I started a thread "New B&W series", and we came to 804 vs 703, so that's why i'm opening new thread to dont continue off topic..
As u know i had a chance to have them both at my place (too bad that instead of having few days, i have them for few hours together, becouse they sold 703, so i had to return them earlier). Anyway, i have 703 for few weeks, and now i'm still listening 804s, so i can compare them.
Room size: 5.5m x 3.8m with opening about 5 square metters..
Equimpment: Denon 3808 acting as Pre/Pro and powering Center and rears
Power Amp: Rotel RB-1080
CD Player: Rotel 1072
Cables: Van Den Hull Hybrid CS-122
Interconect cables: From Denon to Rotel: Van Den Hull Hybrid MK102
From CD Player to Denon: Audio Quest King Cobra
Room have very bad acoustic, with no carpeting, a lot of windows, and nothing on the walls.
1. B&W 703. I got them brand new, so as first i was very dissapointed becouse they sound so boomy and producing not coherent sound..
Anyway, i let them play for few days, and changed rubber things with spikes..
Seem that this speakers need burn in period, becouse after maybe few days, they changed their sound... Boomines almost gone, and they start playing more coherent and very very detailed... I like with 703 that on very silent listening i get all details..
They have very wide soundstage, and they are very forward, and i can feel the music with the body, not just with ears.. In my room i found out that i have to put foam plugs inside, becouse without them, there was like a little echoing, and boomines in the bass.. In that configuration, they sounded very nice, and becouse everyone said that it can be tiresome, i tried to listen to them few hours, while i was reading or doing something else.. Actually i done all the test's with my gf, who was singing in choir for long time, so she have the feeling how it have to be.. We find out, that on 703 we just turn the volume a bit down, and while we still have all details, it was not tiresome at all.. About boomines and echoing without foam plugs, what do u think, maybe with more playing it would be totaly gone? Or i'm not right?
One negative thing that i found is on rock music where there is fast passages with a lot of drums and cymbal parts, the sound of cymbal is not recognized like tsh tsh tsh , more like tshhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( I Noticed this od Danny California, Red Hot Chille Pepers, and maybe it's their bad production).
I like their curtness with some type of music, and i got feeling like they are so detailed and very accurate.. But on cd acoustic guitars (Vlatko Stefanovski and Tadic Live in Belgrade), on the part when there is tapping guitars, becouse they are so curt, there was not decay on that sound, so it was a bit not that real compared to 804s..
Anyway, except that i have to put foam plugs in the ports, i like it how they sound..
2. 804s. I got them allready played for more then 100 hours, so they sound the same from the start..First what we noticed that they sound more laid back, and with less bass (sometimes i miss a bit more bass).
They have great imaging but they are definitly more laid back compared to 703. Also i found that they are very detailed, but becouse of smaller soundstage not that argumentative. Also they play tighter then 703, and sometimes is that good (i like how they play drums and cymbals), but i dont like tightness and laid back thing in vocals.. on 703 vocal is more exposed, and on 804 sometimes i feel like vocals are in the back, and not muddy, but still a bit distorted... Seem that 804s maybe need more power then Rotel RB-1080.
The feeling with 703 is like there is live concert in my room, and 804s make like feeling is somewhere not that close. Also i like how 804s look like, and they are just wonderfull in room (i have them in rosenut colour, i think it's best colour). Sometimes with 804s we missed the energy from 703, but on piece with acoustic guitars i really like the feeling specialy from tapping on guitars (there is not that much curtness and there is little decay, which is great on this part of music).
We like the details, sometimes i miss the bass, and i didnt like it that vocal is in the back.. Also i missed sometimess fullines of sound that i get with 703, and sometimes like energy is missed.. When i put foam plugs to 703, i almost got the same feeling 804s, except with more energy...
So what do u think it's better for my room?
1. 703 - I bother with that that i have to put foam plugs in the ports for my room. There is no matching center (but my Denon Audisey fix that and i dont miss that much), and maybe becouse they would be updated with new model, they would be hard to sell in the future). Also they look a bit too big as design compared to 804s
2. 804s - I bother with that i miss energy, fullness of the sound, and very laid back vocals, and that maybe i'll have to upgrade my Rotel 1080 with something more powerfull (and more expensive). There is matching center, but if go the route 804s, with matching HTM3s is 2200 eur more then 703 and HTM7), and i wonder if that is worth..
So guys u'r turn now? What do u think?
Darko
As u know i had a chance to have them both at my place (too bad that instead of having few days, i have them for few hours together, becouse they sold 703, so i had to return them earlier). Anyway, i have 703 for few weeks, and now i'm still listening 804s, so i can compare them.
Room size: 5.5m x 3.8m with opening about 5 square metters..
Equimpment: Denon 3808 acting as Pre/Pro and powering Center and rears
Power Amp: Rotel RB-1080
CD Player: Rotel 1072
Cables: Van Den Hull Hybrid CS-122
Interconect cables: From Denon to Rotel: Van Den Hull Hybrid MK102
From CD Player to Denon: Audio Quest King Cobra
Room have very bad acoustic, with no carpeting, a lot of windows, and nothing on the walls.
1. B&W 703. I got them brand new, so as first i was very dissapointed becouse they sound so boomy and producing not coherent sound..
Anyway, i let them play for few days, and changed rubber things with spikes..
Seem that this speakers need burn in period, becouse after maybe few days, they changed their sound... Boomines almost gone, and they start playing more coherent and very very detailed... I like with 703 that on very silent listening i get all details..
They have very wide soundstage, and they are very forward, and i can feel the music with the body, not just with ears.. In my room i found out that i have to put foam plugs inside, becouse without them, there was like a little echoing, and boomines in the bass.. In that configuration, they sounded very nice, and becouse everyone said that it can be tiresome, i tried to listen to them few hours, while i was reading or doing something else.. Actually i done all the test's with my gf, who was singing in choir for long time, so she have the feeling how it have to be.. We find out, that on 703 we just turn the volume a bit down, and while we still have all details, it was not tiresome at all.. About boomines and echoing without foam plugs, what do u think, maybe with more playing it would be totaly gone? Or i'm not right?
One negative thing that i found is on rock music where there is fast passages with a lot of drums and cymbal parts, the sound of cymbal is not recognized like tsh tsh tsh , more like tshhhhhhhhhhhhhh ( I Noticed this od Danny California, Red Hot Chille Pepers, and maybe it's their bad production).
I like their curtness with some type of music, and i got feeling like they are so detailed and very accurate.. But on cd acoustic guitars (Vlatko Stefanovski and Tadic Live in Belgrade), on the part when there is tapping guitars, becouse they are so curt, there was not decay on that sound, so it was a bit not that real compared to 804s..
Anyway, except that i have to put foam plugs in the ports, i like it how they sound..
2. 804s. I got them allready played for more then 100 hours, so they sound the same from the start..First what we noticed that they sound more laid back, and with less bass (sometimes i miss a bit more bass).
They have great imaging but they are definitly more laid back compared to 703. Also i found that they are very detailed, but becouse of smaller soundstage not that argumentative. Also they play tighter then 703, and sometimes is that good (i like how they play drums and cymbals), but i dont like tightness and laid back thing in vocals.. on 703 vocal is more exposed, and on 804 sometimes i feel like vocals are in the back, and not muddy, but still a bit distorted... Seem that 804s maybe need more power then Rotel RB-1080.
The feeling with 703 is like there is live concert in my room, and 804s make like feeling is somewhere not that close. Also i like how 804s look like, and they are just wonderfull in room (i have them in rosenut colour, i think it's best colour). Sometimes with 804s we missed the energy from 703, but on piece with acoustic guitars i really like the feeling specialy from tapping on guitars (there is not that much curtness and there is little decay, which is great on this part of music).
We like the details, sometimes i miss the bass, and i didnt like it that vocal is in the back.. Also i missed sometimess fullines of sound that i get with 703, and sometimes like energy is missed.. When i put foam plugs to 703, i almost got the same feeling 804s, except with more energy...
So what do u think it's better for my room?
1. 703 - I bother with that that i have to put foam plugs in the ports for my room. There is no matching center (but my Denon Audisey fix that and i dont miss that much), and maybe becouse they would be updated with new model, they would be hard to sell in the future). Also they look a bit too big as design compared to 804s
2. 804s - I bother with that i miss energy, fullness of the sound, and very laid back vocals, and that maybe i'll have to upgrade my Rotel 1080 with something more powerfull (and more expensive). There is matching center, but if go the route 804s, with matching HTM3s is 2200 eur more then 703 and HTM7), and i wonder if that is worth..
So guys u'r turn now? What do u think?
Darko
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