Better B&W Matrix or Nautilus?

I have a set of Matrix 802 S3's & love them; one of the few components I rarely think about changing. However I would be interested to know if Krellnot or anyone else has any comparisons with the M802's & N805's.

I had owned the 802 Series 3 for several years and prior to that the original 802 for over ten years. I now have the 802 Nautilus (about one year) and on an absolute basis, the Nautilus is better. It offers a more realistic treble presentation, a much wider sound stage and far greater bass extention. I must caution you that it can sound 'bright' with the wrong amp/or cables so auditioning with your equipment is important. Also, it can really soak up the power - to sound its best it requires a powerful and high quality amplifier. I currently use the Matrix 805 for surround and they are quite good but the new Nautilus 805 is better in the upper registers and has slightly deeper bass. However, both have fairly weak bass and need a sub to sound their best. In conclusion, if price is not a concern, go for the new Nautilus series (I have not heard the N 804 or N 803 but I bet they sound great). If adhering to a strict budget, you would be well served by a pair of late model Matrix 802s.

I have owned both and will try my best to put into words the differences. The 802S3 is a real three way speaker. This can be good and bad. It definetly goes very deep in the bass department but also lacks some of that mid bass punch that I like and prefer. The midrange unit in the 802 is superb but is very room dependent and electronics sensitive. To put it simply the 802's required a great deal of effort to sound good, almost too much effort. The N805's are a different animal. I have accepted the lack of very low 802 type bass. The punch is great, and treble cleanness is better that the 802. The 805N is also very room and electronics friendly. They never cease to amaze me in the situations that they sound good. I use my speakers for strictly two channel audio so low bass is not very much of an issue for me. I think my opinions are somewhat valid since I have owned more expensive speakers and higher end B&W's specifically. The N805 are special and always just sound great. I find myself more apt to listen to the music, then when I owned 802's and would analyze and nit pick every little detail and had little musical enjoyment.