Nautilus tweeter - detail, imaging, resolution Cabinet/construction - provides perfect environment for controlling the bass/midrange driver and looks fantastic

Pretty expensive

After searching for a pair of small loudspeakers and getting some valuable information from this review site, I decided to post my own review in the hope that I can make some other people’s search a little easier. Actually, I had already made my decision to purchase the Nautilus 805s before visiting this site but reading the reviews here helped to re-enforce my opinion that the 805s are the best small, two-way loudspeaker available today. After listening to many different manufacturer’s similar products (small two-way standmounts), I found that the 805s gave the clearest, most accurate sound reproduction. Resolution and imaging were unmatched – most probably because of the tweeter configuration. Everyone raves about the Nautilus tweeter and I believe their opinions are justified. However, the good qualities of the 805s don’t begin and end with the tweeter. The enclosure design really works to minimize internal reflections and resonance and brought out the best from the bass/midrange driver. The cabinetwork really is fantastic too – all those luscious curves! For such a small driver and enclosure, the bass response in my relatively small room (4.5W x 4D X 2.5H) is very good. The speakers can’t reach the really low tones or match the base hits from larger drivers/enclosures but to ask for more would be asking the impossible. What base they do have is tight and well controlled. I also tried out the CDM 1NTs alongside the 805s – these two units appear to differ only in cabinet construction. The CDM 1NTs’ midrange sounded too bright. I think I was hearing internal cabinet reflections radiating out the cone and port. Male vocals had a harder, nasally edge when compared with the smooth, character filled details of the 805s. The CDM 1NT is still a great sounding speaker, but it’s deficiencies become apparent when you compare it to the 805s. One thing the 805s must have to really shine is a good power source. I am using a Classe CAP 101 for this purpose and I find it to be well matched to the speakers and perfectly adequate for my room size. In the end, my choice came down to money – did I want to spend significantly more on the 805s, or was I prepared to accept the performance from the CDM 1NTs? In the end, I decided on the 805s because I felt that the more controlled, refined sound of the 805s midrange, and the superb cabinet work we

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Tested CDM-1NT

See review.

None that I can think of.

I''ve waited about 18 months after purchasing my B&W Nautilus 805''s before writing this review. I can sum up my thoughts in 3 words: I love them. Here''s my configuration: Denon AVR-3300 A/V Receiver Denon DVD-2500 DVD Player Music Hall MMF-5 Turntable B&W Nautilus 805 Speakers (4) B&W Nautilus HTM-2 Speaker (1) REL Strata III Subwoofer I used to work in a classical concert hall on the north shore of Chicago in college and have also put my time in at a couple of production studios, so I think that I have a decent idea of what music should sound like. When I was auditioning speakers for my new house, I listened to everything I could in order to give the potential candidates a solid workout: Michael Hedges, Rage Against the Machine, New Order, R.E.M., Fleetwood Mac, Natalie Merchant, The Pixies, Dead Can Dance, Enya, Neil Young, etc. In my opinion, if a speaker can''t reproduce hard rock as well as a solo female vocalist with minimal musical accompaniment, then the speaker isn''t worth listening to. All of the 805''s competition that I was auditioning - Sonus Fabers, Martin Logans, Boston Acoustics, Klipsch, Vienna, etc. - could not perform well in all musical categories. The Sonus Fabers sounded great if I listened strictly to classical guitar, but were awful when it came to the industrial noise of Machines of Loving Grace. The Martin Logans made Enya sound amazing, but make Metallica sound less than appealing. The Boston Acoustics...well, as much as I wanted to like them, fell far short of my expectations. While I didn''t expect any of the speakers to perform past their physical limitations (i.e. bookshelf speakers are bookshelf speakers and will only give you so much low end), I did expect them to perform well within their noted boundaries. For me, many of them did not do that. The 805''s, however, made everything sound exceptional. And I can listen to any and all types of music without apology on the 805''s. Frank Sinatra''s vocals on "The Very Best of Frank Sinatra" sounds rich and velvety. Nine Inch Nail''s computer-exorcized spite on "The Downward Spiral" sounds accurate and tight. Uncle Tupelo''s alt-country acoustic masterpieces "March 16-20, 1992" and "Anodyne" envelop me with the sound of 6-string guitars. Tool''s "Lateralus" and Linkin Park''s "Hybrid Theory" rock hard with no apologies. The delicate interplay betw

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See review.

Sounds great on a wide range of material...music and movies

Stands are expensive. I''m currently using some older Target stands that I drilled to attached the 805''s. Saving for the Sound Anchors.

When my 2 yr old son knocked over my Matrix 805''s, breaking the terminal cup on the back, I used it as an excuse to upgrade. Got a good deal on ebay and wifey didn''t object to it. I''m using a Marantz 7200 as my pre-pro, and running them biamped. I''ve got DH Lab Silver Sonic cable coming from the Marantz'' power (105 watts) running the tweets, and then Nordost Blue Heaven i/c from the Marantz pre-outs to an ATI 1505, and then Blue Heaven speaker cable to the 805 midranges. Sources are Denon 3700 (dvd/cd changer), Pioneer 505 LD, Sony DSS, Toshiba VCR. It has that same signature B&W midrange that we all love. Diana Krall, Jane Monheit...superb. Before the biamped setup, I used the Marantz on it''s own w/a single run of the Blue Heaven. I noticed that the highs were a little too bright and fatiguing and the bass was a little thin. More power to the woofs and using the Silver Sonics on the tweets cleared up those issues. Now I''m left with a system that does both music and movies excellently. I do reinforce the bottom octaves with a powered sub, but on music the 805''s are for the most part on their own. I think my wife put it best when she said, "There''s just more there, there." I couldn''t agree more...spatial cues on the recordings, little vocal asides away from the mic, imaging, soundstaging. I love this speaker!

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B&W Matrix 805, NHT Super One, PSB Alpha (all these I owned), also auditioned Thiel, Monitor Audio, Joseph, Audio Physic

Outstanding value for the money.

Lacks bass extension that larger floor standing models will give you (well of course).

These speakers may be the best sounding small monitors out there. Now I know people have complained about the lack of bass extension compared to many similarly priced floor standing models (including B&W's older Matrix line). After comparing them to JM labs line (not utopia), entire matrix line, Paradigm...many many other. I finally decided that I prefer superb bass only down to say around 52 HZ verses less vibrant speakers with greater range. Musical instruments (and vocals) span mostly midranges anyway.

I must say one more thing before you check these speakers out. They have to be driven by very good quality electronics. My modest system really is far below the capabilities of these speakers. Burn in period is ESSENTIAL, Bi-wiring is ESSENTIAL (made a believer out of me), and most importantly.. room placement. I found placing them on two corners of an isosceles triangle with the center of the couch (sweet spot) at the point works well. Leave at LEAST a foot and a half between the speakers and back/side walls.

Two grand a pair for small monitors a bargain???
Just go try them out.

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Rotel rb 991
Rotel CD 975
Rotel 995 pre

Detail, neutrality

Boring

These are truely beautiful speakers, I really love their looks. But, after testing them (in a shop)I am a convinced non owner.

The detail is superp. The music flows like clear water. It is in some sense flawless, disregarding bass capabilities. But it fails in making me want to listen to music. It doesn't really sing, it's more like a lab-instrument for finding out what's hidden on the disc. There doesn't have to be a conflict between detail and musicality - my choice for standmounters are Dali Grand Coupé (also cheaper than the B & Ws in Sweden).

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Dali Grand Coupé, Sonus Faber Concerto

Great sweet sound

Sounded flat compared to others

Probably the best bookshelf from B&W. Mine were broken in already but they still sounded flat even with Krells. Sold them after 2.5 months. I wonder why other owners have not mentioned this. Perhaps they haven't owned them long enough to notice. Or simply too excited or biased with their _new_ purchase. Hmm... that would explain the acceptance of 5 star reviews... and the bashing of negative ones. Oh yeah, planars are good but where's the bass?

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Vienna Acoustic, Dynaudio, Vandersteen

Incredibly accurate. Images are very distinct. Pure, clear top octaves. Vocals are suberb. Brass sounds sweet and "bell- like".

Looooooooong breakin period! I mean, really long. Matching stands are absurdly expensive considering they have no sonic benefit over a good pair of Target or Lovan stands which cost afraction of the price.

This is without a doubt the finest small monitor ever produced. They are absolutely beautiful, ridiculously overbuilt for the price point, and feature a level of truth and neutrality that in the past required spending 3-4X the money.

There are a lot of reviews on this speaker, and I 'd like to address a few issues:

1) Some reviews say "they are too forward" some say "they are recessed". "they are cold" "they are too warm/colored" "They are too bright" "they are too dark" and so forth---- guys, they can't be all of these things at once!!! What they are is incredibly revealing of the source and electronics driving them. If you are now just hearing how overly bright your digital front end is, all it means is that your last pair of speakers was a little dark and balanced out the brightness. These guys are unforgiving and aren't going to balance out anything.

2) Of course a bookshelf speakers isn't going to have a lot of bass extension. It's like faulting a Harley-Davidson for not having 4WD! If you want deep bass, don't buy bookshelf speakers. Besides, the bass that is here is well defined, never muddy, full and weighty. You can get all the bass you want, but if it sounds like an outboard motor, who's going to listen to it? I'd rather have nice, clean, musical bass down into the 50hz range. On this count, the N805's deliver.

3) Break in. Oh boy, there's no getting around this one. These speakers really don't sound too good for the first 50-60 hours. Really. They sound muffled and abrasive. I feared I had blown a tweeter at one point (well, ok, maybe not that bad). I half expected this, because the dealer warned me and I've had other B+W speakers which needed to be broken in as well. But, these are another beast altogether. My CDM1SE's took about a week to sound 80%-90% as good as they could. The 805's needed to be broken in all day for several days while I was away at work. But guys, you need to learn to hear the difference between a "bad" speaker and a non-broken in speaker. It's a mechanical device with moving parts. Everything need to loosen up. To tell you the truth, they still don't sound as good as they did at the dealership... same amp and wire... they just need more time!

4) They are not impossible to drive. I'm using a Conrad Johnson CAV50. The dealer (Rabson Audio in Paramus NJ)was demoing them with this amp. I can hear every nuance and detail that this wonderful amp offers with these speakers. Can I hear a hint of "tube sweetening"? You bet! But that's the amp, not the speakers. I can also hear the amazing detail retrival, so you get the good with the bad. That's just it. These are honest speakers. They sound as loud and dynamic as I would want with this amp (45wpc). It's not that you need very powerful amps, but good quality amps would help.


I'm keeping these speakers. I've been going back through my CD's and hearing things I didn't notice before. This has cured my "upgrade jones" for the time being.

CJ CAV 50 control amplifier
Rega Planet CD player
Cal Audio Alpha DAC with 96k upgrade and NOS tubes
Kimber AGDL digital cable
Kimber PBJ inters
Kimber 4tc speaker acble
Target stands
Salamander Archetype rack
Monster power conditioning (next upgrade!!!)

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B&W CDM1SE, Proac Response 1, KEF,

B&W sound which many people like.

Doesn't compare to ribbon monitors. Price.

Overall performance is ok. Completely overpriced but decent build quality. Crappy design and poor choice of driver materials. The perched tweeter is an interesting idea but sounds like a wannabe ribbon. My $60 Monsoon MM-700 "steel cage" planars practically killed it in terms of detail and accuracy. That's no joke. But then it's also very directional and nearfield (shouldn't be a problem if you're a real audiophile, right?). Seriously, this speaker would only appeal to B&W fans or those who haven't heard real "high end performance" speakers. If you must settle with "full" jazz sound, check out Acustik Lab. I bet you haven't heard that one. Better build quality with superior sound.

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$130 - $1800 monitors.

pinpoint imaging, value, appearence, compatibility

as the entry level model in N series, 805 owner faced with upgrade-itis

There seems to be two kind of people in the world; those who love this speaker and those who hate it. No middle ground here? I bought this speaker as the first step of my upgrade path. The way this speaker improved as I moved from yamaha cx-1/mx-1/cdc 665 to levinson 39/aleph 3 is, I believe, its strongest asset. When I changed cd decks i was able to realize much greater resolution and separation. When I put an aleph 3 in the path the depth/layered effect became extremely pronounced. I really like female acoustic stuff but these speakers don't prevent me from enjoying metallica/sfso collaboration. They are better at reproducing sarah mclachlan's stuff, though. If that means they are "sweet" and "laid back"; okay by me.
Also, they look great. Silver stands exactly match starbase equipment stand sold through naim.
I would have liked to listen to dynaudio, sonus faber, totem etc. but there are very few manufacturers represented in pgh area.
I'm satisfied with the purchase, but I have 6 more months to trade to 803's.(great b&w dealer in pgh; patient and would you believe sincere)
Kimber Select ks 1020 and ks 3035 carry signal to/from.
5 stars for value (real hi-fi reproduction for $2000)
4 stars overall / N802 gets 4 1/2
saving 5 in case I get to listen to amati homage or eidolon

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listened to other b&w offerings also vandersteen, revel, martin logan - most other brands are not available in pgh

Great Sound
Looks
Build

None

The problem with a review site like this one is that many uniformed reviewers post negative reviews while not have lived with the product being reviewed.

As for the N805 I found it to be so good that I went out and purchased a pair of N802. And I must add I was a diehard electrostatic user for over 10 years.