Assuming the tweeters ferrofluid has NOT dried out and you are experiencing tweeter distortion/glare!
If you are a purist you need time to get used to the much better and more accurate superior sound of the 801. If you like a more coloured sound then you made a mistake moving to such a legendary accurate speaker as the 801 - pretty much nothing B&W has done since surpasses it.
The 802 is an HT style speaker with a big smiley EQ ( big bass and big treble but a suckout in the upper mid range from 2 to 4 KHz)
Technically B&W simply used too large a mid range woofer on the 802 (6 inch vs 5 inch)and crossed over very high at 4KHz (vs 3 KHz on the 801). The midrange beams and you lose 5-7 db in the 1 to 4 KHz range because the off axis energy is totally gone. No wonder the more truthful 801 sounds harsh to ears long educated on the sound of the 802!
B&W probably knew what they were doing - the big bass and big treble sounds like high fidelity to the unsuspecting while the 801 was so ruthlessly accurate that it garnered huge praise with pros and experts back in the day well before HT and boom boxes (what most people want today). B&W knew the design of the 801 would remain restricted to more discerning listeners and therefore a limited market so why not make a speaker with more mass market appeal.
On a sales floor untrained ears will pick the bass and treble boosted 802 over the 801 every time. Only discerning listeners and those who have a preference for jazz and classical will likely choose the old but legendary 801!
If you are a purist you need time to get used to the much better and more accurate superior sound of the 801. If you like a more coloured sound then you made a mistake moving to such a legendary accurate speaker as the 801 - pretty much nothing B&W has done since surpasses it.
The 802 is an HT style speaker with a big smiley EQ ( big bass and big treble but a suckout in the upper mid range from 2 to 4 KHz)
Technically B&W simply used too large a mid range woofer on the 802 (6 inch vs 5 inch)and crossed over very high at 4KHz (vs 3 KHz on the 801). The midrange beams and you lose 5-7 db in the 1 to 4 KHz range because the off axis energy is totally gone. No wonder the more truthful 801 sounds harsh to ears long educated on the sound of the 802!
B&W probably knew what they were doing - the big bass and big treble sounds like high fidelity to the unsuspecting while the 801 was so ruthlessly accurate that it garnered huge praise with pros and experts back in the day well before HT and boom boxes (what most people want today). B&W knew the design of the 801 would remain restricted to more discerning listeners and therefore a limited market so why not make a speaker with more mass market appeal.
On a sales floor untrained ears will pick the bass and treble boosted 802 over the 801 every time. Only discerning listeners and those who have a preference for jazz and classical will likely choose the old but legendary 801!