B&W N805 vs. Revel M20


Anyone had a chance to compare these two? I've heard them both, but have never been able to do a side by side comparison. Thanks.
s7horton
Nanderson, I too am very interested in the signature 805. They changed everything as compared to the 805, they just look similar. Out of my price range though. I'm curious how many of you chose the M20 have noticed they are power hogs. The 805 don't seem to be, and when I heard the M20's, they were powered by a Levinson 383. Not terribly shy on power. I don't really want to have to change amplifiers if I go with the M20's. Thanks.
I have compared both. (there are threads galore on this. check the archives) I went with the M20s. This was an easy decsion. They, for my ears, were better in almost every way. Do not go with their stands, though. They (the 805s, too) are poor and will have only a deleterious affect on your music. Read, (in the archives, too) my review of the Sistrum Mini Monitor support system. Have your M20s (or 805s, or Dynaudio 1.3s) sit on top of those babies and you'll freak. Trust your ears. I liked the M20s better than the Dynaudio 1.3s. Some like the 1.3s. Go with what makes your tympanics tingle. Good luck.
I powered the M20s along with center and surrounds with a CJ
MF5600, which is not heavy on power and got plenty out of them. I also used the Proceed amp2/3 and had more than enough power.I would want 100wpc+ into 8ohms.
I own the 805's and found the Signature 805 to be a big improvement. It sounds like a much bigger speaker and had more of everything, bass weight, detail, soundstage, transparency, lack of boxiness...
Haven't heard the Revel's though.
I did a comparison of the B&W N805 and the Revel M20 at Marvin Electronics in Fort Worth, Texas. I found the M20s to be on the "cold and analytical" side of neutral.

I own the N805s and my primary (and only) complaint is that I feel that they could (and should) throw a larger sondstage - they sound like point sources. However, since my listening environment isn't ideal to begin with, this currently doesn't bother me. Match the N805s with a REL Strata III and you'll be a happy camper.

I also listened to the M20s at a dealer in Richardson, Texas. Even with different back-end hardware, I felt the same way.

To be fair, in both circumstances, I don't feel the M20s were adequately broken in at either location.