B&W 805S.. Anyone listen yet?

Hmmm. I had completely different results. I have owned the N805, then the signature 805, twice, and then the 805S speaker. I heard significant differences between the sig 805 and the N805. In fact, I prefered the sound of the signature 805 in my room over the 805S. The sig in my eyes, is an incredible speaker. According to B&W, they will not put the diamond tweeter in the 805 as it would cost too much, and the general public does not appreciate two channel sound enough to make use of a diamond 805. I disagree, but that is straight from the manufacturere.

About the diamond tweeter... what they said to you might suggest they need to keep the 805 down at its current price level because they already have a new speaker planned (with diamond tweeter?) for the next rung of their price ladder. I wonder how far ahead they plan their new models? The lead times must be very substantial.

About the sound... there are so many variables involved in auditioning at our own homes and with our own systems, I'm never surprised that people disagree on the merits of one piece of equipment over another. I suppose the only way to really know if we are judging like-for-like is to listen to the same complete system, at exactly the same time and at the same place. But even then, everyone has a different listening "history" which will influence their opinions about whether the exact same sound is good or not-so-good.

What was it about the Signatures that you felt gave it the edge over the 805s?

They both are excellent speakers. But I felt the Sig 805 was a fuller sound, and seemed to appear "larger" than the 805S. I agree that rooms, and electronics could be the difference. The midrange of the sig 805 is so smooth. I honestly believe that it comes down to personal prefernce when comparing the sig 805 and the 805S. A tech personnel from B&W said that the 805S and the sig 805 each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Also, I don't think that I'm that used to hearing a 1st order, very simple crossover that the 805S has. If B&W follows suit, about two years after the release of the line, they bring out a signature speaker. When talking with people, they felt that the diamond tweeter was just too expensive for a possible signature 805. My personal feeling: they will put it in. They are going to give the public what they want. But, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a price tag of 4500-5000 dollars.

I used to own N805 & am using Signature 805. I experienced the problem Wrightstuff mentioned about sibilance on female vocal with B&W FS805 stands. Then, the problem disappeared after I used replaced B&W stands with Sound Anchor stands. In my experience, Signature 805 is definitely better than N805, better shadow, easier to drive, and taking less time to break in.

I couldn't agree with what is quoted below more in regards to the 805s. In fact I agree spot on with most of Wrightstuff's review here. This is someone who listened and took their time evaluating. Well done!

"But when it came to listening, there were some surprises in store. Straight out of the box, the 805s speakers were a substantial improvement on the N805 in every respect I can think of. Bass was not only more controlled, but also seemed to extend further. With or without the subwoofer, the improved 805s bass is of an upgrade-worthy level. I always felt a sub was a priority with the N805, but I can honestly say that might not be the case with the 805s. I don't know what the measurements show, but my ears tell me the sound from the 805s is more expansive and has more of a "wholeness" about it. The midrange has the same positive qualities I enjoyed with the N805, particularly with male voice, but I think any perceived change for the better in the midrange is really down to the better bass control which seems to improve everything else about the speaker. At the top end, the sibilance I noticed with the Signatures has vanished, and what sibilance there was with the N805 has been smoothed further. Yet the highs are not at all diluted. Listening to flute and female voice, I heard at least as much detail and extension as with the N805, but also a smoother, absolutely non-fatiguing sound. For me, this was a genuine, valuable improvement – enough to make the upgrade essential."