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Windfall B&W Matrix 800

A good friend is transitioning to a smaller living space and has asked me to babysit his speakers for a while. They're B&W Matrix 800s, considered to be among the best that money could buy in 1990. In the "Shortcomings" section of Lewis Lipnick's Stereophile review, he wrote: There are none. :-)

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/691bw800

The MIT cables that came with them cost more than my system as a whole.

For a guy with a modest rig, this is like some kind of dream. They are 93-dB efficient, and my 38-watt tube integrated does a surprisingly good job considering they are more commonly paired with high-current transistor power. Impedance dip reportedly doesn't go below 3 Ohms.

What's more, the wife (who has a modern, Dwell magazine kind of aesthetic) really digs their design and has welcomed the D'Appolito monoliths into our living room.

Just wanted to share this joy with fellow audio-nerds who can understand it. I really appreciate the fact that they might be taken back in a month or in a year; it reminds me to savor every note from every listening session.
cymbop
french_fries
815 posts
 
i got to hear a pair of 800's and i was extremely impressed with the sound.
I also liked the design very much. I could picture these speakers in many modern-furnished rooms as well as dedicated audio rooms.
they do require a very elaborate set of cables (quad-wiring) which, if you are going for very good wire, can get extremely expensive. Imagine if B&W would design a speaker like this again, only using current technology. And if they could engineer a BIWIRE connection, that would also solve a major problem.
even at current pricing it could pose a major challenge to speakers costing 6 figures.
68pete
1,006 posts
 
I own a pair and would not sell them. Have had many offers. enjoy
dave_72
1,399 posts
 
68pete, any problem with the woofers sagging and the surrounds on the drivers rotting out? Would you say the crossovers need to be recapped as well?
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