B&W 800 D4's, Room size, & general Q's


Hey all,

Not sure if this was the appropriate sub-forum, I'm pretty new to all this stuff, and would appreciate any insight you can offer. I am building a new home (almost complete), and leaning towards adding a pair of B&W 800 series D4 to my office. The room is approximately 18'x17'x10'H. Not sure if this makes a difference, but my builder has sound proofed the right side wall where I plan to place the towers in front of (see picture link), as well as the ceiling. I'm not sure what he used to sound proof, but it's behind the dry wall & some wood paneling. In the pic, the "furniture" isn't to scale or anything, just a rough estimate. Link to room pic: https://imgur.com/a/MgpHATC

My questions:
  1. For this room size, would the B&W 802 D4 be the correct choice in the 800 series lineup? Or should I go bigger (801 D4) or smaller (803 D4)?
  2. Does it matter that my towers will be off center within the room itself?
  3. Would it be a waste to spend this much on a sound system when I did not specifically design the room to be used as a hifi listening room?
  4. What electronics would you recommend to pair with the B&W's? I was leaning towards all McIntosh.

My max budget is around $100,000 all in for this sound system. B&W 802 D4's + McIntosh would get me to around $50k, and I'd be content spending only that amount. That being said, I'm open to suggestions other than B&W and/or McIntosh electronics (i.e. if there are electronics that pair better with B&W). Thanks in advance!


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I have 803 D3s in a room similar to yours. Getting the 802’s or 801‘s isn’t about whether or not the speakers can play loudly enough. Each speaker just sounds different. So choose the speaker not based on the size of your room but on the sound of the speaker. Your speakers are going to need to be about 4 feet away from the front wall and 3 feet from that side wall. For me that means I have to roll the speakers forward when I’m listening and push them back when I’m not. Looks like you’ll have to do the same thing. I would include a pair of rel subwoofers in your set up. Even though the diamond series plays great bass the subwoofers help increase the soundstage. I love my speakers and Pass Labs amp. But it would make sense for you to audition many otherSpeakers to make sure you get exactly the kind of sound that you like.
Regarding B&W, it has been commented upon that their tweeter sounds very bright.  McIntosh tube products are considered by many to be very warm sounding.  I have heard them together, and those characteristics balanced each other out very nicely.

A brand of speaker not yet mentioned is Sonus faber which are unanimously considered to be Italian goddesses in the looks department.  They are fantastic sounding to me. Personally, looks are important in a speaker. 
These are generally comments.  Have fun!   
I have heard the 802D3 and 803D3 both on McIntosh amps (mc611). 
The 803D3 has no bass… for me me at least. It sounds thin. The 802D is better and with your budget I would be looking at the 800D, your room is fine. 
I have owned B&W in the passed and it really wore on my ears. I was happier when I moved on a long time ago. I really like McIntosh amps, though they are not popular on this site. I A/B a few amps and bought the MC462 which I am happy with. 
Once I had the Wilson Audio Sophia 3, 802D2 and Thiel 3.7 in the same room/ system for a back to back A/B with a few A/B of amps thrown in there too. Moved speakers around to their best spot for each one (awesome dealer!). That day the B&W held their own but it was easy to see they were colored once played back to back like that. B&W is very detailed but the frequency response is a rollercoaster. When you demo listen closely to the upper mids of the 800s and make sure you can live with it long term. 
The thing that stood out in this A/B was the dispersion pattern of each speaker and how it effected sound stage.
Rockport speakers paired with Boulder amps sounded excellent at the dealer. Good luck in your search ! 
100k is a lot. My system is closer to 50k and is pretty monster. Also, what you're going to get in a forum like this is a lot of what each person thinks is the best for that. I could rattle off my system and tell you it's great but it might not be your taste. For any amount of money, but particularly that much, I'd take the time to go listen to a lot of speakers and electronics. Keep an open mind to brands you're unfamiliar with. Maybe take a look at stereophile's recommended components over the past few years as well.