New Owner B+W 801

[Top Cat]

I just found this forum and I am so glad to see a place that you can get brand specific with your questions. I am excited to be getting my first pair of these speakers even if they are a little long in the woofer. I am going to see them on saturday so I was wondering could I get a few tips as to what to look for? I know they have a few cosmetic things with them but the pics showed nothing serious. They are the 80 series and they are being used in a sound studio that makes discs, both audio and video, and the owner said they were used gently and never abused. Any help would be appreciated. :T

[stuofsci02]

What series 801 are they?

[Top Cat]

They are 801 series 80.

[stuofsci02]

Sorry, missed that in your post..

Of course you will want to make sure that cosmetically they are what you want, but also you will want to check for woofer rot. On speakers more then 15 years old this can be a problem.. The rubber around the drivers becomes hard and brittle and simply rots away. Of course drivers can always be replaced, but consider that in your cost..

And of course.... Listen to them..

[Top Cat]

Well I bought the 801's and I love them. They are in great shape. I am debating on wether to replace the batteries for the protection circuit,bypass it, or just leave it the way it is because they sound great. Any opinions?

[stuofsci02]

I am going to have to ask you to post PICS!

[aarsoe]

If you know how, then get the protection circuit out of the way. Does not do anything well for the sound and was subsequently dropped on later models.
The woofers normally don't rot on B&W, as they do not use foam edges on those models so unless someone had them stored under very harsh conditions you should be fine for a long time.
I would however suggest you to take a look at the crossover. A lot have happened since then and you can replace with equal value/higher voltage/better quality and get a quite well worth lift in sound quality.
If you can live with the 1980 look then there is really not much out there that can match it - provided you do as previously mentioned and have a room that works well with them..

[Top Cat]

I am going to have to ask you to post PICS!

OK, I can do that.....

[Top Cat]

If you know how, then get the protection circuit out of the way. Does not do anything well for the sound and was subsequently dropped on later models.
The woofers normally don't rot on B&W, as they do not use foam edges on those models so unless someone had them stored under very harsh conditions you should be fine for a long time.
I would however suggest you to take a look at the crossover. A lot have happened since then and you can replace with equal value/higher voltage/better quality and get a quite well worth lift in sound quality.
If you can live with the 1980 look then there is really not much out there that can match it - provided you do as previously mentioned and have a room that works well with them..

Well to be honest I have never worked with crossovers or things like removing the PC and I would not want to end up doing something I will regret. Is there a step by step tutorial somewhere I could get a look at? I think they like the room because they sound great. Ofcourse I use a little EQ but not much. The freq response is pretty flat down to 15hz but the Danley sub is handling everything below 80hz.

[Ken49r]

Congrats Top Cat,

Those look pretty good in your room. I have been wanting to hear a pair of the older 800 models just to hear the comparison. Bet they sound good.

[gross30]

Great buy Top Cat, them are some great looking 801's...... :T

[Top Cat]

Congrats Top Cat,

Those look pretty good in your room. I have been wanting to hear a pair of the older 800 models just to hear the comparison. Bet they sound good.

Thanks Ken49r, I have alway's wanted a set of B+W speakers but could never afford it. I know these are old but they sound great. They have much more detail and clarity then anything I have owned. The only thing is I am afraid to really see what they can do because if something were to go wrong I can't get replacement drivers unless someone is parting out some of their 801's and that seems unlikely.

[Top Cat]

Great buy Top Cat, them are some great looking 801's...... :T

Thanks gross30, I am very happy with them. I didn't mention that I paid $750 for them, does that seem right?

[Ken49r]

if something were to go wrong I can't get replacement drivers unless someone is parting out some of their 801's and that seems unlikely.

Not even through B&W? I thought I read where they carry stockpiled parts that go back to some very old models.

Have you tried? http://www.bwgroup-support.com/default.htm

[Top Cat]

I talked to them yesterday and was told that they no longer have replacement drivers for them. They have others I can substitute but I would have to change the crossovers also.

[Top Cat]

Do any of you guy's have an opinion on rotating the drivers? I was told that if the speakers have been around for a long time that it is a good idea to rotate them 180 degrees. I never heard that before so I wasn't sure it had any validity.

[stuofsci02]

Great Looking Speakers Top Cat!

I have never heard about rotating the drivers.. Who told you that?

It should be pretty easy to do....

Enjoy and thanks again for the PICS...

[Top Cat]

I talked to a guy at a local hi end shop and he was the one who mentioned it. I don't know alot about the internals of a speaker but he said after years it is a good idea. I don't see how. I really like them and I really don't want to mess with them if it isn't going to make a difference.

[Antus]

looks like you have an earilier version of Matrix 801. although b&w no longer carry the exact parts for your speaker, they surely have Matrix 801 parts available. The new driver and crossover are quite a large leap comparing to the earilier model. Should anything break, don't hasitate to buy newer driver, the sound can only be better.

[Top Cat]

Thanks. Can you replace a driver without changing the crossover? I was also told by the same guy that only the tweeters would not need a crossover change but any other driver would.

[stuofsci02]

In general I would say that a crossover change is likely not necessary.. Since a crossover is a simple filter, you just need to ask yourself if the new driver can handle the same frequency range and if the power is similar. In general if you are replacing with a drive of the same size and configuration then you shouldn't need to change.

I have upgraded the drivers in many speakers where the woofers foam surround had deteriorated. I used better more powerful drivers and kept the old crossover and never had a problem.

That does not mean that you wouldn't notice a performance increase with new crossovers as I believe you could and would...

One question though.. If you a happy with the sound, then why change anything?

Stuart

[Top Cat]

Well I do like the sound and I asked the question not because I want to change things but if I need to if a driver goes bad. If original drivers are not available, and as far as I know they are not, It would be nice to just be able to use one that is close to the original. Thanks for answering my questions, I appreciate it. :T

[beden1]

Well I do like the sound and I asked the question not because I want to change things but if I need to if a driver goes bad. If original drivers are not available, and as far as I know they are not, It would be nice to just be able to use one that is close to the original. Thanks for answering my questions, I appreciate it. :T

I have speakers that I bought new in 1976 and they still sound like the day I bought them. Just check the rubber surrounds on the speakers to make sure they are not rotted. The ones on mine still look new, so yours are also no doubt OK. They look very good in the pictures.

[Top Cat]

Your right they sound great and the speakers are all in good shape with no obvious problems.Hopefully I will enjoy them for a long time to come.

[gross30]

Top Cat, at $750.00 you did very well. They will give you years of great listening. Like beden1 says, just take a close look at the rubber surrounds, if at all they are flakey (dry crumbly looking), you should inquire for replacements. If not, they are ok. It is also not hard to get inside and just check the connections and wiring etc. Easily accessible and you just never know. My older series 3 matrix had a few connections that were not broke but after a few years of moving around etc. come loose and just need a little tlc to stay connected. You have some great speakers there and I hope you enjoy them. :T

[Top Cat]

Thanks gross30, You said it's easy to get inside but would that be by pulling the woofer or another way?