Waiting on 802D3 to arrive -- Will I need a sub?

From the same Stereophile article:

Frequency response 14Hz-35KHz, +/- 3dB
If a speaker with this sort of spec and four feet high and two feet deep, weighing almost 210 lbs. each, requires a subwoofer, then I either question the measurements or the wisdom of the experts suggesting that a subwoofer is needed. Cost notwithstanding.

Hello Bryce ~

First of all... Congrats on your choice of the Bowers & Wilkins 802D3.
Spectacular speaker!

As a long time fan and dealer (25 years and counting...) for B&W here in Tallahassee, Fl.,
I can attest to the benefits of a well calibrated sub, preferably subs in almost any room.
Even with the remarkable low end capabilities of the 802D3, nothing will 'pressurize' the space you describe like a great sub or multiple subs. 
Since most 2-channel set-ups lack any 'bass management', I assume you will run the 802D3 full-range?

I owned the 8th pair made of the original Nautilus' for almost 20 years (one of the most iconic and amazing speakers I will ever own) and now have the 8th pair made of the
50th Anniversary 800D3 and I can tell you that even the 800D3 benefits from a great sub. 

Notice that I said "great".
The last thing you want to do is put an average subwoofer into a system with a pair of 802D3s!

I know it's hard to get your head around the fact that a $22,500.00/pair of speakers
(or in the case of the 800D3, a $30,000/pair) you would need to address the low end with a sub or subs, the fact remains, they will make all the difference in the world.

The Bowers & Wilkins DB-1D (which I'm using with my 800D3) along with two of the original Revel Ultima 15s in my room makes an amazing contribution to the entire experience.
There is an ongoing debate about whether one should use a really great single sub or multiple
'smaller' subs and I suppose it depends on a number of factors. I subscribe to the multiple
sub theory and have for quite some time.

Floyd Toole, the brains behind much of the speaker work at Harmon and a champion of the multiple sub theory has written extensively on the subject and you should be able to find his 'white papers' going back decades... he was one of our true pioneers in the field of acoustics.

I used to think I had great bass in my room almost 40 years ago when I was using the remarkable Yamaha NS-2000 speakers; then I added the Velodyne ULD-15 and Wow! 
Then years later, when I stepped up to the B&W ASW4000...Wow again.
Then a series of great subs, including the Revel B-15 and the Ultima 15 with its outboard amplifier. This was quite satisfying until recently, when I added the new B&W DB-1D.
Wow and wow... 

You really can't believe how much bass you are missing until you have multiple subs properly installed and calibrated in your space and I'm talking about 2-channel or 7-channel listening and everything in between.

I suppose the type of music you listen to most often is also relevant, but great bass is great bass and it's either there in the content or it's not, but you will be surprised how much is in the music you already know and love and are not hearing...you are in for a real treat.

Having said all that, I would slip into your local B&W dealer and listen to the DB-1D or if that's too much of a "pill to swallow"  on the heels of the 802D3 purchase, then listen to the brand new DB-2D and DB-3D. They are also amazing, especially in multiples!

I'm sure your local dealer will allow you to 'demo' the sub(s) in your room (we do) once you have the 802D3 broken in and then you can hear for yourself what all the 'fuss' is about!

Again, congrats on your 802D3 purchase... that can be a lifetime ownership speaker.

The 802 in all its incarnations was one of my favorite all-time speakers and I have owned all the incarnations until now. I still use and love the 802D2 as my surrounds (when I go to multi-channel listening or movies) They are simply amazing in their detail and presentation and it's understandable why they became the best selling high-end speaker of all time...displacing the wonderful Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy combination.

The 802D3 just moves the needle further along and is quite simply one of the best if not the best speaker for anywhere near the money available today.
Kudos for that decision...

Stay well; best wishes,
Jim Gray
Jim Gray Designs
jimgraydesigns.com
850.509.9473 

B&W .... never have deep , tight and great bass !!!! 
Try Dynaudio C4 Platinum you will love it and never need sub ! Pair it with Plinius SA103 monoblock .... 

I also live in Atlanta.  Contact me if your would like a demo of what an added sub can do for a stereo setup.  I have JBL M2s supplemented with a JBL Sub18 which is driven by a bridged Crown ITech5000HD. (5000 watts into 4 ohms).  I have 4 B&W 801s in my multi-channel system for comparison.

jim.gandy14@gmail.com

brycethomason
  Waiting on 802D3 to arrive -- Will I need a sub?

Not if you have an amp that can really push some high current into the bass, which has that demanding impedance/phase curve between 70hz to 1khz, especially at 70hz with 4ohm and 64 degrees of - phase angle which will seem like a 2ohm load to the amp.

https://www.stereophile.com/images/616BW802fig1.jpg
John Atkinson
" However, it is a relatively demanding load for an amplifier to drive. Fig.1 shows the B&W's electrical impedance (solid trace) and phase (dotted trace). The magnitude drops to 3 ohms between 100 and 130Hz, and again between 670 and 770Hz; and while the electrical phase angle is low in the lower region, it becomes increasingly inductive above 600Hz, reaching +46° at 1kHz, where the magnitude is 4 ohms. There is also a combination of 4 ohms and –64° at 69Hz, implying that this speaker does require an amplifier that is not upset by a low effective impedance.
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/bowers-wilkins-802-d3-diamond-loudspeaker-measurements#p1WfY2vha...

Cheers George