What are your general thoughts of B&W speakers

I have owned (still do) 804s and 803d B&W speakers. I use them with Parasound JC1/2 SS amplification and I do find they are low impedance and power hungry. I find they need to be set up well into the middle of the room away from any walls. This reduces bass response somewhat so I supplement with a HSU sub.

The transient response is fanatstic in these speakers (if you have the amp power to drive them). Forget tubes IMHO unless you listen to chamber music at very low SPLs (or you have a megabucks/high power tube amp).

I have found the "d" version to be a bit bright on some program material such as flutes, high pitched female vocals, some horns/sax. Sound field/imaging can be very 3D depending on program material. Some material (like older rock) resolves into a center image and two side images focussed at the speakers. Maybe I have mine too far apart, but I set them up to minimize the upper midrange re-inforcement when they are too close together. They have execellent resolution, as I have heard/resolved sound like vocals/lyrics I had not heard before on other systems.

A note about hearing these in a shop. I have never heard a pair of B&Ws in an audio store showroom sound as good as when properly set up in your own home. This I think explains some of the love/hate response to these. I bought my 803d from a Bay Area shop who is an avid B&W dealer, yet they still sounded bland with flat soundstaging in their shop.

They also benefit considerably by using a solid wood plinth with heavy brass footers. These clean up much of the upper midrange brightness and tighten bass response considerably.

I think the mid range (804/803) versions are an excellent deal used. Not so much if you are paying full retail new.

Was B&W on the leading edge of utilizing curved surfaces (not a box) in their cabinetry designs? More product on the market from other speaker manufacturers using the curves it seems.

Nishna:

The curved cabinetry was one of the features that attracted me to them in the first place. The 800 series is where this is employed to the highest degree. Go to their website and download the 800 series brochure. In there they show photos of just how complex the manufacture of those curved cabinets really is.

When did B&W start using curved speakers? I ask because i recall the SF Guarneri came out in 1994 and given their continued success (18 years!), i imagine they too inspired a number of curved speakers.

Never could warm up the B&W midrange in the 800 series. I'm guessing it's something about those Kevlar drivers that just sound kinda flat to my ears. They seem to lack the life and openness of other speakers I've heard in that range.

As for alternatives, I think the new Joseph Audio Perspectives would be very worth an audition, and with typical discounts should be right near the top of your range. Others I'd recommend hearing would be Usher CP8571, Vandersteen Quatro Wood, Merlin VSM, and whatever Nola, Marten, and Reference 3A have in that price range as well.

Have fun with your search, and best of luck.