B&W 804: Is B&W a speaker for pop/rock?

Try with a Krell amp if you can and then decide. If they can't rock with Krell then you won't be happy.

If you get the 804N's, make sure you buy the Sound Anchor stands for them. It is well worth it, in my opinion; and I listen to Rock. Best, Charlie

I have a friend who has N803s and they use all the power you can throw at them. We have listened to them with a Mark Levinson 383, Plinius SA100 MKIII and BAT VK 200 and had just enough power with any of these fine amps.

I presume the N804s are about the same effeciency as the N803s.

If you have a quality amp with 150 watts I think you will find it is just enough power to rock pretty good but you may find you want more. BTW my friends room is about 25 x 25 with a vaulted ceiling so you may do better with a smaller room.

All the floorstanding Nautilus definitely rock. The salesman who sold us our N803's is buying a pair for himself, and rock is all he listens to. Several things you should consider regarding the N804's...

ROOM SIZE
We have the N803's in a 13 x 18 room that's wide open behind the speakers to another room of the same size. They play loud enough to strip paint off the house next door, with a revelatory clarity and tightness. The N804's would be *inadequate* for this space. YMMV.

POWER AMP
150w/ch may be okay, but current delivery is more important than wattage. These things will suck many amps dry. Check your amp's specifications into 4 ohms. If your wattage doesn't double from that 150w/8 ohm number you'll have to upgrade, as others have suggested. You may have to anyway. Depends on how loud you play and the cubic volume of air you need to energize. If you're lookin' to throw open the windows and rock the neighborhood, a new amp is definitely in your future.

LOW BASS
All the floorstanding Nautilus models have incredibly musical, fast, tight and revealing bass, but the N804's do not go as deep as their bigger brothers. You may not miss that lowest 1/2 octave, but then again you may. The solution would be to add a high quality sub. Not some $300 POS, more like a Rel Strata III or maybe one of the new B&W subs that match the Nautilus. Not cheap.

CRAP
Be prepared to fling some of your recordings out that open window. I don't listen to very much pop/rock so I can't tell you which ones, but I guarantee it will happen. There's nothing worse than a bad recording on a good speaker. You won't know or believe how awful something can sound until you hear it. Good recordings, OTOH, will make you dance, make you smile or make you cry.

$$$
There is no way to live with these blazingly fast and revealing speakers in a cheap setup. They will suck you into upgrading everything else in your system in an attempt to match their quality. You have been warned.

Whatever you do, enjoy the music!
Doug

Again, the only way you'll know for sure, for your tastes, with your sellection of music, at your volume levels, in your room, IS TO TRY EM AND FIND OUT!! You'll otherwise just keep guessing.
My feeling, as someone who has lots of experience with this speaker personally, is that it might be right, and it might not. I can easily see oppinions varrying. Infact, simply run full range, I know a lot of "pro Audio" industry people who wouldn't likely chose the 804's(or similar) for rock and roll dubties in their home! But perhaps "audiophile" tastes would differ.
I think you might pick up a pair(which you're already currious about) and try "bi-amping" them! I've bi-amped this epeaker with excellent results myself. The speaker jumps up a lot in dynamic ability with it's own amp driving the bass alone. If you do buy these speakers try one amp, then two...you tell me which is better for rock or dynamic ability.
good luck