B&W N803 or Signature 805?

The Tweeter of the Signature is a lot better than the one of the N803. Is is more detailled and less harsh. But the 803N goes a lot deeper in the low freq. So it depends what you are looking for. Maybe an 804S is a better solution.

For me it's realy hard to imagin how to outperform Grand Pianos with B&W N803 or S805, but in comparison between N803 and 805 I liked better the monitors. Monitors beat with presentation, tightness and imaging.

Thanks for responses. To put in another way, I preferred the B&W sound more than Sonus Fabers. I have owned the N805 and liked them much more than the Grand Pianos which are too warm for my listening preferences with a rolled off high frequency/treble.

The N805 is not too bad but was hoping to get more transparency, detail and dynamics with either both speakers mentioned.

Cheers.

If you like the look/feel of SF, try the cremona auditors. I've owned both the sig 805 and the cremona and for stereo, the cremona is a factor better. For HT I like the s805.

any reason you purchased the grand pianos since you don't like the way they sound?

The N803 or 803S is a better all-around Speaker then the 805 unless your room is too small to accommodate a floor-stander. Stereophile Magazine gave the Nautilus 803 a "Class A Rating" back in 2001. This is a very good Speaker, and in my experience gives you much of what the larger 800 Series Speakers have to offer.

I also prefer to sound of B&W's 800 Series Speakers to Sonus Faber (and most others). The B&Ws with music, sound more realistic to me. Especially non-electric instruments and female vocals they just sound more real. B&Ws really shine with live-recorded acoustic music. This is their sweet-spot.

Jamesw20, thanks for your recommendation in the Cremona Auditors. I will keep that in mind but it's likely I'll end up with the B&W's as I would like the versatility of the speakers being used in HT applications, and the fact that I'm biased toward B&W's at this point of time.

Mboldda1, I loved the Grand Pianos when I first bought them. Lived with them for a couple of years and had no complaints. But after I had a chance to listen to the N805 with the same components in my system, I then realized the shortcomings of the GP's, certain things I would like to have that are missing with these speakers. Both are great speakers but I just preferred the B&W's. As many have said, those who prefer Sonus Fabers won't like B&W's and vice versa. It just took me about 3+ years to figure out what I've been missing all this while.

Enjoy your music.