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I am happy with my B&W Matrix 801 S3 speakers for quite a while. For me the greatest shortcoming is a sometimes unclear bas, but that does bother me only with certain recordings. I like a bas which doesn’t sound strengthened or unclear. When listening to e.g. a contrabass I want to hear just that.
Anyway I was and am wondering if the new B&W’s are a real improvement in my home.
Some days ago I listened at my dealer’s shop to 800Di’s in an acoustically bad room and I thought that my speakers are still at least not less. But after that I got the opportunity to listen to 802Di’s in another room, not a big one, crowded and with a bank against the rear wall. Distance speakers – listener: 3 meters. At first I wasn’t impressed, but then I heard Anna Netrebko, sempre libera, Otello. I got the impression that I heard far more shades in Nebreko’s voice then I could remember and which made listening to her voice more worthwhile. (So at that moment it wasn’t the bas-thing that attracted me most.) After that I listened at home to the same CD and it confirmed my impression: I didn’t hear the shades.
Therefore I thought I will give it a more prepared second try and make a new appointment by my dealer.
I am thinking about listening to the 802Di, the 800Di and the 800D.
At first I didn’t think I should take into consideration the 800 speakers, because they don’t fit so well into my room (acoustically and because of their massiveness). But I think I should give them a try.
Let me describe my room:
length: 8,5 meters; deep 3,50-4,00 m; high 3,10 m. Concrete walls, wooden floor with carpets, wooden CD and book cases. I would say the room is quite damped.
I listen to the speakers at a distance of 2,70 meter (across the short side of the room; can’t change that; the speakers have room to the sides but to the back it is restricted to about 0,3 – 0,5 meter), sitting in a bank with cloth fabric upholstery.
When I made a new appointment at my dealer, he offered the possibility of hearing an 800D (so not a Di), too, which he is selling for the price of the new 802Di’s.
My dealer told me that because of the better construction of the 800 that speaker could be a better choice, because sometimes it works better nearer to a wall then a 802.
And after so many words here come my questions.
I would appreciate if someone who has experience with comparing these speakers and could tell me if he thinks they one of the speakers are / could be an improvement at my home.
Also I would like to get some hints to what I should special attention when comparing the speakers.
(If I have heard the speakers at the dealer and I think one of them could be the one for me, I will get the opportunity to listen to hem at my home, before I will decide if I want to by them. But moving around with these speakers isn’t a hobby of mine. So I want to well prepared before that.)
Anyway I was and am wondering if the new B&W’s are a real improvement in my home.
Some days ago I listened at my dealer’s shop to 800Di’s in an acoustically bad room and I thought that my speakers are still at least not less. But after that I got the opportunity to listen to 802Di’s in another room, not a big one, crowded and with a bank against the rear wall. Distance speakers – listener: 3 meters. At first I wasn’t impressed, but then I heard Anna Netrebko, sempre libera, Otello. I got the impression that I heard far more shades in Nebreko’s voice then I could remember and which made listening to her voice more worthwhile. (So at that moment it wasn’t the bas-thing that attracted me most.) After that I listened at home to the same CD and it confirmed my impression: I didn’t hear the shades.
Therefore I thought I will give it a more prepared second try and make a new appointment by my dealer.
I am thinking about listening to the 802Di, the 800Di and the 800D.
At first I didn’t think I should take into consideration the 800 speakers, because they don’t fit so well into my room (acoustically and because of their massiveness). But I think I should give them a try.
Let me describe my room:
length: 8,5 meters; deep 3,50-4,00 m; high 3,10 m. Concrete walls, wooden floor with carpets, wooden CD and book cases. I would say the room is quite damped.
I listen to the speakers at a distance of 2,70 meter (across the short side of the room; can’t change that; the speakers have room to the sides but to the back it is restricted to about 0,3 – 0,5 meter), sitting in a bank with cloth fabric upholstery.
When I made a new appointment at my dealer, he offered the possibility of hearing an 800D (so not a Di), too, which he is selling for the price of the new 802Di’s.
My dealer told me that because of the better construction of the 800 that speaker could be a better choice, because sometimes it works better nearer to a wall then a 802.
And after so many words here come my questions.
I would appreciate if someone who has experience with comparing these speakers and could tell me if he thinks they one of the speakers are / could be an improvement at my home.
Also I would like to get some hints to what I should special attention when comparing the speakers.
(If I have heard the speakers at the dealer and I think one of them could be the one for me, I will get the opportunity to listen to hem at my home, before I will decide if I want to by them. But moving around with these speakers isn’t a hobby of mine. So I want to well prepared before that.)
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