Upgrading ... Nautilus 802 ? ?

[BWzes03]

All,

I'm currently the owner of a pair of Nautilus 804's and while I'm satisfied with the overall performance, I've always loved the 802's in sound and beauty.
Lets just say I've always coveted them....
Now, just browsing a second-hand add site, I've come across an add that has the Nautilus 802's for sale for a very nice price ...

Should I do it, or is the quality of the previous D series and the new Di series such a big step up that I should save up for a second-hand D or a Di ?

My 'gut' says : buy buy buy !!!!

The only thing that has always held me back was cost... The 802's were just too expensive .. But this add ...

He claims they're in perfect condition, no scratches what so ever...
I've made an appointment to go see / listen to them....

What to do...

[mjb]

Go for it and fulfill your dream! Its true the diamond tweeters are extremely good, but they're also extremely expensive, and their existence doesn't suddenly make the N series rubbish, not by any means. I'm sure you'd be very happy with the 802N's. Good luck!

[htsteve]

BWzes03,

You're doing the best thing possible, which is to go listen and look. If the demo goes well, and you can afford them, then I would say pull the trigger. the 802 class is very good.

Also make sure that the current owner is driving them with a good amplifier. Underpowering speakers is dangerous and can damamge the drivers. If they were driven by a receiver, I would be concerned. If by an outboard amp, that's better. A high powered outboard amp is better yet.


Hope this helps.

[Race Car Driver]

Buy Buy Buy!
One thing I have noticed with the N802s. The 2nd hand price of $4-$5,000 that they currently are getting is exactly what they were getting 5+ years ago.

[BWzes03]

BWzes03,

You're doing the best thing possible, which is to go listen and look. If the demo goes well, and you can afford them, then I would say pull the trigger. the 802 class is very good.

Also make sure that the current owner is driving them with a good amplifier. Underpowering speakers is dangerous and can damamge the drivers. If they were driven by a receiver, I would be concerned. If by an outboard amp, that's better. A high powered outboard amp is better yet.


Hope this helps.

According to the owner he was driving them with the Rotel RB-1091 mono block amps( 1x500W) , I will be running them with my two RB-1080's (2x200W x 2) so under-power is not an issue in either case.

I don't think that the current requirements will be that much higher between the 804 and the 802's. Especially at this point in time, I'm glad that I got that second RB-1080 and biamped my speakers.... Using a single amp would be stressing it I think....

[ssabripo]

The N802, is arguably, the best bang for buck speaker currently in all of the higher models for B&W.

I've auditioned and installed several 802's, both N and Ds, and yes, the diamond tweeter is a very nice upgrade, but hardly worth the 2x or more price difference currently!

My opinion: go and audition them if you can, both the N and D versions, and see what you think... I'm pretty certain that you will see in a relatively quick fashion whether the $4.5-5k N802 is great or not, and whether the 802D is worth double the price of it.


sufficeth to say that I'm happily enjoying my 802N's for the past 4 years, and will continue to do so for some time to come as well. I'm powering them with a pair of Pass Labs X600 monoblocks, driven by a Pass Labs X2.5 pre, a cullen modded PS audio DL3 DAC, and a modded Denon 3910 transport.

[htsteve]

According to the owner he was driving them with the Rotel RB-1091 mono block amps( 1x500W) , I will be running them with my two RB-1080's (2x200W x 2) so under-power is not an issue in either case.

I don't think that the current requirements will be that much higher between the 804 and the 802's. Especially at this point in time, I'm glad that I got that second RB-1080 and biamped my speakers.... Using a single amp would be stressing it I think....

Good. I agree that power should not be an issue.

I've had both 804's and 802's. The 802's love current, the more current, the better the soundstage, bass and overall performance. The 802's can dip to 2 Ohms, so power is really needed down there. 804's do not go that low. A pair of 1080's should be quite nice on the 802's.


I hope the demo goes well.

[wettou]

The N802, is arguably, the best bang for buck speaker currently in all of the higher models for B&W. Pass Labs X600 monoblocks, driven by a Pass Labs X2.5 pre, a cullen modded PS audio DL3 DAC, and a modded Denon 3910 transport.

PASS LABS nice

[BWzes03]

Well guys, I guess I can close this thread now !
I've just bought them !!!!!!

Good god they're heavy, but so open, and the depth that I 'missed' in the 804's
is here in spades !
I thought they might look bulky, but that is surprisingly not the case.
I'll make some photo's and post them later on...

[John22614]

Congratulations......excellent decision, hope they bring you much enjoyment.

[htsteve]

Excellent! Welcome to the 802 club! I'm not surprised at your reaction. they are special speakers.

Looking forward to the pictures.