B&W Blues

I'm a bit of a B&W nut and happen to think they make some of the finest speakers in the world...or did. I've owned about 5 pairs over the last 15 years. A year ago I purchased the mid-level CM1 S2's. First pair I've purchased not built in England. Not a deal breaker for me, but they are the only pair of B&W's I didn't enjoy. They were overly bright and had a hole in the mid bass. Smile eq'd sounding. Ear fatigue set in after an hour of listening. Sold them and bought a 20 year old pair of CDM 1NT. They sound dramatically better IMO. I've dreamed for years of the Nautilus line and one day hope to own a pair of N803's or 803s. The new D3 Diamond series are uglier and more than double the price of the previous iterations.

If you are open to used, why not consider a used set of 803's. Can get them in good shape used between $3500 and $4k. And you get them made in England before the company was purchased by some Tech startup company in San Jose. The wood on the prior lines is gorgeous and I have a really hard time believing that the new Diamond series is superior, especially by twice as much. My guess is they are inferior.

I mean no offense to those who own the current lines of B&W, they are probably great speakers. But I've rarely been so disappointed by a product as those CM1's, especially considering B&W's reputation. Sometimes newer does not equal better.

 

Is it at all possible to get a power amplifier in the same room as the speakers so you could use a shorter run of speaker cable?

 

Not feasible. And sticking with my "underpowered" Yamaha!

 

Obviously you need to listen and use your own judgement, but with regard to the ATC 50s the passives are fantastic speakers, I own an older pair, but if I was buying speakers today I'd go for the actives if at all possible, either should last you a lifetime with long term support from ATC in the unlikely event you need to re-cone, a replacement driver or work on the crossover you will likely have absolutely no thoughts of upgrading either. Depending on your room and budget the 40s are also excellent and may provide a better option, I wouldn't call them a downgrade on the B & Ws.

 

The D3 series sounds significantly better than the D2, IMO. Much bigger soundstage and much more even tone without the top end glare. Just a better, more well rounded speaker. I had the option to get the D2 series significantly discounted versus full price on the D3. It wasn't a tough decision for me.

 

I agree. These speakers are high quality products that just need some maintenance and then they're are good for probably 25-30 years more. I got my B&W Nautilus 804's way back in 1999 and I'll restore them when it's time....

 

I'm vote for the Wilson Yvette speakers. I own a pair. An amazing speaker if you ask me.

 

Haven't heard the 803 but my 805 D3's are killer. Interested to hear how your audition turns out.

 

For a quarter of a 100k, they better be good!

Regards

 

I would be inclined to stick with Bowers and Wilkins - although I am having a bit of a thing about them at the moment having recently purchased a pair of their excellent headphones, and auditioned the CM8 S2 speakers which I thought were fantastic for the money. B&W are famed for their excellent after sales support, so if you continue to encounter issues with your current speakers it may be worth contacting them directly if you haven't already.
If you do decide to go down the route of purchasing new speakers, have you considered Dynaudio? Their loudspeakers, in particular the Emit and Contour ranges, have been getting very good reviews in the British audio press of late.

 

At least the Sabrinas are closer in price to the 803D3s (as compared to the Yvettes). Keep us posted on your impressions. I'd be mindful of what amplification is being used in your upcoming demo.

I've been intending to get the 803D3s within the next 6-8 months to replace my 803Diamonds (the second iteration of the 803 series with the diamond tweeter as you probably know). I don't have a local Wilson dealer. The closest competition I've heard (and have available to me here) has been the Magico S3 which I wouldn't mind getting but from a physical dimensions standpoint it is a bit too large for my room and I'm not a huge fan of their finishes. (I prefer the B&W piano black finish.)

On the appearance front, as you correctly imply, it's surely a personal preference. Most of the Wilsons are far too linear (or "angular" if you like) and boxy for my tastes. I can see them working visually in some interiors more than others. My visual preference for the 803D3s is that they are more sensual to the eye with the rounded midrange head and the diamond tweeter seated atop. They are a substantial visual improvement over the 802D design from which they are visually derived. That speaker is often derided as looking like R2D2 (of Star Wars fame) and I think it's an apt description. There is just too much bulk there. The newer 803D3 slims down that bulk substantially. (But what do I know, I'm just an artist. I've been accused more than once of being too sensitive to visual nuance!)

Lastly, no way to get around that 30' run of speaker cable? That is quite extreme by any audio standard. At one time I had isolated my front ends and amplification and run a similar distance to my speakers (B&W CDM7SEs at the time). I reconfigured my gear, shortened my cable down to 18' (still too long AFAIC) and upgraded the cable quality significantly (to JPS superconductor 3 which I still use). The sonic improvements were quite significant.

 

As crazy as it sounds, these days $25K is not, relatively speaking of course, a huge amount of money for speakers!

And I trust that virtually anything in that price range will sound good as long as they are appropriately system-matched!

 

I would too if I had those BA speakers

 

what about B&W 804's? I absolutely love mine.

 

Right now, if it were me, I would go the repair route. In forums it's easy to tell people to spend their money.

 

That's plan A. My plan B is getting a new pair in case this repair is more complicated than a new voice coil/spider (i.e. crossover rebuild/replacement).

 

The reason I replaced my old Thiel 7.2's was because of the same fear of finding replacement parts and breakdown. New speaker designs are improving IMO.

 

Not to mention the fact that my audio neuroses is such that I will now and forever be listening for one of the remaining drivers to start exhibiting the same signs of failure!

 

If you can. It is not unusual for parts to disappear after ten years.

 

Just found this review while searching for images of the 803 D3 (trying to convince myself it doesn't look as bad as I fear it does).

 

Check out the link in my initial post - no can do. I even went with the best (Transparent 12ga.) in-wall cable I could afford at the time we built this house. The "network" gizmos also seemed to help mitigate the long runs (as suggested by an audiophile friend).

In terms of aesthetics, I still feel B&W hit a sour note with this new series - they look like some bulbous, steampunk exercise to me. No offense to any owners. My own tastes run towards the no-nonsense, purposeful design of the ATCs. Handsome!

 

Worked in my friends audio store until he retired. I liked the new D series B&W but we did have trouble selling them against the Wilsons we also sold. The new series went up considerably in price which didn't help. But speakers are a personal choice. I wouldn't argue if you went the B&Ws. If you choose Wilson, the aforementioned Sabrinas and Yvettes are excellent. I might also suggest you give the Aerial 7t a listen. Its very nice, designed by a great guy, and less expensive than your other alternatives. You're certainly looking in the right direction.

Oh, and there's nothing wrong with your Yamaha. The speakers I've mentioned are efficient enough to work just fine.

 

While I dislike the look of the 803 D3 in mahogany, the piano black version looks much sharper, IMO.

Explore the 803 D3 - Bowers & Wilkins

 

Perhaps you can get a home demo with the ATC speakers? If so please report, would love to hear your thoughts on the pairing with the Yamaha.

 

I agree, and I'm not usually a fan of black speakers. What's with only one wood veneer? And it's a weird reddish color. Don't like.