802D sound much better than N802?

[taoyeah]

i wondering 802D sound much better than N802? coz the price are huge different?

[Audiophiliac]

I can give you my opinion, and that is yes.....they do sound much better. The diamond tweeter and a more simplified crossover, are the big factors. The Rohacell bass drivers probably make a difference down lower too. But you would need to listen to both and make your own mind up on whether one sounds better than the other. Price isnt an issue when it comes to what sounds good or bad to you.

[KEF]

i wondering 802D sound much better than N802? coz the price are huge different?

Personally I have never listened to the 802D and N802 side by side, but I did do a side by side between the N802 and the 803D.

I actually did a write up here about it a long time ago, but the bottom line is that I was very impressed with the diamond tweeter on the 803D, but felt like the N802 imaged better, was more efficient and went deeper.

I can imagine that the D tweeter on the better imaging 802 speaker would be really impressive. I am planning on getting a set here very soon...

Regards,
Keith

[hifiguymi]

i wondering 802D sound much better than N802? coz the price are huge different?

I agree with KEF and Audiophiliac. We never had the two side by side in our store, but going from memory on the N802 the 802D is much better. The diamond tweeter is much smoother. The bass is faster sounding. I don't get the impression is plays deeper, it's just faster and better intergrated with the midrange and tweeter. It is a better looking speaker as well. The minor changes to the grills and the cabinet just tightened up the appearance.

[Joey_V]

The D is far better. It takes away the harshness that I found to prevail in too many recordings with the 802N at the helm of the reproduction.

[Aussie Geoff]

Hi,

The 802D is also a bit more forgiving to drive than the N802, which really needed very capabilie high current amplification to give of its best - esepcially in the bass / mid - bass area.... The 802D likes such amps but doesn't seem to deen them as much...

Geoff

[ssabripo]

I'll be the outcast here, and say that, although the improved diamond tweeter and XO do have a slight improvement on the highs, I was fortunate enough to see them side by side at Sound Cinema here in Pompano (N802 were customer upgrades, who went with the 800s; 802Ds were floor demos), and I have to agree with KEF: the N802 had the better soundstaging and depth perception, while the Ds had the better upper end imaging. Both sets ran from the same gear.

Is the Ds the better speaker overall? considering the overall package, probably. How big is the difference in Sound quality? about a wash, with the Ds having the improved aesthetics and highs, the Ns keeping the better sound stage and depth. Voicing was about the same. Are the D's worth more than 2x the price (new vs market value of Ns)?? Absolutely, positively, definitively NOT!

my humble opinion.

[Cambs12]

You guys in the states are fortunate in that there seem to be quite a few pairs of N802s secondhand aon Audiogon,and the like.There are less coming up in the UK at the moment,makes listening to them more difficult,but this thread has been interesting.Have any of you upgraded directly from N802 to 802d?

[number95]

I listened to 800D (with Classe gear) and found out that with respect to N800, it has a smoother and more natural treble. Apart from this, I have not detected a significant sonic difference. Of course one should probably listen to these speakers much more to get a better feeling of small micro differences which might be important in long listening sessions. By the way, I also have N800 and dont feel like upgrade to 800D because of upgrade cost. If i need to spend some money out of pocket, it should not be spent for my speakers ugrade, rather i can think of upgrading my amps or source etc which to me will create more value for me. One should always bear in mind, when considering two differently priced components, whether the extra cash should create the most audible value or this amount of cash (in case it would be spent anyway) should be used to upgrade other parts of the audio setup.

[WI Rotel]

I agree 100%
Yes there are some minor differences and overall the D sounds slightly better to my ear, but the difference in price is plain stupid.

[thaile88]

how about the mid

I agree with the tweeter sound better on the 802D.
So how about the mid range compare between those two.
Any comment :B

[wettou]

Ok, I have three 802D i front and two 802N in the back. I have listened to both side by side and without a doubt the 802D are a lot more transparent especially with SACDs.

They were both powered by Classé CA-5200.

I find that the 802D are closer to real live instruments especially when it come to the violin and piano. For the piano I compare it to the sound coming out of a baby grand Steinway which I play.

[thaile88]

Thank you

Thnks

[thaile88]

has anyone compare the 802d with the N800?
How about the sound-stage difference between those two due to the difference in the size of the cabinet?
Thanks.

[misterdoggy]

has anyone compare the 802d with the N800?
How about the sound-stage difference between those two due to the difference in the size of the cabinet?
Thanks.

You had your answer just before you asked ? Wettou compared the 2 and said that the 802D's were better in his A/B side by side combination.

Not only that, every professional reviewer concurred.

You are trying to find a reason perhaps to buy the N800. Buy it and be happy if you want a bigger speaker. But it won't be better.

[thaile88]

I think the best option is to buy the 800d.

So i dont have to talk myself out of the 802d.
:T

[misterdoggy]

You can lead a horse to water.........

[DM3000 Owner]

You can lead a horse to water.........

Aw come on, this is only the 5th or 6th thread on the same subject.

My take is this. If the question is that nagging, buy the 800D or never be satisfied.

Through life I have found that when buying a "hobby" item, which includes cars and homes, the tendency is to want all of the options or the best, but after you purchase you forget about the "next up the line" and are satisfied with what you have, at least for me.

Have you spent time with the Nautilus 800 line? If the price difference is an issue you should try to do so. Not too long ago they were the king of the hill. I have not spent any time with the diamond but can give you an example that may be relevant. I have a room correction EQ that uses pink noise and a mic. When I run the room correction curve and then make a few small tweeks, I definately get better sound. When comparing with or without, you can hear the midrange clean up, not night and day, but definately noticable and definately an improvement. Things smooth out and are a little cleaner.

Now here is the thing, my preamp's monitor loop indicator light is difficult to see from where I sit and many times I forget to use the loop (enacting the EQ) and I cannot tell if I have it on. If I go over to my equipment and put it on I hear the difference, if not, I usually don't notice if it is on or off. The difference between recordings from good CDs to OK CD's is much more than the difference of the EQ. My guess is that the improvement of the Diamond series is about the same amount. From an A+ to maybe an A++. You need to decide if the difference is worth it to you. If it will haunt you, you had better get the 800D's.

FWIW, I had N801's with no intent on changing them as I was very satisfied. Someone made me an offer on them and I bought S800's. For what I paid I could have bought new 802D's or used 800D's. My reasoning was that I was always very satisfied with the Nautilus line and I always liked the Signature as an interesting benchmark in history, so why change? If I was not so satisfied with the N801's I probably would have went for the diamonds.

Good luck with your choice. If you are struggling with the price vs. performance issue, your decision should be based on how well you know yourself more than sound, as the difference is sound is not going to be huge. If you can be satisfied with any of these high end speakers and price matters (they are all very expensive) go for the N's. If you have to have the top of the line and newest technology, get the 800D's and be ready to upgrade in a few years.

[Pio]

I owned the N802's and now the 802D's (for the past 2 years) and the D's sound smoother. The N802's soundstaging and bass is very comporable to the D's. The D tweeter is a winner, the highs are very smooth, very transparent, very natural, the N's were more metallic and sharp.

FYI - I dont have a dedicated room with the best amps money can buy, I have a normal living room with decent acoustics. So my set up might be more real world then some members that might have pro listening rooms, amps, etc.

[Gremal]

As noted by others, the advantages go beyond treble articulation to integration from top to bottom. It's not that the 802D has better bass or midrange--it's that the integration and overall presentation of the frequency range is more natural and musical.