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how to side-grade from B&W 805's?

hello, i have b&w nautilus 805's and would like to change things up.. i need some advice on what speakers to move onto

first of all, some background on my room

it's about 11x15 and i do have some minimal acoustic treatment (8x 2x2 absorbers)

my electronics consists of a peachtree decco (soon to be nova), and a mcintosh 7100

as far as power, i feel that the mcintosh provides enough clean power for my room, i'm just looking for a different sound

what i love about the 805's is mainly the midrange/imaging... it is silky smooth and very rich... vocals and jazz really excel on these speakers... imaging is off the charts, the speakers simply disappear and the soundstage is huge, love that

however, when i listen to bass-heavy/faster music such as electronic/rock/etc, i feel that the 805's leave something to be desired... also, after extended listening, the metal tweeter does cause fatigue

long story short, i'm looking for something with more bass (prefer not to add a sub) and better attack/PRAT while retaining the smooth mid/highs

my budget is around 1.5k, give or take a few hundred

what should i be looking into? who has HAD the 805's and moved onto something of similar price, but better overall performance?

thanks
koven
reynolds853
385 posts
 
It would be an upgrade from the B&W's, but the Silverline SR17 Supreme ($6k) would be worth auditioning.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,579 posts
 
$6K? I thought Koven said $1.5K... give or take a few hundred.

Here is another vote for the PSB Imagine T. I auditioned some of these a few days ago with a modest ARC pre and tube power amp, a Simaudio Moon 5.3 CDP and they were absolutely wonderful. They are $2K new, and a relatively new product unlikely to be available used so you would have to push your budget a bit.

The Totem Sttaf is a very good idea too, as is the Model One which is about $2k new but frequently available used.

Dynaudio Focus 140's are very nice looking and sounding, and I think would mate well with your amp.

finally, I would look at the B&W CM5 too as a possible replacement for the older 805's. More musical and forgiving, with more bass readily available and extracted.

I find the 805's ruthlessly revealing and happiest when paired with only the very best electronics with a ton of insight, power and current on tap.
latifster
8 posts
 
I used to own the 805S and have replaced them with Proac response D18. The Proacs do all that the 805s are good for and more. I heartily recommend an audition.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Several months have passed, has Koven already made a switch?
jkuc
181 posts
 
I owned B&W. I came to the point when I couldn't listen to them any more, especially treble. I moved to Jmlab (much better speakers) and then to Dynaudio Confidence.
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