2. speakers
  3. 169061-164936

B&W 800 D4's, Room size, & general Q's

Hey all,

Not sure if this was the appropriate sub-forum, I'm pretty new to all this stuff, and would appreciate any insight you can offer. I am building a new home (almost complete), and leaning towards adding a pair of B&W 800 series D4 to my office. The room is approximately 18'x17'x10'H. Not sure if this makes a difference, but my builder has sound proofed the right side wall where I plan to place the towers in front of (see picture link), as well as the ceiling. I'm not sure what he used to sound proof, but it's behind the dry wall & some wood paneling. In the pic, the "furniture" isn't to scale or anything, just a rough estimate. Link to room pic: https://imgur.com/a/MgpHATC

My questions:
  1. For this room size, would the B&W 802 D4 be the correct choice in the 800 series lineup? Or should I go bigger (801 D4) or smaller (803 D4)?
  2. Does it matter that my towers will be off center within the room itself?
  3. Would it be a waste to spend this much on a sound system when I did not specifically design the room to be used as a hifi listening room?
  4. What electronics would you recommend to pair with the B&W's? I was leaning towards all McIntosh.

My max budget is around $100,000 all in for this sound system. B&W 802 D4's + McIntosh would get me to around $50k, and I'd be content spending only that amount. That being said, I'm open to suggestions other than B&W and/or McIntosh electronics (i.e. if there are electronics that pair better with B&W). Thanks in advance!


Ag insider logo xs@2xbattbot
rtilbury
39 posts
 
I rarely feel compelled to post on Augiogon, but in this case, I felt obligated to address some of the responses on this post. I owned the 800D3s in the past, and have also owned at some point top range Tannoy, Sonus Faber, and Wilson Audio. I strongly feel that anyone who makes anecdotal comments about the D3 and D4 series being bright, fatiguing, or non-musical... has either never owned the speaker, or never listened to one in a properly configured system. I ran mine with both Nagra and Gryphon equipment (I also had them paired with Mola Mola monoblocks at one point)... and they were never bright or fatiguing. Instead, they were incredibly dynamic, effortless, rich sounding, and had a huge sense of scale. I also loved the fact that they sounded great, regardless of where you sat in the room. Wilson and Tannoy required me to be dead center, to enjoy their sound. No one else could enjoy the system.

I’m in my mid-30s... and still have decent hearing. The tweeter on the D3 and D4 series is magnificent. Extended, grain free, and in my mind, very integrated with the rest of the drivers. I agree with others on this thread, please listen to these speakers in a proper system, and make your own assessment. I’ve listened to YG, Magico, and KEF... I don’t think they sounded better than the 800 series. Considering B&W can leverage economies of scale and can invest massive amounts into both R&D and production techniques... I think they offer more for the money in comparison to some of these boutique brands.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy listening
Post removed 
bwguy's avatar
bwguy
230 posts
 
@dweller,@rtilbury +2
samac's avatar
samac
499 posts
 
@bwguy     @rtilbury 
@dweller 

+3

Cheers,

Scott
tistru
23 posts
 
I'm sure most on this forum already know this, but sound is entirely subjective and largely a matter of perspective. Everyone's ears are different and age and environmental factors play a significant role in how you hear. For example, many people here have described B&W, Kef, Paradigm as being "bright" and "harsh". I have listened to the Personas numerous times over the past 5+ years at different venues and showrooms from the Persona B all the way up to the 9H and would never describe them as "harsh" or "bright". Analytical? Yes at times but never fatiguing to my ears. I know many others that share the same thought. Same with B&W...never thought of them as bright or harsh at all (d2 and d3). Perhaps I'm just not sensitive to it or maybe I'm more used to "bright" sounding speakers but again that's my point. All subjective :)
More to discover