B&W 804D vs 803S

Before getting stuck in the B&W brand look elsewhere as well.

Thanks Stringreen for your useless response to the OP's question. Both of the speakers you mention would be a step up from the 805. The 804D is the more modern of the two you mention while the 803s an older version but higher up the 800 series. The 803s differs quite significantly from the newer 803D both in the tweeter (diamond versus aluminum) but the newer 803 also has a much better bottom end. But as you are mentioning the 803s vs 804d my recommendation would be to go more modern and get the 804D. Quite a nice speaker by any standards.

Without question, the Diamond version 804 is a better choice over the older 803s. The Diamond tweeter has a much smoother response and faster transient speed over the aluminum tweeters. This all translates (IMO) to a more realistic presentation right down into the midrange.

Thanks, Spinaker01. Reason for my asking is that there's about a $2000 difference between the 803S and the 804D. I just dont know if the new version is worth the extra money for what I do (movies & TV) and how my setup is currently situation (non-dedicated room). Is the diamond tweeter that much better?

The other option is I could get a generation one version of the 803D for about the same price as the brand new 803S. Are there significant improvements between gen one and current?

Stringreen --- I've looked at others, but I have to keep the wife happy with the aesthetics of the system. Since I have a matching center speaker and B&W in-ceilings for the surrounds (while same brand, probably has very little impact), I'm not looking to have different cosmetic looks. At the moment, I don't want to put out the cash required to upgrade my left, right, AND center. If you have suggestions for replacing all 3 front speakers, while keeping the same sound quality within, while coming in at the same budget of my current upgrade suggestions, please feel free to give your input. Thanks.

Is this a local dealer? If it is you should be able to get some kind of home audition. If this will not work out, take your speakers to the dealer for a compare, it'll be worth it in the end.

No, I'm not a dealer. Just a audiophile who owns B&W and has some experience with the line and a opinion. Yes it would be wise to take your speakers to a dealer and determine for yourself.

Mr_m, my comments were not directed to you; I was asking the original poster if he was working with a local dealer.

Sorry, my mistake.

Thanks, guys. Yes, it is a local dealer; however, they have different locations. One location has the 803S and the other has the 804D. Thus, makes it a little hard to compare. I'm just wondering if the extra money gets you that much better of a sound with the 804D ($2.5k difference can be spent in a lot of other areas). If you can follow, I tend to think of speakers on an exponential line. The X axix being Quality of Sound and the Y axis being Dollars. At the start, all speakers give sound and the costs remain low. But as you move down the quality axis, dollars tend to really jump. Eventually, you get marginal improvement but at a cost that doesnt really justify that improvement (because of the exponential factor). To see a visual look up Exponential Growth in Wikipedia.

So, at the end of the day, does the Diamond tweeter really have that big of an edge given my ratio of movies/TV to music?

Spinaker...My comment wasn't useless. I simply reminded him to listen to other speakers and not be stuck on B&W. When my wife passes away, I needed a present and bought an 802D - the first speaker that I came across reading their glossy ads. The speaker disappointed and I dumped it and took a loss. I'm simply telling the original poster to be sure of his purchase.

Stringreen's advice is wise and very useful despite the aesthetic and matching constraints mentioned by the OP.