B&W vs Thiel vs Dunlavy 6K LIST

Hi Lou

The midrange in the Alethas is probably the best I've heard. It is very natural and the truth of timbre is outstanding. High-end, I would give the nod to B&W, Dunlavy's tweeters sometimes exhibit a little too much energy. Could be the recording, but to me the 802s was a bit sweeter sounding. The bass is where it isn't even close. Dunlavy's clean, tight, and accurate sounding. I have never heard a B&W speaker that had good bass. Thiel and Dunlavy bass are similar sounding to me. For me the Aletha is the best sounding speaker at it's price, I've been very happy with them. My system is ARC Ref2, VT100 mkII, and CD2. Synergistic Research Designer Ref I-Cs and Acoustic Zen's best bi-wire speaker cables.

Dan

Thanks, I have never heard a Dunlavy speaker, yet am attempting to decide wether to buy them, or forget about them. The more I hear, the more it sounds like I may end up with a pair.

lou,

please try before you buy. i've hear many speakers in the dunlavy line and none has impressed me to a great degree, but to each his own. fwiw, i ultimately chose avalon arcus speakers, which list for $7300 but can be had for less and may be in your price range. the avalon avatars, which list for ~$5600, are also excellent. please demo the avalons if you can. NEVER buy anything based on the opinions of others.

Hi S2K Dude,

While I certainly hate to buy based upon others opinions, I have found that personal experiance can mislead also. I have heard B&Ws at one dealer, and I was completely unimpressed with them. I later heard them at a second dealers and was amazed, they were nothing like I heard before... I'm not sure you know anything till you live with them in your system for a time...

B&W Nautilus 802's can sound awesome with a good, well-run-in setup, particularly with digital speaker correction. I don't perceive any of the shortcomings pointed out in the other posts in my setup. I should point out that none of the dealer demos I've heard really showcased what the N802 is capable of so I understand where many of the negative comments are coming from.