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B W 802 Matrix III: Bright shrieky?

I have a friend who recently purchased B&W 802 Nautilus spkrs. After break-in, I must say I am impressed with the sound, & they are not BRIGHT, as I expected them to be. He tends to like more upfront & brighter sound than I do, so when he told me that the 802 Matrix III's he had before these (I hadn't heard these), WERE quite bright. He also says they don't hold a CANDLE to the Nautilus 802s.

I like the Nautilus, but don't want to spend that kind of money. I am wondering if B&W ophiles have any opinions on these two speakers. Would used 802 III's sound anything like his Nautilus? Or would I be disappointed---
kevziek
avguy
106 posts
 
I don't have the 802s, but I own a pair of Nautilus 801s (and a Nautilus HTM-1 center and a pair of Nautilus 805 for home theater) and a pair of Matrix 801S3s.

Like Snooker14, I too have opted to keep both pairs of 801s, with the new Nautilus in the living room and the Matrix in my bedroom as the second system.

The N801s are far superior speakers than the M801S3s --there is no comparison and better in almost every respect.

However, the M801S3s are terrific speakers in themselves, with extremely sweet sound. I bought my M801S3s as used, and for that used price, I don't think there's any speaker that comes close to the sound of those speakers.

I don't think you will go wrong with a pair of Matrix 802S3s. These speakers are true classics and will remain so for many years to come......
vayasteve
171 posts
 
I heard the N802s at Stereo exchange with Brystons driving them,and they sound great.I have the 802 IIIs,If I can afford it I would upgrade to the 802N but I'm very happy with the 802IIIs,and they sound great with tubes on top and S.S.on the bottoms.I currently have the C.J.MOSFET 200 w.p.c power amp on them full range.I would agree that the 802 matrix III lean toward the bright side but I like it like that.CHEERS.
superkrell
17 posts
 
I've got the 802M 3's and I'm using a Proceed combo AVP/HPA to power them with JPS Labs SC+ interconnects/digital ic. They sound really good, detailed but smooth. The Proceed amp was a big improvement over the baby krell that was powering them; they are power hungry speakers! I hear the Nautilus 802's are easier to drive. And I'll second the statement from above about these being a classic!
madisonears
117 posts
 
The B&W Matrix series was a superbly engineered and executed speaker design, but the Xovers are a real compromise. They had to save money somewhere, so they used pretty cheap components there. There is an aftermarket upgrade available which takes the system to another level of clarity, smoothness, and dynamics. The North Creek Music outboard Xovers are designed to be the cost no object substitute for B&W's cheesey design. They are an astounding improvement to an already excellent speaker.
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