Have you heard another B&W setup that is not your own

[Briz vegas]

I'm not talking about at your dealers. Has anyone with say 685s or even 802D heard their own model speakers in a mates system or elsewhere, and how did it compare with your own setup.

I would have heard about 20 different high end systems in various peoples homes over the past 2 years and apart for one guy that has the same stereo amp as me (he liked mine and bought one for himself) I don't think any of them even shared a single component. One might have the CD player while the other has the matching pre-amp, thats the closest that comes to mind.

I have never seen or heard B&W speakers at other peoples homes.

Do you have any B&W buddies, and if so are they the same speakers and do they sound better or not so good compared to your own?

This thread is partly to satisfy my curiosity. Is the "grass greener" with a less familiar setup/room, and are audiophiles a social group (with other audiophiles). I will focus on B&Ws as they are relatively common for a hifi component.

ps RE the guy with the same amp, our systems sound quite different. I like some things that his system does but ultimately prefer my own (I think the other guy would say something similar - ie at the end of the day he prefers his own)

[htsteve]

Briz Vegas,

I have helped several friends assemble some B&W (and often Rotel) systems. Most start in the 600 series speaker range, as they were just getting into HT, and of course, the budget considerations. The 600 series is where I started out years ago as well. Very good performance for the money.

I've talked to just a few people who have a set up like mine (800 series with Mac), but not actually seen anything in person other than a dealer showroom.

I don't find the grass is greener in other set-ups, simply because I've been at it longer that others I know and I've had the opportunity to get some great stuff. We (my family and I) really love our system.


Hope this helps.

[altanpsx]

I have seen 6xx and 7xx series in lots of my friends home. I used these speakers with different electronics, but one on one comparition(I think that's what you are asking) never happened. Cables, electronics were always different. I have 803s for my stereo system. One of my friend also have 803s. But I drive my 803s with classe, and he drives them with Audio Research. Both of us have different sources, mine is digital, his analog etc...

[wgriel]

Well, I sold my 603s to a friend and I have been there many times to listen. The electronics are not identical, but the biggest difference is the room.

I would say that I preferred them in my room, but they still sound very nice over there. But his is a small space and the speakers are a bit too close to the back walls there. They do generate better bass in his room though!

[97disco]

a friend of mine has the B&W p6's (mid 90's speaker), with Integra gear. After owning various Polk speakers I saw the light! I was blown away that speakers 10 yrs old could sound so good!

After listening to his B&W's I hunted down a pair myself!

So we went to the local dealer and listened to various systems. Didn't get much out of it since they mainly do custom install and have very few systems on display. Very nice place with various "custom" theater rooms that are all above 80k. (The Wilson room he quoted $410 just in gear). In fact they get "put off" when you ask about purchasing just equipment. "I guess we can order a pair..." and "Well, we can get you something if you really want".

Later I bought a pair of the p6's (budget) and have recently sold them and bought the 704's. Heck- even my father listened to the b&w's and went out and bought a pair himself!

[Nolan B]

a friend of mine has the B&W p6's (mid 90's speaker), with Integra gear. After owning various Polk speakers I saw the light! I was blown away that speakers 10 yrs old could sound so good!

After listening to his B&W's I hunted down a pair myself!

So we went to the local dealer and listened to various systems. Didn't get much out of it since they mainly do custom install and have very few systems on display. Very nice place with various "custom" theater rooms that are all above 80k. (The Wilson room he quoted $410 just in gear). In fact they get "put off" when you ask about purchasing just equipment. "I guess we can order a pair..." and "Well, we can get you something if you really want".

Later I bought a pair of the p6's (budget) and have recently sold them and bought the 704's. Heck- even my father listened to the b&w's and went out and bought a pair himself!

Im sure their attitude in today's economy has changed. They would be happy to sell you a remote


Seriously thou...For every dealer acting that way there are 100 that would love the business im sure.

[97disco]

Im sure their attitude in today's economy has changed. They would be happy to sell you a remote

LOL! You nailed it! :W

Seriously thou...For every dealer acting that way there are 100 that would love the business im sure.

Im sure of it too, but not in the Salt Lake City market! I don't blame their strategy (very limited inventory, installation and programming emphasis) as that is where the money is. I've been hard pressed to find other dealers of high end audio equipment in the area. In fact the other company locally (Mcintosh, paradigm, etc) are install/programming heavy as well, but are more willing to work with me on selling individual products.

I guess Im the only one out there not walking in the store with 10-15k to drop on a "entry-level" system! ops:

[emig5m]

I don't know of anyone with a truly good sound system. I've done jobs for millionaires and the best system I've seen was a Yamaha system with Yamaha bookshelf speakers. Best my personal friends have is Cerwin Vega or Polk. My boss has a 50+ inch plasma but uses the built in speakers in the tv! :E I tried selling my 683's to my boss and he said- "you can hear things clearer but I can still hear it". This is after asking me why my system sounded so good when I demoed some Blu-Rays for him. Yea, he was extremely impressed with the sound of my system but is still content with the TV speakers. He makes great money (six figures) but is so cheap and tight with it he just about thought I was crazy for the price I paid for the 683's. He made $23,000 take home in one day a couple weeks ago and is too cheap to spend on the 683!

Anyhow, the only other B&W's I heard other than mine or a dealers is when I went to purchase the 803D used from someone locally and the system didn't sound as good as my 683's did. Because of this I walked away from a amazing deal ($4800 one year old). When you don't have a good sweet spot dialed in and the speaker directly up against the wall in a corner (I at least have mine 34inches from the wall) and zero room treatments (I don't have bass traps but at least dampen out bare walls with decorative carpets and keep the listening position away from walls too) the best equipment won't even compare to entry level stuff that has a little effort to set it up (I don't have the best room, but I still try to do the best with what I have to work with).

Im sure their attitude in today's economy has changed. They would be happy to sell you a remote


Seriously thou...For every dealer acting that way there are 100 that would love the business im sure.

They should have a good attitude regardless of the economy or the price level of the gear the customer is buying. The guys that buy the entry level stuff might come back and support them when they want to get the higher end stuff like I did. Even before I bought the 800 series my dealer would let me take stuff home within reason. I borrowed a set of stands to try with my 685's no questions asked or no money down. I could of bought a used set of 804S's for cheaper than the dealer, but I value the support my dealer gives in case something goes wrong. My first sub I bought from there blew up right out of the box and they took it back and gave me another one no questions asked.

[Briz vegas]

Anyhow, the only other B&W's I heard other than mine or a dealers is when I went to purchase the 803D used from someone locally and the system didn't sound as good as my 683's did. Because of this I walked away from a amazing deal ($4800 one year old).

Ok...............that seems a little nuts to me (not meaning to be rude) as I know they are great speakers. Did you think they were broken? Auditioning is the way to go, but I think in that case I would be trying again.

One of the interesting things about the other systems I have heard is the amount of time and effort generally placed on tuning the system. Most had some aspect of DIY (speakers, isolation, cables) and were well suited to the owners preferred style of music. Even the modest systems sounded surprisingly good - something that I never managed to extract from my 705s and Marantz receiver (I still have both and know more about how to make them sound good now).

I guess I should not be too surprised at the lack of people knowing others with the same speakers.

Altanpsx, I know the 803 systems are quite different, but how do you find the sound differences between the two? Do you find yourself seeking aspects of your friends "sound". Does it reveal something about the 803 that your system is not achieving? I have found that listening to others systems has been very instructive (and borrowing bits even more so).

[emig5m]

Ok...............that seems a little nuts to me (not meaning to be rude) as I know they are great speakers. Did you think they were broken? Auditioning is the way to go, but I think in that case I would be trying again.

I don't think they where broken. There wasn't even a spec of dust on them and it appeared the room was rarely used (basement project started but never finished due to loss of interest or other priorities taking over). Basically they sounded like the mids where turned way down and the woofers turned way up. My experience with B&W is that their mids are right in your face! No 3D image what so ever (think they where spaced too wide for the listening position) and one speaker was directly in a corner and the other directly against the back wall but with a wide open area beside it. Not much of anything for furniture or room treatments. Thin carpet with concrete underneath otherwise just bare drywall.

Also, the 804S sounds very similar, almost no difference at all in my room vs the dealer I auditioned them at. They didn't have much furniture like I have but had room treatments and a fairly equal triangle from speaker width to listening position just like I do and the speakers where away from the back wall nearly the same distance I have mine (34 inches) if not maybe a tad more then me.

[BVoss]

the friend who got me into higher end audio has the cdm bookshelves with mc252 and a mcintosh tube preamp. His system sounds incredible. The funny thing is: he's as poor and struggling as I am.

[gross30]

I have a couple buddies that have some Krell, Mcintosh, and Classe and of course B&W speakers. One has a set of Nautilus 802 with all Classe gear and it sounds great. Aside from him and myself the others are 700 and 600 series. I do not know anyone else with 800 series.