703 owners who considered 804S (new model)

[Turkish1480]

I am wondering what the major reason for choosing the 703's was besides budget? Did you look at the 704's as well? I originally looked at the 704's until I A/B both the 703's and 704's and it was very obvious I liked the 703's much more for the low end, but mostly for the mid range clarity. I am not able to A/B the 703's and 804S's on the same electronics, so I am trying to figure out if it is worth the upgrade to the 804S if I am using a Rotel RB-1080 as my power amp and the price of the speakers is not a concern. I will most likely not upgrade the electronics for a very long time. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[beden1]

When I was setting up a system in a second home last year, I was somewhat constrained by budget on top of furnishing the house, etc. I bought the 703s, after also listening to the 804s and 704s. I really liked the 803S and 803D, but I didn't want to spend the money at the time. My other thought, was I liked the highs and mids of the 703s, and felt they would be excellent rear surrounds when I do get one of the 803 series. What I should have done in the beginning however, was to buy the HTM3S instead of the HTM7 (I have sinced made this swap). Now, with the HTM3S center, I'm not in a hurry to replace my 703s? And, along with twin Velodyne subs that I've added, I'm not missing out on that much for HT. For stereo/2 channel alone, I definitely would prefer either of the 803 series over the 703s.

[Ted]

For me, there was an obvious improvement between the 703 and 804s in the higher frequencies, the 804 being not as bright as the 703. To me, the midrange and lower frequencies were very similar between the two. While I could tell a difference between the two, the price difference just couldn't be justified for me.

When I got the 703s home (I am using Rotel RCD-1072, RC-1070, and RB-1080) I was a little worried, they seemed really bright 8O , but as they became broken in, or I got used to them (or both) I don't notice it anymore, unless I'm listening to them too loud anyway :righton: , then I still notice.

Am I satisfied? Certainly. I'm playing with switching my HT from Klipsch to B & W 704's, but have also considered replacing the 703 with 804 and using the 703 for my HT, but I've a little nervous about the 703/HTM7 combination, I've read a lot of complaints.

I think either way you go, 703 or 804 you're going to be happy. My only down side is I did compare the two with the same equipment, and in my mind I know I liked the 804s just that little bit better.

[Turkish1480]

I am looking at just doing a stereo setup and it will not be upgraded to a surround sound set up, but I do not want to spend more than $3,600 on speakers and I know I can get the 804S for a bit under that. Will I regret not getting the 804S over the 703? How much harder are the 804S to power than the 703's, because I would use a Rotel RB-1080 to power either one?

[Turkish1480]

Ted thanks for the input. I am trying to get the most realistic/ natural sounding stereo for about $6,000 so do the highs make the 804S sound that much more natural? I have read they are still bright sounding compared to the N804. I am a bit skeptical about spending that much money on used.

[Ted]

I am looking at just doing a stereo setup and it will not be upgraded to a surround sound set up, but I do not want to spend more than $3,600 on speakers and I know I can get the 804S for a bit under that. Will I regret not getting the 804S over the 703? How much harder are the 804S to power than the 703's, because I would use a Rotel RB-1080 to power either one?

I think you'd be just fine using the 1080 with the 804s (I wouldn't use less than that though), that is what I planned on using if I had bought them. At the same time, there are other (usually more expensive) amps such as Mac or Classe that would work well too.

If you can't do a true A/B comparison between the 703 and 804, I don't think you'll regret the 703 (I haven't), you just won't know what you are missing!! :W You can buy a lot of CD's for the difference in price between the two... :dance:

[Ted]

Ted thanks for the input. I am trying to get the most realistic/ natural sounding stereo for about $6,000 so do the highs make the 804S sound that much more natural? I have read they are still bright sounding compared to the N804. I am a bit skeptical about spending that much money on used.

More natural, yes. How much more? Not a lot to my ears, just enough to notice. Now other members very well could have noticed more difference than I did. I was in a position where I could spend the difference between the 703 and 804 if I chose to, I just couldn't quite justify it.

I have never heard any of the older B & W speakers, I'm newer to the world of B & W, so I can't comment on the N804.

[hifiguymi]

The two speakers are quite close, but the 804S is better in top end detail without being brighter and the bass is faster. I think the thing the 800 Series does better than most every other speaker is bass integration. The bass is fast and powerfull. Most other speakers sound like the midrange is pulling the bass along and the 800 Series sounds like the bass is keeping pace with everything else.

Eric

[beden1]

The two speakers are quite close, but the 804S is better in top end detail without being brighter and the bass is faster. I think the thing the 800 Series does better than most every other speaker is bass integration. The bass is fast and powerfull. Most other speakers sound like the midrange is pulling the bass along and the 800 Series sounds like the bass is keeping pace with everything else.

Eric

Actually I find the opposite to be true with regards to the 703s. I'm constantly amazed by how well they do handle base, and in my listening experience, fast & powerful base is how I would describe the 703s performance in listening to 2 channel music. It's a very accurate base response and not boomy. And, you can play these speakers loud without any strain. I get the stronger house shaking base for HT by adding the subs. I just felt the 804s were a compromise, just as I felt the 704s were a compromise as well.

[beden1]

[QUOTE=Ted]More natural, yes. How much more? Not a lot to my ears, just enough to notice. Now other members very well could have noticed more difference than I did. I was in a position where I could spend the difference between the 703 and 804 if I chose to, I just couldn't quite justify it."

The 703s were on the bright side when new. They settled down quite a bit after break-in. I also noticed an improvement when I bi-amped them through my receiver option (7 x 130 watts) (no flames please - as I know what I heard). The highs became smoother, and the overall sound became richer.

I think what I have read about B&W speakers is true . . . that quality electronics make the difference. I love my Pioneer Elite receiver for the flexibility and features, but, I know I'll be looking to improve the pre-pro before too long.

[style]

703 --804s

Hallo,

I have a 703 for front, htm 7 center.

Now I have buyed a 803s for replace the 703 (going to the rear) and so
803s (at first time i have considered the 804s but is a speaker too much similar to 703 = 803s) mains - htm7 center - 703 rear (750sub)

I find so a equilibred set.

Greetings from Switzerland
Omar

[Turkish1480]

Actually I find the opposite to be true with regards to the 703s. I'm constantly amazed by how well they do handle base, and in my listening experience, fast & powerful base is how I would describe the 703s performance in listening to 2 channel music. It's a very accurate base response and not boomy. And, you can play these speakers loud without any strain. I get the stronger house shaking base for HT by adding the subs. I just felt the 804s were a compromise, just as I felt the 704s were a compromise as well.

Beden1...Why did you feel the 804S were a compromise? Is it because the performance is so close, no signifcant increase in performance, to the 703 at $1,000 more?

[beden1]

Beden1...Why did you feel the 804S were a compromise? Is it because the performance is so close, no signifcant increase in performance, to the 703 at $1,000 more?

Yes, I did not get the sense that the 804S were audibly much better than the 703s, as compared to the difference between the 703s versus 704s. I could hear that the 804S had a bit stronger base output, but that very small improvement was more than offset by adding (at the time) an ASW750 sub. If you're just into two channel listening, I would highly suggest adding the ASW750, as it is a very musical sub that blends extremely well with the 703s. And, this combination substantially kicks butt over just the 804S IMO.

The audible difference however, between the 803S and the 703 was measureable. The 803S just did everything well, and was worth the $2,000 difference between the two. If I was just setting up a stereo system, I would have bought the 803S as stand alones. But, I feel that subs are a needed addition to most speakers, and I also needed a center channel for HT . . . so adding up the total bill made the 703 the logical choice.

[BassThatHz]

A few months ago I auditioned the 703 vs 804S in 2ch. Same dealer but in two different rooms, the 804s were powered with classe delta's in a much wider room and the 703 powered by a rotel rb-1070 in a smaller room. In fact the only thing that didn't change was my music and my ears.

I first listened to the 804S, very natural sounding, expasive soundstage (seemed to fill the entire width); you could walk around the room and it still sounded correctly balanced (maybe the dealer dumped a lot of money into room acoustics?).

However something wasn't quite right, it sounded like the singer was speaking from three different axis' (maybe bad placement, they just plopped them down). The bass was strong and fast for the speakers size but sounded dry, a bit muddy, almost like it was trying too hard; the song that I was playing at the time was Melissa Rebronja: Embrace Yourself - Track 9 I picked it in particular because it has only one female singer and two or three stringed instruments of which create very near infrasonic string "plucks" and will reveal just how accurate and low it is to the listener, in my opinion it failed this part of the test. It rendered two seperate fields one at each speaker, when I play this same track at home with my dual Velodynes it renders unlocalizable at the source and generates in the middle stage where the singer and guitar source is (is this correct? - can some confirm this on their system also?).

Anyhow on to the treble, as I already said it's very natural sounding while being revealing at the same time without intruding on the overal presentation, maybe too much for its own good. Even as good as it is though, I am still not 100% impressed hence why I am not going to buy the 804S. For now I will save up more money and perhaps the 803D or 802D will change my mind (I real hope so because its my dream speaker system).

For the $6,000CAD they were offering the 804S I would have expected near perfection; I think it achieves 95% of what I am looking for.

The 703 is a different beast. It was definitely more bright, it reveals details in a different manor (in a good way?)... in a semi-direct comparision to the 804S it sounds less natural and quite a bit more "boxed-in" but not repealingly so. I don't recall the 9NT sounding that way, am I loosing my mind or what did b&w do? I own a rmb-1075 and it doesn't render sound that bright, maybe it was the cheap processor/source they were feeding it. Another thing that scared me about the 703 is when I pushed on the woofer to see if it had simlar strength ratio to the paper/kevlar mix of my velodynes I was surprised to notice just how thin and flimsy the cone actually was; perhaps they do this to damp the upper-bass? then again isn't the Rohacell/carbon-fibre in the 804S a higher strength ratio (any owners here that can attest to is deformation resistance?) I give the 703 a personal score of 90% until I can conclusively prove otherwise by eliminating the variances in those systems/gears and room acoustics.

[RebelMan]

BassThatHz, you have too many variables in play to draw any conclusions. Work with the dealer and setup a proper A/B between the 703 and 804S in the same room using the same equipment and media.

[jim777]

I agree, I listened to my 703's with a RB-1070 and I would never have bought them with that amp. Better compare apples with apples

[Turkish1480]

Jim77 > What amp are you using?

Ted > You have the exact set up I am most likely going to put together, so I am wondering about cable choices. What do you use on your set up?

Anyone else have any cable recommendations if I am using the following:

B&W 703
Rotel RC-1070
Rotel RB-1080
Rotel RCD-1072

[jim777]

Jim777 > What amp are you using?

I'm using a McIntosh MA6500 integrated amp. It makes pure magic with 703's! It would make quite an upgrade to your system

At the time, I had a RCD-1072. It's a great player for the price. It's the law of diminishing returns from there.


The forum rules are no-no about cable recommendations. Anyway every system is different, and cables are good to make your system match and sound good to your ears - you may prefer different cables once you change something.

[dmccombs]

The 703s are nice speakers and are very similar to the 804s. The 804s are a bit better in the tweeter and a little more natural sounding but the 703s are terrific speakers.

Finding the right amp will help, but I found playing with the placement in the room was just as valuable to improving the sound. I found that the 703s need at least 2-3' from the walls.

I suggest you start about 3' away form the wall if possible, and move them towards the wall until the bass starts to sound boomy, then stop.

Then adjust the toe-in to get the best imaging.

Regards,
Darrell

[dknightd]

I chose 703 for budget reasons (and I got a good deal on some floor samples).

[Ted]

Jim77 > What amp are you using?

Ted > You have the exact set up I am most likely going to put together, so I am wondering about cable choices. What do you use on your set up?

Anyone else have any cable recommendations if I am using the following:

B&W 703
Rotel RC-1070
Rotel RB-1080
Rotel RCD-1072

Turkish1480,

I will send you a personal message.

Ted