B&W 'New' 800 Series

We have the freedom to choose what we want. For example: we auditioned many streamers and dacs this years before we decided to become dealer of Lumin. At this moment we think lumin gives us the best quality for the money.

When new products in the future are better, we will change to another brand. They way we work it totaaly differrent and new in the world of audio.

For us this is the best way of protecting our clients and giving them the best sound possible.

We always say: all our competitors have the same chances as we have. The best will win. Our goal is to become the best company in sound&vision in the world. We will never do it for less. So we focus and test on an on.....

Wow, quite an answer Bo. I have just two more questions and they pertain to your below quote...

This is why I started in 1998 to become aware of properties. I have proven that it is superior effective in endresults.

How did you become aware of these properties? Did you use tools and if so, which ones? How did you "prove" the end results were superior?

I always knew that I could understand audio a lot more easy than all my colleagues. When you train your brains thousands of times the same way for a long time you see and understand patterns in sound.

When I listen to a set and we chance one part I know exactly the difference between the first audition and the second. This is in a few tenths of a second.

What I said it is a way of repeating.

This weekend we were auditioning the Magnepan 3.7 for a client of mine. They used Pass labs XP-10 and the XA-60.5 monos and a Krell SACD player monos.

Before we listend I said I can discribe exactly how the stage and soudn will be.

- instruments and voices are a little to big ( they were)
- Very limited depth and width, based on the crossovers and properteis of the speakers.
- With dynamic speakers the energy of a bass drumm is in the middle of the speakers. With the Magnepan it is difficult to be point out ( it was)
- black level is very limited. The separation of the voices and instruments is very limited. This is based on the poperties of the Pass Labs combo. I ownend and auditioned. Pass Labs is very limited in individual focus of instruments and voices. I have had many conversations about this with Desmond Harington who is the president and creator of Pass labs pre amps.
- the articulation of voices is very limited as we would like, based on the tweeters of the 30.7.

I adviced him to bring in his Primare A33.2 power. Before we replaced the XA60.5 by the 33.2. I said; now we bring in different properties. Voices will become smaller and the individual focus will be a lot more apparent. Stage depth will be less compared to the XA60.5.

It all came out, this makes audio a lot more easy to predict. Beside this to adapt and control.

Bo
You seemed to have contradicted yourself. I thought you really liked Pass Labs for 3D total sound but with the Maggie's in your post, you predicted they wouldn't be good?

When you listen to a set you listen to all parts. All parts togheter inluding the acoustics is what you hear.

The focus is on these parts togheter. Togheter they build the stage and sound you hear.

In the set togheter with the 30.7 it was a very limited endresult.

You need to understand the properties of each part in a set when you want to understand the sound and image you hear.

When I bought the B&W 802N in 1999 I noticed that the speaker was too low in height. In 2 weeks I understood the properties and limitations.

What I did was buying an 8cm thick granite plate in the shape of the speaker. I even put Nautilus 802 and the stripe of the log on the front side. I removed the balls and used dempers.

Now I got a better presentation of the heights. Instruments and voices became more apparent and I created more space around voices and instruments. The low freq. became more tight and I had more layers.

Audio is all about understanding limitations and properties. When you are aware of them you can create much better results.

At the time I played with the 802N and 800S I had many anti-B&W people at my house. Often they said I never auditioned B&W speakers this good.

You cannot solve all limitations. Stage depth is a part where other brands do a better job compared to B&W. I never understood why B&W is not able to bring this to a higher level.

When the stage depth and width of the 800D1 would be great I would have bought them. We don't want to be negative on a brand. We want to be realistic as possible for our clients.

The new D3 series did not convince sofar. But we will listen them again. I still can't find a lot of auditions of the D3 series.

The German magazines don't say anything because they get money for the reviews. This is also a part I hate in audio. I know how it works and what money does.

Never trust a review, just trust your own ears!!