I am not in the camp that BW speakers are bright. They reveal the source material, that's what they were designed for. I collect the Matrix series and have the 801 S3 with Northcreeks, 803 S2 which I just picked up, 804 and 805's. I read many posts said these speakers are bright. I find them great and depends on the source material and how well one has matched components in their system. A neutral system will show poorly recorded material as bright, the next piece of music can be smooth and another terrible. CD or vinyl same (I don't stream). I went into a store and listened to 805 D3 that was hooked up to a high end solid state amp. It was brutal. Had to leave the room. The same store had an 804 D3 hooked up in another room and it sounded fantastic. It's all about synergy and what one puts together. No different than equipment, one SACD player on one preamp sounds excellent, unlistenable on another one. So I have matched components to my taste and likes (important). This is my experience your experience may be different. The beauty of these older BW they can be had for a fraction of new speaker price. I would love to pick up some of the newer ones but outside of my current budget. I don't buy only because of budget, not sound quality. I think BW makes great speakers, old and new.
