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Heard the B&W N804d3s ...

I've owned the original iteration of the N804s since I bought them new in '01. After 15 years, I thought perhaps it was time to upgrade to a newer model. So, I auditioned the new N804d3s at a local retailer. They sounded great, and are an improvement over the originals in the areas of bass slam and airiness. However, that step up to my ears is equivalent to about 10-15%. Not sure that that sort of improvement justifies the price ($9K for the d3s vs. $3,500 for the original N804s), although "upgradeitis" tempts me to pull the plug. Is it just me, or does the law of diminishing returns apply in this case? Your thoughts on this or the qualitiative differences between the old and new Nautilus lines would be most appreciated.

rlb61
mb1audio
151 posts
 
" As far as expectations, essentially I would like a bit more bass. I am happy with the speakers otherwise."

Try moving your speakers around a bit. 6 inches to 1 foot from where they are now. 

Also try listening to your system with the door(s) open. 
rlb61 OP
789 posts
 
Thanks for the suggestions, folks. After due consideration, I’ve decided to keep my N804s and supplement them with a sub ... specifically, a Rhythmik L12. If I don’t like the sub, I can return it for a full refund within 45 days. Also, I played around with positioning a bit, and there was a point where the speakers appeared to snap into focus ... don’t know how else to describe it. What do you think of my solution?
mb1audio
151 posts
 
I didn't have time to get into this before, but there's a reason I asked you to listen to your system with the door open. A 9x10x8 room is very small, and is almost a cube. This poses some problems. The lower the frequency, the longer the sound wave. In order to hear low frequencies, the room has to be large enough for the wave to form. If the wave is longer than the room, it can't happen. A sub may be of no use to you.

I recommend you do another test. Set your system up temporarily in a larger room. If you get more bass, Its probably the room itself that's holding you back. 
samac's avatar
samac
499 posts
 
@rlb61 

Positioning will have a big affect on the results you get from a speaker that size in a room that small. If you haven't, you might want to try a diagonal set-up with the speakers firing from one corner to the opposite corner.

You have a great system. I bet you can get satisfying results by experimenting with placement. My only concern (and I'm just speculating) is that the 804N might actually be too big for your room. I don't have experience with a speaker that size in a room that size; maybe others who do will chime in on that.

Cheers,

Scott
rlb61 OP
789 posts
 
@ mb1audio ... My speakers used to be set up in dining room/living room combination in my old condo. It was the same issue back then ... I think the fact that the N804s lowest frequency response is 42 -45 Hz is the problem for me. While the bass is tuneful, it’s missing that tiny bit of "oomph" for which I’m looking.

@ smac ... Not sure that the speakers are too big for the room. A monitor speaker likely would result in the same circumstance given their similar and typical frequency response to the N804. I’ll try the sub to see if that makes a positive difference, and then will post the results.

Thanks to all for your input.
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