800d Vs. 800di, any A/b comparison done?

[Eliav]

is the "30% more revealing" attributed to the 800di really the case ? Has anyone seen articles or have personal experience comparing both ?
Thanks

[Kal Rubinson]

Where did you get that figure? I do not see how that can be quantified.

[Eliav]

I realize these differences cannot be quantified, the "30%" difference is a number I have heard thrown out in this forum , dealers etc.. This is why I was interested in hearing if someone did a serious comparison between the two.
Thanks

[Skyblue]

I think I scoured the web for all 800 di information. I never read that anywhere.

[Eliav]

So did I before posting the question?
Anyone upgraded 800d to 800di? Any particular comments on the differences?
Thanks

[Algoods]

I don’t own either the speaker (I own 802D’s), but I’ve listened to the 800 D’s several times. I was also able to listen to the 800 DI’s this past weekend.
800D: more of a neutral speaker; the tweeter was smooth; midrange was sort of dry; the bass was there when called for; It didn’t make you tap your feet, but a very good speaker.
800 DI: The tweeter and midrange was so.... smooth (liquid) but, the bass was a little on the heavy side. I listened to the DI in a smaller room similar to where I would place them. We pulled the speakers further from the walls and the boom went away but the bass was still borderline on the heavy side.
The bass could be a result of the equipment, the room, or both.
Equipment used: McIntosh 452 amp; C2300 tube pre; MCD 301 SACD player.

[Kal Rubinson]

Curious. I found/find the bass on the 800Di to be tight and clean and less heavy than in the 802D or the N800 that I had in my room earlier. While supporting equipment is important, the room is critical, especially for the bass. Even similar sized rooms can make a big difference in the bass.

[Algoods]

The bass was tight in some instances and heavy in others. The room was approximately 14 x 24. During the my listening session I thought the pre amp was the culprit but, the tone controls were bypassed. Although the speakers could have been placed too close together; approximately 7 ft w/ toe in could have been the issue.

[Kal Rubinson]

Bass performance is so room and placement dependent that it is hard to draw very useful conclusions from unfamiliar situations.

[Aussie Geoff]

Side by Side comparison.

I have heard the 800d and 800di side by side....

For me the first thing about the 800di was its incredibly natural upper midrange and trebble. Very smooth and on live material able to sound like small details we really in the room.. The 800d's were good. But the 800Di were in a different level for those tiny airy details that make live music special. Otherwise both outstanding speakers.

I'm not sure about 30% but was it noticably better - absolutely...

Both were (are) quite picky about room positioning in a smaller room - getting the distance right away from walls and corners. Too close to the wall and the bass started to muddy a little or dominate. That meant we had to keep swapping the beasts in and out of the sweet spot position to test so comparision was more than a cable swap... But the 800di seemed a little less sensitive to room possitioning. Both could deliver electrifyingly tight deep bass as needed.

Tried three amps and liked Classe CA-M600 best - just seemed to allow the music to be very dynamic. Mind you at the price - so they should...

Cheers

Geoff

[Pedro]

Great impressions, and nice you got that side by side comparison.

BTW welcome again to the quorum It´s been a while we didn´t hear from you :T

[Eliav]

Thanks to all of you

I agree , when auditioned , ithought the 800di did an outstanding job revealing and highlighting those subtle " dark cormners" , injecting air and naturality into almost everything I listened to. Lyet i thought to myself "But so does my 800d's".. I never had a chance to compare A/B. I see that some of you did and that the conclusion was pretty obvious.
Aussie , thanks for your input.
I am left now with the tough question we all like to ask : to upgrade or not to upgrade....
Cheers to you all

[stuofsci02]

Thanks to all of you

I agree , when auditioned , ithought the 800di did an outstanding job revealing and highlighting those subtle " dark cormners" , injecting air and naturality into almost everything I listened to. Lyet i thought to myself "But so does my 800d's".. I never had a chance to compare A/B. I see that some of you did and that the conclusion was pretty obvious.
Aussie , thanks for your input.
I am left now with the tough question we all like to ask : to upgrade or not to upgrade....
Cheers to you all

I would have to be 100% happy with everything else going on in my hifi before upgrading a pair of 800d. Even if there is a new series... Room treatments etc..

[Eliav]

U got it right. I am there. If interested, check my system on my user's profile. My room is treated and is acoustically balanced. Tough decision stil...

[Antus]

for a short listening session, i found some differences between the new and old 800 Diamond series.

1. on the new Diamond, tweeter is more obervious. u will noticed the tweeter is there singing. on the older series, the tweeter won't stand out itself. Instead, the entire upper freequency from mid to high has more in your face feeling. This is especially obervous when listening to solo singer, where the old series feel like sitting in the front row, and the newer Diamond feel like sitting in the middly row.

2. The bass is leaner. or someone would decribe as "cleaner" less "wu wu" effect. some prefer more bass (old), some prefer faster bass (new)

Is it an improvement? yes, but it is more like tunning up the old series before the next major renovation. for someone already have the D series, i think skipping the current Diamond and waiting for the next big change make more sense.

In the old Matrix series, 801 had went through 3 reversion before change to current series. It is possible that next improvement will be major.
the history of 800 series:
801 Matrix 80
801 Matrix SII
801 Matrix SIII

800 Nautulus
800 D
800 Diamond

[Pedro]

In Regard to the bass you´ve refered leaner in the new series I understand the old had more bass output right? Which doesnt have anything to do with bass extension. There are some genres that benefit of the wu wu effect or in other words more bass output instead extension.

But I second you we shall see in the future a new and really advanced range that could change the sound as the Ds has changed the previous N series.

[Kal Rubinson]

In Regard to the bass you´ve refered leaner in the new series I understand the old had more bass output right? Which doesnt have anything to do with bass extension. There are some genres that benefit of the wu wu effect or in other words more bass output instead extension.

That's why there are tone controls and EQ.

[RebelMan]

That's why there are tone controls and EQ.

Two wrongs won't make it right. :W

[Kal Rubinson]

Two wrongs won't make it right. :W

Right but I was offering another independent option for wrong.

[bigburner]

As a stalwart supporter of tone controls I must admit that I don't use them very often since the CDM9NTs were swapped out for 803Ds.

Nigel.