from B&w 805's to Usher be-718 - what to expect?

Owned a set of 805s for a few years and are now listening to the Be-718 (close to two years). No comparison, a much grander speakers the Be-718 in every way. They go both higher and lower with more impact and lively midrange. The B&W sounded lean in my opinion and couldn't really "bloom" or reveal music from the inside out. Clinical and analytical in comparison--like the wiz kid who knew hard facts and science but couldn't boogie and emotion-less.

YMMV,

Kenobi

Yeah, I have to agree with emerging consensus about the Be-718's - they are really good.

If you want something completely different from the 805's, take a look at the Harbeth Compact 7ES-3. Music, music, music.

(Semi):"BE-718 is a definite upgrade from B&W 805. B&W tweeter can sound hard and cold, missing the harmonic richness and details of finer tweeters. I have owned 802N and BE-718 both and 802N..."

Tweeter on the 802"N" (or N805) is not the same as on the 805"S". The latter is much smoother and far from "hard and cold".

When you guys mention the 805's in your comparisons, please specify if they are the N805 or the 805S. The 805S are just superior in every way.

Expect mediocrity...

I would think you'd at the very least hear a very big improvement in bass weight and extension since this is an area of strength for the Ushers and not so much for the 805s. That said, I don't think the Ushers will open up and sound their best with 100wpc as many reviewers have stated they really need/appreciate more power to show what they can do.

That aside, I would think something like Silverline 17.5s could offer a significant upgrade and work fine with your amp. Best of luck.