|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
68.44.204.140
Recently hearing a pair of N802's powered by a pair of classe cam-200 monoblocks, I would like to find out what the design philosophy of these speakers are.
Being that they were right below the 800's and 801's, I was dissapointed in what I heard. I felt that the midrange (FST), which receives great reviews, was colored and lacked resolution. The bass was a bit on the light side, however, it is very tight and controlled. Also, these speakers do not seem to play well at lower volume levels. Are they designed to play loud only?
If you have any other thoughts on they upper nautius 800 series speakers, please share....
btw, the speakers were bi-wired.
Follow Ups:
I would agree with Kal that what you were hearing was most likely due to a room interaction issue.
I have owned the N802's for 6 years and they play nicely at low or high levels and each time I improve the electronics the speakers reflect that change. I am driving the N802's with the new Classe Delta series CA2200 and an Ayre K5Xe pre-amp.
The speakers are very musical and I feel for the money they are a bargain when you consider the world class build quality, high WAF (at least mine).
I am planning to trade them in by the end of the year for the 802D's which I find even more musical.
Best of luck finding what you are looking for.
I have the 802N and I really enjoy them...plus my wife likes the way they look. They 802D are better but ... for a lot more money. You can buy alot of upgrades for the extra few thousand dollars. I have mine on Sound Anchor stands and every time I've upgraded components, cables or added tweaks they have gotten better. Demo rooms, for any speaker, can be a double edged sword. I have heard a few speakers that are better but usually for double the money. I think that the 802N are a good value and you probably can find a nice used pair. My only complaint (besides that they need current) is that they don't really come into they're own at lower volumes ... just my 2¢
I too would question the set up you auditioned. A friend owns N802s which I've heard many times. He previously owned 801s as have two other friends in the past. I owned original 802s many years ago. Having attended the CES for many years, I've had the chance to hear many different B&W models in various set ups.
Now with all these qualifications, I'll say the N802s are the most musical, balanced, and enjoyable B&Ws I've heard. This is not to say you should like them, but I find the mids to offer a high level of resolution and the bass to be extended and powerful without being overblown (as I've experienced with some other B&Ws).
The likely issues here are the room and the setup since what you describe is not what I have heard from these speakers.
There are lots and lots of reports on the series (I reviewed the N800 and the 802D for Stereophile, for instance) and B&W has published detailed, hard-cover reports on their development and technology. (That they were bi-wired is irrelevant, imho.)
Kal
While some people will call the Nautilus FST "detailed", I find it to sound faked and unnatural and actually a driver that obscures detail. It's easier to fake it than do it. I do think B&Ws sound pretty good at low levels with the somewhat boom and sizzle sound and fall apart more at higher levels, but this could be a matter of interpretation. I've put these speakers against speakers with lossy poly cones that have more resolution, but don't *sound* like it at first because they are so much smoother. But when you ask yourself " which speaker allows me to hear every word?", it isn't the Nautilus, despite their catchy, fun sound. Diamonds are more evolved, but still pretty lacking in resolution compared to really good affordable speakers.
Kal, I really am continuously surprised that you are so easily faked out as a reviewer. I don't know whether your room/setup is so good or whether you haven't done serious A/B tests in the same room or ??????
.
Oh, goodness, Revels, Monitors, NHTs, Joseph Audios, etc. Heck, I've heard some Axioms that, while not as refined as most, had more detail to my ears. Detail is reallly a factor of having a rigid driver in a good box with a good crossover. The FST driver's main limitations are resolution/lack of cone resonance/dispersion. While they've made it sound better over the last two generations, it's a dead end engineering wise and would have been killed off years ago if it didn't sell so well and manage to still get good reviews (like that's terribly difficult these days).
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: