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So I heard some B&W Signature 805s today...

...at a local dealer, and to be honest, I wasn't that impressed. I listened with a goldmund amp to VTL pre from a Rega P9 with a high-level grado cart.

I'm trying to find a no-compromise stand-mounted monitor speaker that I can live with for a very, very long time. I don't think the B&Ws are it.

They did do some things right - imaging was superb, they do have a very big-spacious sound which I enjoy, bass was pretty good... but! there was something not right in the midrange, that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It was as though the sound got mushed in the middle, and didn't resolve right. It just wasn't a clean, clear good sound. When pushed to moderately-loud volume, the speakers were fatiguing. I just wanted to turn it down. The tweeter was a little metallic sounding and excessive for my tastes as well.

So that you understand my tastes a bit better... I think the Wilson Sophia (~$12k) sounds absolutely fantastic. Detailed yet smooth, excellent soundstaging, wonderful tonality. The B&W sound that I heard was much heavier in the middle, in a not good way.

Has anyone else had a similar/different experience with these speakers?

Do you have any other recommendations for a no-compromise (other than low bass) monitor for me to audition? I would LOVE to find one that sounds (to me) as good as the wilson Sophia, just without the low bass. I'll add a REL. I have a small room (14.5 x 13 ft).

Right on,

Todd
goatwuss
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
I have not purchased anything based on a showroom audition since sometime in the 60s. I can remember listening with a friend at Meyer-Emco in DC to some 801s driven by some very expensive electronics, we broke out laughing when we got outside. I was a B&W dealer and couldn't have made them sound so bad if I had tried. When I bought my Duetta Signatures they sounded horrible at the dealer, they are hard to set up. The moral is , showroom evaluation is almost useless, try to hear them at home or in someone else's home that knows how to set them up. Stan
cdc
1,787 posts
 
Try Focus FS-688's:
{url=http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/focusaudio_fs688.htm]Focus FS-688[/url]
Or Merlin TSM's.
glai's avatar
glai
446 posts
 
Try JMlsb micro utopia Be or Dynaudio S25. The micro may just be what you want. The sig 805s are good speakers and comparable to the above. It sounds very different just changing interconnects. Try in your own sys..
aboldor
49 posts
 
I swapped my N805 (non-signature version, though) with SF Cremona Auditors. I felt it was a significant improvement. A similar speaker (cabinet/drivers) is the System Audio SA2k. Both models are worth a demo.
troutki
40 posts
 
Maybe they need some more break-in time. I find one of the best attributes of the Nat. 805's to be their midrange. I do agree with the "metallic" sound of their tweeters...I hear in in all their models. I guess it is the "B&W" sound. My friend has Nat. 805's mated with a Rel and I find the sound very enjoyable indeed. Not the best I have ever heard...but damned good for the overall price point even with a Rel.
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