in fact prefer the 800D's. I'm leaning very heavy towards the 800D's. I also noticed on B&W's website that the 800 is about 2 inches taller than the 802. I would like to think that that small difference could have an affect on soundstage and imaging and perhaps other things as well. It is a larger speaker in most regards which would certainly have an affect of somekind as you described. I like a taller soundstage. I prefer the imaging to be of a more realistic size. Sort of the difference between all the musicians standing up vs. sitting in chairs. Unless of course it's Classical, but I'm mostly a folk and rock&roll man. I'm not sure 2 inches would make that kind of difference but I'd like to believe it may help.

[Aussie Geoff]

Jesse (and others),

The sheer size and weight of the 800D (plus the 2 inch taller) may have fooled me into thinking the Marlin Head was larger (everything else is bigger!) The sales guy and I moved them in and out of the room several times and they are way way heavier...

I will say to me and my (perhaps biased) 'helpful' sales guy - we were both very convinced about the clearer midrange / sound stage etc for the 800D and felt this was a key feature ( the better bass for the 800D is on top of already very impressive 802D bass was not so exciting an improvement to our ears - the clearer midange etc make music and vocals come that little bit more alive....

Anyway try this link on the B&W Web site http://www.bwspeakers.com/downloadFile/technicalFeature/800_Development_Paper.pdf for details of the extra fun they had with the 800D (for example the crossover is in the base of the speaker and seriously larger than the 802D....

Any you will see from Kal Rubison's own review of the 802Ds http://stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1205bw/ that they do have a freequency boost in the upper mid bass empasising a slight dip in the midrange... The midrange on the 800Ds sounds slightly more forward and noticably cleaner.... Who knows why... I do know if I had the room and the money the 800D would be my choice...

Geoff

[Kal Rubinson]

Jesse (and others),

The sheer size and weight of the 800D (plus the 2 inch taller) may have fooled me into thinking the Marlin Head was larger (everything else is bigger!) The sales guy and I moved them in and out of the room several times and they are way way heavier...

Yup.

Anyway try this link on the B&W Web site http://www.bwspeakers.com/downloadFile/technicalFeature/800_Development_Paper.pdf for details of the extra fun they had with the 800D (for example the crossover is in the base of the speaker and seriously larger than the 802D....

You should note that this brochure is mostly generic and, in fact, states: "This paper describes the development of a new generation 800 Series, using the top model to describe the principles and techniques to be found in the range." In other words, the statements are general and rarely apply to only the 800D. In regard to the crossover, no specific reference to a particular model is made. They put the crossover in the base of the Sig 800 and that feature was carried over to the new 801D and 802D. Again, I would be surprised if there are any signficant differences in construction/design aside from the woofers and their range.

Kal


Kal

[Aussie Geoff]

Hi,

I've used the power of Google to try and refresh my memory re the 800D crossover 'being better' and found several sites (including the B&W press releases) quoting things like "As befits a speaker of this calibre, the 800D contains several unique refinements, most notably the ultimate in crossover capacitors using silver and gold metals." So they have done something...

Anyway bottom line - to my ears the 800D sounds even better than the very very good 802D - only question is is it worth the big premium over the 802D which is a personal choice... And I guess B&W (other than more profit) have invested in making the 800D even more special than the 802D....

Geoff

[Indytown]

Thanks Indytown. It appears that the folks with the most experience with both models do in fact prefer the 800D's. I'm leaning very heavy towards the 800D's. I also noticed on B&W's website that the 800 is about 2 inches taller than the 802. I would like to think that that small difference could have an affect on soundstage and imaging and perhaps other things as well. It is a larger speaker in most regards which would certainly have an affect of somekind as you described. I like a taller soundstage. I prefer the imaging to be of a more realistic size. Sort of the difference between all the musicians standing up vs. sitting in chairs. Unless of course it's Classical, but I'm mostly a folk and rock&roll man. I'm not sure 2 inches would make that kind of difference but I'd like to believe it may help.

I have my 800D's 12 feet apart they sound great. The soundstage is superb.

In Kal Rubinson's review of the 802D he mentioned that the speaker's play forward and put you there as opposed to looking through a window at the performance.

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi,

I've used the power of Google to try and refresh my memory re the 800D crossover 'being better' and found several sites (including the B&W press releases) quoting things like "As befits a speaker of this calibre, the 800D contains several unique refinements, most notably the ultimate in crossover capacitors using silver and gold metals." So they have done something...

Anyway bottom line - to my ears the 800D sounds even better than the very very good 802D - only question is is it worth the big premium over the 802D which is a personal choice... And I guess B&W (other than more profit) have invested in making the 800D even more special than the 802D....

Geoff

I am not questioning your subjective and relative assessment of the sound of the 800D. However, I have not yet seen anything that substantiates differences among the 800D, 801D and 802D in physical terms except the woofers and the necessary cabinet/crossover accommodations. The crossover enhancements you refer to were implemented originally in the Sig 800 and I don't know how and to which models they were carried over into the D series. Undoubtedly, they are in the 800D but there's no information about the other two one way or the other.

Kal

[Jesse111]

Jesse (and others),

The sheer size and weight of the 800D (plus the 2 inch taller) may have fooled me into thinking the Marlin Head was larger (everything else is bigger!) The sales guy and I moved them in and out of the room several times and they are way way heavier...

I will say to me and my (perhaps biased) 'helpful' sales guy - we were both very convinced about the clearer midrange / sound stage etc for the 800D and felt this was a key feature ( the better bass for the 800D is on top of already very impressive 802D bass was not so exciting an improvement to our ears - the clearer midange etc make music and vocals come that little bit more alive....

Geoff

Thanks for the info and the links Geoff. I can see where one might be fooled into thinking the Marlin is bigger as an illusion from the overall size difference. I'm very glad to hear your take on the midrange. I did some extensive audition time with the 802Ds just today. I find that other great speakers like the Magnepan 20.1 excell beyond B&W in certain areas of voice and accoustic. But I've never heard a speaker do everthing overall as well as these. I was able to hear very good detail and yet listen for and hour without fitigue. I wanted to hear more. They play live music exceptionally well and even make poorly produced CD's sound halfway decent. I take a few of those whenever I audition to see how well a speaker can do with poorly recorded material.

Spectacular in every way but with just one small concern that I found consistant with what you said. The mids did in fact seam just a bit overtaken by the mid bass. When I got home and read your opinion I was very glad. I was thinking all the way home that the 802 is perfect for me except just that one little nit-pick. I believe I'm going to order a pair of the 800Ds. I like the 802Ds and would have no problem owning them. They are excellent. But since I am able to manage the 800 price I think I will go all the way.

Thanks everyone for your helpful information and honest opinions. But if anyone has more opinions I'd still love to hear them.

[tboooe]

If you are happy with the 800d go for it! I do wonder if the midbass issue you observed could be taken care with proper placement and room treatments? Also, out of curiosity, what electronics did you hear with it? I had some bass issues as well (boominess) but when I switched to the Classe CP-700 preamp, everything sounded better.

I am not trying to talk you out of the 800d. These are the kinds of questions I would ask myself if I was trying to decide between the two and potentially save $5K. Bottom line, if your heart and head are saying 800d, DO IT!!!! and keep us updated!

[Jesse111]

I have my 800D's 12 feet apart they sound great. The soundstage is superb.

In Kal Rubinson's review of the 802D he mentioned that the speaker's play forward and put you there as opposed to looking through a window at the performance.

My dealer was unable to seperate the 802D's that far. Of course I know I was not getting all the performance out of them at my recent audition because of that. Location, location, location.

Yes I read that same review by Kal. With the one small nit-pick I have with the 802's, it sounds like the 800Ds are for me.

Thanks for the first hand advice and opinion.

[Jesse111]

If you are happy with the 800d go for it! I do wonder if the midbass issue you observed could be taken care with proper placement and room treatments? Also, out of curiosity, what electronics did you hear with it? I had some bass issues as well (boominess) but when I switched to the Classe CP-700 preamp, everything sounded better.

I am not trying to talk you out of the 800d. These are the kinds of questions I would ask myself if I was trying to decide between the two and potentially save $5K. Bottom line, if your heart and head are saying 800d, DO IT!!!! and keep us updated!

Yes I agree Tabooe. Placement I believe was an issue at my dealers store. He used all Classe stuff. But you are right about my heart and head. I believe they are saying 800D! 800D! So at this point I will choose to tell myself I have no choice, thus justifying another want into a need. But I know you guys have never done anything as crazy as that!

I would enjoy keeping you updated. Thanks for asking.

[tboooe]

Hey Jesse, good luck. I have some crazy upgraditis stories...

how about upgrading from 805S to 804s to 802D all within 1 year?

how about upgrading from the Cary 303/300 cdp to the 306 SACD and I dont even have any SACDs?

how about even thinking about buying the Pass Labs X600.5 monos for $18K??

This hobby is a disgusting disease but I love it!!!! Its all about turning wants into needs...the hard part is conviing the wife..."but babe, WE NEED to get those $18K amps, it will improve our marriage and it will be last upgrade I ever do"....yeah right!

[Jesse111]

Hey Jesse, good luck. I have some crazy upgraditis stories...

how about upgrading from 805S to 804s to 802D all within 1 year?

how about upgrading from the Cary 303/300 cdp to the 306 SACD and I dont even have any SACDs?

how about even thinking about buying the Pass Labs X600.5 monos for $18K??

This hobby is a disgusting disease but I love it!!!! Its all about turning wants into needs...the hard part is conviing the wife..."but babe, WE NEED to get those $18K amps, it will improve our marriage and it will be last upgrade I ever do"....yeah right!

LOL
My wife is right. We ARE all a bunch of guys connected to one brain. Maybe we can start a thread one day about all our respective "necessary" upgrades we've all been forced to do based on our mature common sense and good reasoning.

Sort of like buying Integra Research equipment then selling it and buying Sim Audio, then selling it and buying Mac then purchasing the same Integra Research equipment all over again brand new all in less than a year. I can't imagine who would do a thing like that?

[tboooe]

Sort of like buying Integra Research equipment then selling it and buying Sim Audio, then selling it and buying Mac then purchasing the same Integra Research equipment all over again brand new all in less than a year. I can't imagine who would do a thing like that?

Now that is an upgrade wandering path I can appreciate! Glad to know I am not the only NUT here :B My wife will appreciate knowing this...I can see her rolling her eyes now..."great, now you have someone else to egg you one when you want to upgrade...what you need is the voice of reason not another whacky audiophile buddy..."

[DeepEndX]

If you can afford it and have the room for it, I would just get the 800D's or else you would be thinking "what if....." I have upgraded from B&W N803 to B&W N801 to B&W 800D's in a three year period. Back of my brain, I was always thinking about "what if I got this and what if i got that." Of course I made frequent trips to the dealer to make comparisons. At the end, temptation wins.....

[norpus]

I listened to some 800d and thought - yep marginally nicer than my 802d and would suit a bigger room
I left thinking, yep they are nice but I am content with what I bought

However, you are not me, and sounds like you have $5K extra that I didn't and probably won't. So good on you for deciding for the 800d - top of the tree (unless I can tempt you to some snails monsieur?)

[Jesse111]

My upper mid bass concerns addressed.

I've noticed that a few of us feel we detect a bit of bloat in the upper mid bass of the 802D. No doubt it can be minimized or even eliminated with placement and room treatment. But that was in fact my main concern with the one hour audition I did with the 802.

Here is a quote from Paul Messenger's review of the 800D October 2005 in Hi-Fi Choice.

"In-room measurments showed a broadly similar tonal balance to the recorded for th 802D, but with more low bass and less mid-bass."

By reading that particular review and also listening carefully to opinions from members like Jericho, Aussie Geoff, indy town and tboooe I tend to feel that the 800D may resolve this one final debatable issue in my mind.

So there it is. I will be ordering the 800D in a few days and I hope all of you will chime in when I post my opinion of them in the next couple of weeks. I will title the post "JESSE GOT HIS 800D'S". Please look for it fellas and thanks very much for all the input.

By the way tboooe... this of course will be my last speaker upgrade. Ya I know, my wife laughed when I told her that too.

[Guy]

Hey Jesse, good luck. I have some crazy upgraditis stories...

how about upgrading from 805S to 804s to 802D all within 1 year?

how about upgrading from the Cary 303/300 cdp to the 306 SACD and I dont even have any SACDs?

how about even thinking about buying the Pass Labs X600.5 monos for $18K??

This hobby is a disgusting disease but I love it!!!! Its all about turning wants into needs...the hard part is conviing the wife..."but babe, WE NEED to get those $18K amps, it will improve our marriage and it will be last upgrade I ever do"....yeah right!

Turning wants into needs :rofl: well said. I have now mastered this art and now am just as bad as you guys.

I'm running out of cupboard space :E

[RebelMan]

Jesse, I for one can appreciate the dilemma with which you found yourself faced in, but let me assure you that you made the right decision. I was in a similar situation only a few weeks ago wether to upgrade my 803S to the 803D or the 802D or the 800D. Like you I was very familiar with the 803D and the 802D but no where could I demo the 800D. Despite this, I eventually decided to get the 800D, having never seen much less hear it.

It is my intention to explain my decision and the results of it in full detail in another future post. I think my forthcoming comments will surprise some people as they will debunk some of the myths about room size but they will illustrate the importance of choosing the proper supporting equipment.

That extra $5K that you and I spent is very much worth it! :T

[Jesse111]

Jesse, I for one can appreciate the delima with which you found yourself faced in, but let me assure you that you made the right decision. I was in a similar situation only a few weeks ago wether to upgrade my 803S to the 803D or the 802D or the 800D. Like you I was very familar with the 803D and the 802D but no where could I demo the 800D. Despite this, I eventually decided to get the 800D, having never seen much less hear it.

It is my intention to explain my decsion and the results of it in full detail in another future post. I think my forthcomming comments will surpise some people as they will debunk some of the myths about room size but they will illustrate the importance of choosing the proper supporting equipment.

That extra $5K that you and I spent is very much worth it! :T

I will be very interested in your future post. In the meantime, the course that you took has indeed ran parallel to mine and the outcome will also be the same. I will be placing my order today as a matter of fact and with posts like yours I have even more confidence in my decision. I am looking forward to hearing my large CD collection all over again.

Thanks and I'll be looking for that post.

[norpus]

Will you guys be running a nice quality sub with your 800D's for 2ch?

[caleb]

I made the same decision as rebelman and got the 800D's - I didnt regret it.

they are a superior speaker to the 802 in almost every way.

$5000 well spent in my opinion.

[PavelL]

I made the same decision as rebelman and got the 800D's - I didnt regret it.

they are a superior speaker to the 802 in almost every way.

$5000 well spent in my opinion.

you mean superior to Nautilus 802s or 802D?

[jericho]

I added a pair of ASW-855 subs to the 800D's I own.I think without a sub there is a little miss of bass on the 800D's.I don't think you can call the 800D superior to the 802D but the bass is a little different and I would say the mid/high sounds a little more transparant on those 800D's but I think those 802D's are magnificent speakers as well

[caleb]

you mean superior to Nautilus 802s or 802D?

Hmmm - good point Pavell - I can only judge against my previous 802s.