B&W800D3/ Luxman 900 combo/ MSB S2

B&W800D3/ Luxman 900 combo/ MSB S2

kzhtoo said:
https://youtu.be/5v6ytfAFHWQ

What a beautiful sound!

Sorry if this has been posted. A quick check didn’t turn up.
Click to expand...

Who’s this character that posted this? [emoji6]

They sound wonderful. A couple of notes:

- they need an amp stable down to 1ohm to really perform their best. That includes Luxman, Hegel, Bryston, SimAudio, Gryphon, among others.
- they are designed to be 0.5 to 1m away from the back wall (behind the speakers) - as per the manual. If you pull them out further, the bass goes away. My thinking is that B&W’s are designed for use in studios and studios aren’t going to have them 8 feet into the room.
- little to no toe in (as per the manual). The wide dispersion tweeter sounds best straight on with a ever so slight toe in (like 5-10 degrees max).

The entire B&W line is under $30k and that gives me a nice floor stander option, with a great history.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
B&W800D3/ Luxman 900 combo/ MSB S2

Mike said:
Who’s this character that posted this? [emoji6]
Click to expand...


Sorry, Mike. You’re too slow. [emoji38]

Weird. If you aren’t familiar, you wouldn’t think B&W (800 D3 series of course) and bang for the buck belong in the same sentence. But they are. 802D3 has always been one of the speakers I’d like to own.
 
Re: B&W800D3/ Luxman 900 combo/ MSB S2

kzhtoo said:
Sorry, Mike. You’re too slow. [emoji38]

Weird. If you aren’t familiar, you wouldn’t think B&W (800 D3 series of course) and bang for the buck belong in the same sentence. But they are. 802D3 has always been one of the speakers I’d like to own.
Click to expand...

That’s true! I’ve been away for 3 weeks in Europe and not caught up on the videos. I have 802D3’s in Prestige Finish (OMG) coming this week along with 803D3’s in white. I want some 702S2’s. $4500/pair and stupid good. ELAC killers. [emoji6]. I’m taking some 804D3’s on trade (for 802D3’s) and that only leaves 805D3’s, but I have enough stand mounts with every Harbeth model and Magico A1’s coming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I assume all that equipment sitting out in front, blocking the speakers is not advised :).... Just Kidding, I know you have to display it some where...
 
Randy Myers said:
I assume all that equipment sitting out in front, blocking the speakers is not advised :).... Just Kidding, I know you have to display it some where...
Click to expand...

Ha, it’s actually not blocking the speakers, just looks like it. But yes, we’re a store. :). If it was my home, it would be a little different.
 
B&W800D3/ Luxman 900 combo/ MSB S2

Mike said:
Good catch. I moved it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. I must have made a mistake.

Luxman M900u seems to be the real deal. I really need to hear these in person. You’re going to do videos for these on M2 later?
 
rrwmd said:
You’re back home now Mike? What are your early impressions of the 800D3s?
Click to expand...

Yes. We got back in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday. I’m still a little jet lagged, but feeling much better today.

I went and played with the 800D3’s for the first time on Friday. They had set them up where we set every other speaker up in that room. After 30 seconds of listening, I knew it wasn’t right.

I read the manual and then called B&W to confirm what I read. Speakers approximately 0.5m from back wall, no less than 0.5m from side wall, approximately 3m apart and little to no toe in. Check. Moved things around and then it all snapped in place. The bass came alive, the tweeter was smoooooooth. The image was focused dead center. The wide dispersion tweeter is not one I would point at your ears or just outside your ears for example like we do with other speakers. The midrange is absolutely fantastic. Overall the speaker is incredibly engaging and musical when setup right and paired with the right amp.

I have a hunch a pair of B&W DB1D subs would just put things over the top. When I heard the B&W’s at Axpona, they had the subs and the impact and overall improvement wasn’t subtle. The new B&W subs are quite state of the art as well and allow complete control and setup from your iPhone.

If you get a chance, check out the HiFi News reviews on the 802D3 and 800D3. Both received the highest scores I’ve ever seen them give for a speaker. Maybe a little biased- British mag and British speakers, but still. [emoji6]

From my standpoint, I needed an entire lineup of floor standing speakers below $30k, not just a speaker or two. I needed a brand where I didn’t have to sit there and explain what the brand is and what they are about. Everyone has heard of B&W.

B&W for me is a little nostalgic. I owned B&W 801F’s with Carver amps about 30 years ago. Just loved that system.

For those looking for cost no object SOTA, cone and dome, well, that remains Magico IMO. The new M2’s are just incredible. But for those shopping below $30k, I now have many many more options. And damn good ones.

The 802D3’s and 803D3’s arrive this week. 702S2 at $4500/pair is also on the radar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Call me crazy but I heard the 800D3 back-to-back with the Magico M2, same room, same gear and I preferred the 800D3. YMMV.
 
Thanks for sharing those videos Mike. I was going to ask you how the 800s compare to your KEF Blades but, then I saw your signature and don’t see KEF listed anymore.

I assume B&W is filling that void?
 
mdp632 said:
Thanks for sharing those videos Mike. I was going to ask you how the 800s compare to your KEF Blades but, then I saw your signature and don’t see KEF listed anymore.

I assume B&W is filling that void?
Click to expand...

You’re very welcome and you are correct. I dropped KEF yesterday as a matter of fact.
 
800D3 wins Golden Ear.

550e42681b4849bd19dff09d62bb0794.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
They do sound nice - much better than I expected. The Luxman and Gryphon amps mate extremely well with 800 D3.
 
Adam Riess said:
Call me crazy but I heard the 800D3 back-to-back with the Magico M2, same room, same gear and I preferred the 800D3. YMMV.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine, who has an Esoteric front end, ARC Ref 10 and Momentum 400 monos, have switched from the 800D3 to Magico M3 and the improvment in his words was dramatic, across the board.

Probably much, as always, depends on the room, setup and the rest of the system.
 
Elberoth said:
A friend of mine, who has an Esoteric front end, ARC Ref 10 and Momentum 400 monos, have switched from the 800D3 to Magico M3 and the improvment in his words was dramatic, across the board.

Probably much, as always, depends on the room, setup and the rest of the system.
Click to expand...

No doubt. Comparing a $30,000 speaker to a $85,000 speaker is in most cases “no contest”. The M series is a home run.
 
Hi guys, the 800 with the Luxman is such a nice combo. I have a question would like to seek for advice from you all. I’m currently using the 803D3 and matched with Accustic Arts Int amp (mark4) and now looking to upgrade the speaker cable (using only the Nordost super flatline) to get a better dynamic and musical. Any suggestions on what brand of speaker cable is a good match with B&W plus AA combo?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top