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Are B&W Nautilus 804's too bright

I have a system with the B&W Nautilus 804's. Some of the components of my system are

McCormack HT5 amp (5 channel)
Anthem D2 processor w/ Arc
B&W Nautilus series 804 fronts, HT2 ctr, SCM surrounds
McCormack UDP1 disk player (the upgraded model)
Dennon 3800BDI blu ray player, HDTV,
Audioquest cabeling, etc.

I know that some people love B&W's but some people feel quite the opposite of that. I also understand these are not the 802 models or the S or D models.

What I want to understand is that quite a few posts say they are really just too bright with lean mids. But do they just need a good system behind them to show their potential? Plus a good sub since it is a big room? If so, what is the best equipment to maximize their abilities? I do appreciate the detail, but want to avoid harshness. I also do not want to advance a problem and simply cover it up.

There is a lot of knowledge and experience on this site, and I would like to learn more.
still_learning
rrog
1,958 posts
 
As with any good speaker, associated equipment and proper setup are a must.

They can either sound really good or really bad depending on the rest of the system.
plangco's avatar
plangco
158 posts
 
I found the 804's difficult to live with although inviting in a dark listening room with a few drinks in me. I ended up with some Zu Druids, which are non fatiging unlike the B&Ws and more my speed. The Zu Essence, on sale now no less, may take the middle ground with nice forward ribbon tweeter highs yet less likely to fatigue highs. The Zu Druid replacement is now the Zu Soul Superfly on sale over Thanksgiving weekend.
poloman's avatar
poloman
96 posts
 
Try a tube preamp instead of a processor which is geared for sourround and movie soundtracks. A nice CJ or ARC tubed preamp linestage will tame the glare.
midirons
42 posts
 
Poloman makes a great suggestion. I am using a VTL 5.5 -->Krell KAV2250 --> N804's. Source is Project 2Xperience and Arcam CD93. The VTL has a thearter bypass which is a nice feature. As I see it, The Krell provides all the punch and power the 804's need and VTL kinda keeps eveything under control. My wife and I are very pleased with the sound we get. On the lowering the speakers, I actually raised mine which improved the bass clarity. I think that's something you'll have to experiment with. I should note that we have a dedicated listening room with good dimensions and a few treatments. Good luck.
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