What are your general thoughts of B&W speakers

Your concerns are exactly why I like buying used on Audiogon. As long as you buy your speakers right you can always sell them without losing your ass. If you try something and its not your cup of teas. Sell them and try something else. Until you get them in your room with your equiipment you really don't know what they will sound like.

About ten years ago I started buying B&W including 802, 803 and 805's and others. Then when I started purchasing on audiogon I was opened up to many other speakers that I otherwise would never have had an opportunity to own. If I was looking for a ten thousand dollar speaker it would not be a B&W. It might be a Wilson, Sonus, Eggleston or a whole host of others but it would not be B&W.

The good news is when you decide to sell the B&W they sell quite well. JUst make srue you buy them right.

I like the b&w 802's. They sounded great to me everytime I've heard them. They always had serious amps hooked to them but they sound great to me. Great bass and what seemed to me as having a good amount of "bloom". I'd like to hear some sonus fabers too though. They just look beautiful!

In all honesty The last ten pair of speakers I have owned all blew the doors off the 802's including both the nautilaus and the diamond series.

I think the issue is most people who are just getting into the high end market like to hear the speakers they chhoose before they buy them and most of the time that is just not a viable option. Most of the high end speakers are very hard to find in stores. About 7 years ago I wanted to buy some 802's for the 2nd time and found a dealer about 75 miles from my home who had B&W and Wilson. That was the first time I have ever heard of Wilson. That day I bought a used pair of wat puppy 6's and a new pair of 7's.

Since that time I have owned Merlin, Dali, Eggleston, MBL, Vandersteen, and Sonus etc just to name a few. In my opinion all of those were vastly superior to the B&W. The 802;s were great looking speakers but they always sounded like they had a blanket over them when compared to the others I have owned.

That is what is so great about Audiogon. It gives you a great way to try speakers that in all likely hood you will never hear unless you buy them. If you don't like them you can turn around and sell them without losing an arm and a leg.

Mpit

I like the blanket analogy, the speaker never opens up, the music does not fly out...

we have beaten this horse to death...

:^)

Mpit,

What did you drive your B&Ws with? I know the 801/801d/802ds pretty well. They do need some driving. Bi amping helps depending on the amp.

B&W has a "sound" but as to any of the speakers you mention blowing them away, including the phasey or defuse MBL I find hard to believe. Different yes.

To truly have such a strong opinion of B&W would mean you went to great efforts to maximise on each speakers performance. They are reference speakers and will show up equipment in the chain.

From your post I see no information which leads me to feel you seeked help from the right people set them up. To squeeze the last 10% out of any speaker takes effort and you mention none.

I am not saying they are the greatest speaker ever built, but they are not as you describe either.