B&W 802D3


I have been looking into getting B&W 802D3 speakers since they were announced. I am now at a point to make that decision and I am finding that many people who bring them home, end up returning them because they are too bright. I talked to a dealer through Audiogon and he told me he gets them in on trade all the time.

Making the decision tougher, other speakers like Focal and Sanus Faber have become more popular.

I am going to power the speakers with the Mcintosh C2600 and MC1.2kw monoblocks.

Any thoughts from owners of B&W 802s?

Thanks

maxking
Do you have an opinion on what speakers in the same price range are better?  I did not want to add subs to my setup.  
It is interesting that a 22K set of speakers don't just blow everyone away!!!  You would think that the popularity and experience of B&W would yield the best speakers for the price they are going for.

Does anyone have experience with Mcintosh XR100?

Thanks in advance.
maxking OP
I have been looking into getting B&W 802D3 speakers since they were announced. I am now at a point to make that decision and I am finding that many people who bring them home, end up returning them because they are too bright
They are a great speaker, but if you drive them with an amp that can’t deliver "serious current" into this hard load in the bass and some of the lower mids they present to the amp, then yes they are going to sound bright.
https://www.stereophile.com/images/616BW802fig1.jpg

You need an amp that can "almost" double it’s 8ohm wattage, into 4ohms and then "almost" double again into 2ohms. To get the best out of these speakers, especially in the bass.
They are 91db but " it is a relatively demanding load for an amplifier to drive. (Stereophile)"

Cheers George

I have them and they sound really incredible. Can’t say I regret the purchase at all. They definitely not bright and have a wonderful mid range. The reason they pop up for sale more than others is simple. They’re a big company, with a very popular, well reviewed speaker. Some people will eventually sell them. Sometimes it’s just to move up in price category. You’d be hard pressed to find a written review that’s bad. Word of mouth I’ve found is always people who have never heard them and just hear from other people, or it’s that they heard older generations.