I own these speakers, and they are state of the art.

I must point out the misinformation provided by "Erwin" below. These speakers are not sold for $5,500 at getplugged.com. No, they are sold at that site for $5,500 EACH, which means $11,000 a pair. I find Erwin's misrepresentation offensive.

everything

None

This is one of the best speakers out there for 5500.00- Easily comparable to speakers costing 10,000.00 and more. Ignore any bad reviews- these people were obviously using solid state amplifiers. I had 11,000.00 to spend on good speakers- Auditioned them at one of the High Priced Audiophile stores in LA then surfed the net where I found them for half what that store was asking at www.getplugged.com I used the 6,000.00 I saved as a downpayment on a new car.

Finally got these last month. A dream become reality... They are amazing for those who know how to appreciate them. You absolutley MUST use top-notch electronics, otherwise you'll HEAR the surge of your dryer turning on through whatever music your listening to, they are that transparant. But you have to give a little and will get a lot with these. In otherwords, even though they cost $11000, you'll need at least another $11000 of electronics to even start to hear what their capable. 1 star review posters take note, I'm sorry all you can afford is some Bose 901s. Perhaps maybe one day you'll all grow up and realize the magic that goes along with accurately portrayed music.

Large soundstage, can play very loud

Upfront and boxy, boxy, boxy...did I mention boxy!!

Flawed design in that it's power demands create a forced and forward sound that lacks low level bloom. The bass is not natural at all..chuffy sounding. Almost bought them until I a/b'd them with the Wilson Watt/Puppy 6's...now that is music.

Similar Products Used:

Dunlavy SC-V's, Magnaplanar 3.6, Dalquist DQ-10's, Wilson WATT/PUPPY V6

Balance, Tonal Accuracy, Soundstage, Imaging

None that aren't relevant to any high end speaker, i.e. placement.

A worthy successor to the venerable 801 Series III. True thorougbreds.

Decided to audition the N801s after reading several reviews. My initial listen at the stereo shop was, however, a bit dissapointing. I expected to be "blown away" but was not. Sounded a little boomy and bottom heavy. I decided, nonetheless, to go with the "numbers" and give them a try in my home as part of the new system I put together. And prove themselves they did. These are truly great speakers when carefully positioned. To borrow the real estate mantra: PLACEMENT, PLACEMENT, PLACEMENT. It should go without saying that they need to be mated with excellent amps, source equipment, and cabling.

I find them revealing, accurate, and faithful. Soundstage and imaging is superb. The bass line is seamless and detailed, and especially shines on top notch recordings. Recommended without hesitation.

System:
Bryston BP-25P preamp
Bryston 7B-ST monobloc power amps
Theta Digital Miles CD
Magnum Dynalab FT101A tuner
VPI Jr w/AQ PT6 w/Shure V15
Audioquest Python interconnects
Audioquest Gibraltar biwire

Similar Products Used:

Thiel, Infinity Kappa

Harmonic Correctness, Impressive Tweeter, Soundstaging, Reveals Equipment

Reveals Equipment, Weight,

My experience with this speaker was at the request of the store's proprietor "to keep breaking it in." Mind you, this was at the store. . .

The treble was harsh, but very revealing- pure B&W before the break in- I suspect that in time it will sound like any other B&W product with the same/similar tweeter- full, clear and with a good soundstage.

This was one of the least colored speakers I'd dealt with; each component "spoke it's part" quite prominantly in the chain. Digital front (Krell) and solid-state preamp (also Krell) delivering a solid CD sound. . . but still startling apparent that it was a CD sound. . . "crunchy" cymbals and "crunchy" air (on DDD recordings). However, with all of that, the power was provided by the high power, tubed (and glorious) MC2000. . . . MIT cables seemed to have been neutral, with little resistance "heard" on the sound. Yes, I know this is a SPEAKER review. . .

Coincident with the other reviews, the 801's revealed EVERYTHING- good recordings, bad recordings. I'm not a vinyl fan (just born at the wrong time, in the wrong place), but an ADD recording (Kenton in H-Fi) took me to the "analog zone" with rich bass, and an incredible depth in the soundstage. . . depth yes, but read on.

However, it was in this recording, and a few techno recordings (part. Bjork's Homogenic) that I was hearing something "funny" in the front. Distortion? No. . .Phasing? didn't feel like it. . . the speakers continually seemed too close together to get the width of the soundstage correct. Instruments were harmonically correct, but centered instruments and female voices sounded like they were pinched. The air was right, suggesting that it was speaker placement, and not components.

If this were a small floorstander, or a bookshelf- no problem, simply move the dern thing. . .

I heard the potential of this speaker, and I would put it in the must-audition (for the price range). However, one bad component will spoil it, and as my tale suggests, be incredibly judicious with placement. . . follow audiophile guidlines to the letter, because this speaker is unforgiving.

Similar Products Used:

Vandy 5's

It does lots of things well

Heavy!!!

I work at a studio that has a bunch of rooms, and in two of them the studio recently installed B&W Nautilus 801s.

These are simply the best all-round speakers I have ever heard.

First, everyone is always impressed with the tonal accuracy of these speakers. I think the Dunlavys are the only thing in their league, but these speakers always seem to speak the truth, whether that truth is horrible or wonderful. A recording studio is a great way to assess this because you get (often) to hear the live sound, and in this studio I also get to hear other monitors.

Second, the imaging is rock solid and the soundstage is awfully deep and sometimes even startling. I haven't heard a hologram dispersed this widely since I listened to the Carver holographic processor over a decade ago -- but without any of the strange EQ and tonal distortions that piece of gear could cause. We were listening to some cuts from the Lamb CD the other day, and all were shaking their heads as sounds seemed to come from behind us.

Third thing I like about these speakers is how versatile they are. They are sensitive and so we've driven them with moderately powerful tube amps and gotten the sweetest song of a string sound I can remember hearing. We've also hooked them up to big honking solid state amps (Krell, Mark Levinson, etc.) and gotten to hear some of the most tactile drums 'n' bass I've heard outside of a club (and inside of many!!!).

I noticed someone said that the Nautilus 801s can have a harsh midrange and that brass had "too much" bite. I can't speak for the listening conditions leading to that conclusion, but I never heard any undue midrange emphasis from this speaker, and remarkably the midrange seemed to get smoother and truer the louder the speaker played. However, what I did notice is that bad recordings sounded worse on this speaker -- I think due to how revealing it was. For instance, with some music I am extremely familiar with -- demos of my own stuff I recorded at home -- I have been able to get away with playing them for people as fairly polished recordings. I don't dare to play them through the N801s -- their flatness, lack of high end and smearings are instantly apparent.

All I can say about these speakers is that most of the people who record here want to mix in the rooms with the Nautilus 801's, and some will even postpone their dates to get those rooms. I certainly haven't listened to every speaker made, but I've never heard a speaker that did so many things so proficiently and with such a simple, uncluttered design approach. Add to that its ability to play so very loudly without any apparent strain, and it is an impressive product.

artistic look, accurately replays what the equipement sends it.

artistic look, accruately replays what the equipement sends it.

Placement. That's about it. If you have these speakers, it will take you weeks to find the right place to put em. And they're not the easiest things to move.

As for harshness or brightness in sounds reported by some. Pure and simple. It's the equipment. I spent many hours swapping in and out levinsons and lynns (the new $20,000 dollar one that comes in a steel suitcase).

All I can say is this. If you like the looks of this speaker (and have the money), then buy it FIRST. Then buy the equipement to go around it, because these speakers have almost no sound of their own.

Oh these speakers can't go anywhere near a wall, if you have a small room... go for something else. These speakers deserved their product of the year award.

Similar Products Used:

lots

?

analytical, boomy bass and tizzy highs overpriced

Listen, there's a little philosophy I live by; getting my money's worth. With these, you don't. Revealing doesn't mean you have to throw your cd collection in the nearest trash can. If you want real studio monitors check out the bigger PMC's like the IB1S or the BB-5.This is what Hollywood and the recording industry is hot on right now. Unfortunately I don't know of a place where you can hear them and the 801's side by side. I don't think a dealer would do it anyway (most of them are greedy, slimy, scumbags anyway) because the myths and legends perpetuated by this monstrosity of marketing hype would be destroyed.
Really you're wasting all that Bryston, Krell and McIntosh on another overpriced yet mediocre speaker. Remember PMC PMC PMC PMC PMC PMC-true quality and engineering over marketing.

Similar Products Used:

PMC ATC Tannoy Westlake Audio Celestion Pro Ac

Accurate tone, wide soundstage, crisp bass

None

I feel obliged to comment on these speakers after some of the other opinions posted on this site. None of the derogatory reviews mention if the opionion is based on one listening session at a dealer or on months of experience as an owner. This makes a difference!

I purchased my 801's over a year ago after owning a fine pair of Thiel CS6's for two years. I discovered two things about the Nautilus 801's immediately:

1. Don't even consider these speakers unless you have top level upstream components and cables.
2. Plan on spending an addition few thousand dollars on room treatments to bring out the best in the speakers.

After dealing with the aforementioned pre-requisites, I have to say these speakers are the best I've ever heard anywhere. In every aspect of sound reproduction they excell. I used a combination of Tube Traps and RPG foam on my rear and side walls to bring out the best in them. It was worth it.

Ancillary equipment:
Krell FPB 600c
Mark Levinson 31.5, 360S and 380S
Transparent Reference XL Speaker Cables
Transparent Referenec Balanced Digital Cables
PS Audio Powerplant

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS6