B&W Nautilus 803's versus 804's and 802's

Room size dictates your choice.

The 803's will give you what you want, maybe you should buy the sub later. Those 804's and 3's will still need a strong amp, say 100W. or more per channel minimum. There is a real difference between the 4's and the 3's. I prefered the 805's to the 804's, but liked the 803's even more. Size and budget lead me to the 805's with a REL Strata III sub. What amplification do you have?

What is your opinion on the size of my listening room with the 803's. The actual room size in the basement is 19.5 ft wide by 16 ft deep. My listening is done in an area 11.5ft wide by 16ft deep along the long wall. The 804's currently are 10 ft in front of me with 2ft 4" behind my sofa. The ceiling height is 7ft 5" except for a boxed beam where the height is 6ft 11". The speakers are 2.5ft from the back wall. The left speaker is 2.5ft from the side wall. The right speaker is 8.5 ft from the side wall which leaves a lot of space on that side where a futon bed is and an end table. The speakers are almost 6.5 ft apart.

I found the 802's too big for the room. I feel i needed to sit back a lot further to enjoy the 802's. The midrange is very clear, there was more bottom end and wider soundstage than the 804's. However i prefer the 804's in my basement.

I'm using the MF Nu-vista m3 integrated with a Linn Ikemi cd player.

I agree with BM. Get the 805 and a good sub. the 805 has more detail with a good sub, and it will have more bottom end as well comparing to 804 and 803. Only the 802 is better than the 805 in terms of higher resolution beyond the mid-bass range.

The only draw back is you need to find a sub that will blend in seemlessly with your speakers, room and electronics. Velodyne ULD series is the only sub I know that does it well in audio terms.

Bring back to ULD, VELODYNE!!

For the N805 you will also have to get a really good pair of stands to really get the really good bottom end.