B&W 805 Nautilus for PC?


I picked up a used pair of 805 Nautilus at an estate sale for $500.  I could not test them and had to take a gamble.  My plan was to use them for my computer as I spend a lot of time working at my desk and wanted something better than my horrible Bose multimedia speakers.  I am in search of a good integrated amp but in the meantime I am using an old Denon 1908 receiver to run them.  They sound terrible.  I am not sure if it is the Denon or the speakers.  Is there a good integrated you would recommend that might make these things sing?


mobiusmu
The sonic contribution from electronics is usually quite small compared to speakers. Therefore, changing that is unlikely to change the sound very much (unless you are using your computer’s internal soundcard/DAC - they are often terrible).
However, there are a few things that may help. The first is that the tweeter should be at ear level, and as exactly as possible. I use Harbeth P3ESRs desktop speakers and lifted them a bit from my desk, for proper response. In addition, I was suffering from a boomy bass due to the proximity of the desk, and raising the speakers made quite a difference. Second, if, as I did, you still find they are too boomy/muffled, and if you are using a Windows computer as a source, you may use the Equalizer Apo software to tame the bass. I measured the response with REW, and created an equalization file to reduce some bass peaks. I downloaded that into Equalizer Apo and it did clean up the sound. Good luck.
Are they bi-wireable? Try disconnecting the tweeter section. Does it sound the same? If so, tweets aren't working.
I suspect you should run them like burn in, I don’t think the denon receiver and your cable are the right one for the 805 ,silver are good for those speakers..clear day cables are silver affordable , to get the most out of it....get good receiver...
Ignore the distractions here. Find out if the tweeters are working to find out if there is too little high or too much low, see what the speakers do in a different position, on tall stools and away from walls and surfaces, measure the response in that position and on your desk, and take it from there. In short, find the facts.
@willemj 
I am not sure how to measure the response but I will google it and try to measure them.

@erik_squires 
They are bi-wireable but I have them wired into the top post with a jumper.  I disconnected the jumpers and the tweeters are working.

I moved the speakers into the family room and replaced my KEF R300's with them and plugged them into my Sunfire TGA7401 and they sounded a little bit better but not as good as my KEF's.

I appreciate everyone's feedback!