Absolute killer looks Gorgeous cabinet workmanship

Small soundstage, poor imaging, slightly harsh and brash in the mid/upper register, expensive.

Disappointed. It was indeed somewhat of a disappointment today when i found myself auditioning a pair of Nautilus 802's at a local music shop. I have to say i was was not going there with the intention of buying, you see i have realised musical nirvana in a pair of signature 805's, but in speaking to my dealer about them he had offered me the 802 demo - who could turn that down? so, i took along my krell intergrated (KAV 300i - he was after all trying to sell them to me, so he asked me take my amp) and turned up at the shop. Nothing could have prepared me for the shock of seeing these in the flesh - they were much bigger than any internet photo i had seen suggested - they are massive. I went straight for the jugular and put on Miles Davis' Bi*thes Brew - Miles Runs The Voodoo Down. This was impressive, when Miles's trumpet comes in centre stage the detail was clear and sounded very realistic, the splattery character and leading opening edge clearly audible. Then i moved on to Fotheringay (Fairport's What We Did On Our Holidays). This is where at first I was perplexed and not sure what had gone wrong with the music. Instead of what I had been used to, listening at home on the 805's - a wide, detailed soudsatge with very suoerior imaging, both guitars wide apart, Sandy Denny centre and glourious, there was instead a closed in, muddied upper mid bass and mid with a smaller effective soudstage. This situation was repeated with the next track, Maryan from Robert Wyatt's shleep. His vocals were not as open and clear as an the signatures, and again the soudstage was was not holographic. Usually the instruments come right out to my living room edges, and curve around the walls. Finally i put on Little Green from Joni Mitchell's Blue. Her voice sounded slightly hard and harsh when she forces the top notes. This had the same effect that the CDM-9NT's had had on my ears, that of almost ringing the very inner workings of my ear enough to make me wince (an effect from the FST mid driver i think). I conveyed all these impressions to the assisstant and he was in agreement, commenting that the 805 was indeed a very good speaker indeed for the price. For the record it was the opinion of us both that my krell (300w/c into 4 ohms) was up to the job.

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B&W CDM-1NT, CDM-7NT, CDM-9NT, Signature 805's Wilson Benesch Discovery

When using the right equipment: Very natural and verypower resistant Good looking

Heavy,

I bought the speakers in 2001 by using the McIntosh 6850 as amplifier and the Micromega Premium DVD in combination with the DAC from Musical Fidelity. The whole thing sounded quite nice, but I decided to have more power, which made me change to the McIntosh 6900. In fact, a good difference in the stability of the soundstage was the result and more bass was now available. I then was at a Hifi demo in Frankfurt (Germany) were I talked to a guy (N.Lindemann) who produces some real good High-End equipment and I finally bought a Lindemann D-680 which is one of the best SACD/CD players I ever heard --> very natural sound with XLR capability. I changed then also from cinch to XLR cables and now I can say, that I can listen to any CD without having the effect that the sound stresses as it does with many other equipments! In fact, I missed to say that I'm also using the Furutec entmagnetizer as well as the Gläss Sound improver (Swiss product) and the Audioplan S model for powering the installation; I also changed the plugs of the medium range unit by using gold ones. I think that you have to pay much more money to really get more out of your equipment; in fact it's really fun now to listen to all sort of music & movie --> but that again is another story

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expensive

Unlimited potential Looks Incredible sound

Require big investment in components Long break-in

I have used these speakers for over a year before even attempting any type of critical review. At first they were plugged into my old system, replacing Polk speakers. They sounded worse than my old speakers. It was obvious they needed breaking in and I finally determined that my old components were probably not up to the task of driving the speakers. I replaced the Bryston 4BST Amp with two Parasound Halo JC1 amplifiers. The speakers really responded well to the additional power. The soundstage opened up, the sound was no longer veiled and the bass became significantly stronger. I also upgraded the other components. I replaced the Yamaha RX-V1 receiver with an Arcam DV300 Receiver and replaced the DVD and CD players. The sound became defined, more musical and really opened up. I then upgraded interconnects and cables, which also improved the sound. Finally I tried a pair of Mapleshade Excalibur interconnects between the receiver and amplifiers. These interconnects really improved all aspects of the sound, especially the bass. As the speakers and amplifiers become more broken the sound continues to become even better. After about 20 minutes of warmup, the system now sounds unbelievable. The soundstage and imaging are so good in stereo mode that it exceeds a surround sound presentation in spaciality with extreme detail. It appears that the speakers have unlimited potential based on the components driving them. They need a lot of power and very good components. I now have a detailed three dimensional soundstage with tight controlled bass. I can hear details in the music that I didn't know existed. Each musical instrument can be heard in detail. The bass is so strong that I don't even need a subwoofer. After reading reviews on the speakers, good and bad, and determining for myself what it takes to make these speakers perform, I have come to the conclusion that they are outstanding performers but they are not for everyone. It requires a considerable investment to extract their real potential. There are many speakers that are less expensive and will sound better with less of an investment in components. However, I can now say that they far exceed any other speaker systems I have heard. I have two other systems, one with B&W Matrix 802 speakers and another with JM Lab speakers. Both of these systems initallly sounded much better than the Nautilus 802's, however, the Nautilus system sound far exceeds them. I can sum it up by saying that the Nautilus 802's are outstanding speakers, but they require a real investment to make them perform. They add nothing to the sound and respond favorably or unfavorably to every component and interconnect. They will reveal everything in the signal, bad or good, so be prepared to make an investment to really drive them properly.

Nice midrange, nice detail, I didn't hear the high end harshness some have spoken of. Decent soundstage.

Bass is tight but could use a little more oomph.

Auditioned the 802's recently, against Paradigm Signature 8, and (for fun) Dali megalines and Krell reference. The Paradigms were in a different room, which may have contributed, and maybe they were not fully broken in, but they sounded forward and brash. They slaughtered Dire Straights, but made BMG's "Audio" album sound good. Bass was definitely lacking. They made Norah Jones and the piano behind her sound lovely. The 802's sounded a bit laid back, but made everything sound good. (Note the room was in this case fully treated with bass traps, and the speakers were driver by Krell reference amps). Bass extension was reasonable, but not ultra-deep. Good detail, no obvious bloat. The Dali megalines... *whimper*. For $40,000 US they *should* sounds good, admittedly, but I've never heard anything like that. Better than my current Infinity QLS-1's, and I don't say that often. They made it feel like Norah Jones was in my lap and happy to see me. (I didn't expect them to be that good, because the midrange Dali's in the store sounded, basically, bad.) Also auditioned the big alunimum Krell Reference speakers. No magic in them: they sounded decently accurate, but uninvolving. No sale there. So if you want perfection, look up the megalines. At a fifth the price, though, the 802's were pretty darn good.

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Infinity QLS-1, Maggie 3.6's

Perfect sound. Stylish looks.

Pricey. Sometimes sonically too perfect if your recording is poor. Requires high-end system to match, particularly amplifier.

It's not mere coincidence that many professional recording studios use B&W Nautilus series speakers as studio monitors. These speakers are about as perfect as they get! The N802 is a stylish looking speaker, but it's hard to move around. Though it is mounted on casters for easier rolling around, the curved shaped of the unit makes it near impossible to lift and carry around. (This is assuming you have 2 people handy to carry the speaker. One person alone can't lift an 802.) We found that the N802 sounded a little tight and odd sounding straight out of the box. Our dealer recommended that we keep a CD playing at a low volume - just enough to keep the cones vibrating - for several hours. In all it probably took 500+ hours of listening (3 months real time) for the speakers to settle and aclimatize to our room. Once they were settled though, the music came through! For sheer clarity of sound, instrument placement, realism and overall listening pleasure it's hard to imagine something better. Yet the N801, N800 & Nautilus all exist above te N802. Makes you wonder ... One thing to be aware of though is that these speakers need serious power. We had the N802 hooked up to a Bryston 5 channel amp initially. (Bryston 9B). The system sounded good but there was always something lacking. You could tell that there was more music there but the speakers weren't performing to max. Then we switched to a Proceed HPA2 on the N802 and a Proceed Amp3 for everything else. Oh baby! Did the music *really* start coming through then! We later switched the Bryston SP1 for a Proceed AVP and that imporved the sound again. Then we switched from a non-descript digital co-ax cable to a Transparent Cable and that too made a difference. Then we nudged the speakers forward about 30cm and angled them inward a few degrees and that made a huge difference. My point here is that the N802 are so perfect, that even the slightest change in your system will lead to a noticible change in sonic quality. Heck - even rearranging the pillows on your couch will lead to a different sound in your room if you're using N802. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The speakers are so perfect, that you notice everything. In fact, with a good enough system you basically hit the limits of the recording itself. True we have SACD & HDCD, but the N802 are good enough to successfully tackle whatever comes next. For now, if you have a poor recording, you'll get poorish sound out of the N802. So we've also spent a fair amount gradually replacing ADD recordings (re-releases from 1960s & 1970s) for DDD ones. Even on DDD recordings, those from year 2000 onwards are noticibly better than the ones from 1980s & 1990s. In summary then, these speakers are perfect. But you'd better be prepared to upgrade the rest of your system to match your speakers.

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Kef Reference 104/2 N805 Mark Levinson #37 Proceed HPA2 Proceed AVP Bryston 9B Bryston SP1

B&W sig.800 fronts, two pair B&W 802s for side/rear surrounds, a B&W sig. center, and two Martin Logan descent subs all connected to a Lexicon mc12b, two Lex lx7s, and a Lex rt-10 disk spinner via Audioquest cables/interconnects. This is the type of kit that makes a person gratefull for all five senses! I know, kevin I'm a huge idiot for wasting all my money, I'm sure! No checkbook necessary though, I shop with cash, My kit is paid for and it sounds inspiring to say the least. Best of all, I won't be shopping for a/v gear for a long, long time! In the mean time, kevin, why don't you go get another news paper route or something, save your money and shut your piehole! Mick By the way, were you the kid on the bicycle chasing John Cusack for your two dollars?

Excellent full range sound. Very detailed bass, midrange & tweeter.

Yes, they are expensive. That could be considered a weakness. Until you hear the sound at least.

I traded in my B&W Nautilus 804's for the 802's when I combined the audio & video systems. The goal of the system was to never compromise on 2 channel audio quality, but work well with DVD's as a home theater setup. The electronics are all Rotel. The RDV-160 DVD-A player, Rotel RC-1090 preamp, and RB-1080 amlifier. The cabling is Purist Audio Measus interconnect from the RDV-1060 to the RC-1090. Purist Audio Measus balanced XLR cable from the RC-1090 to the RB-1080. Purist Audio Measus bi-wire speaker cable completes the cabling. The 802's are more efficient than the 804's I upgraded from. I do not have to use any more power. In fact, I get more volume and stronger bass from the 802 at the same power level. So, I do not believe expensive high power amps are required with these speakers. The 200 wpc Rotel RB-1080 can easily handle the task and produce strong detailed bass. My room is 25'x20' with a 12' ceiling. You do not have to play these speakers loud to produce strong bass & great sound. I do suggest good electronics, well shielded interconnects, and an excellent source player. These speakers are very detailed and reward you for careful selection of your electronics. With DVD-audio discs or CD's the sound is incredible bringing out the details of the CD. Of course, a poorly recorded CD does in fact sound like a poorly recorded CD in great detail. Seems normal to me. As a 2-channel home theater speaker the 802 is also excellent. It produces low bass and I see no need for a subwoofer. The RDV-1060 can give you 2-channel stereo or 2-channel virtual (simulated surround) output. The LFE is mixed into the signal. The 802 produces the necessary bass, and detail to make the DVD soundtracks come to life. The speakers image so well the disappear. It sounds like the voices are coming from the TV. If you are looking for a full range speaker with exceptional sound give the 802's a serious listen.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 804, B&W CDM 7NT

Neutrality, soundstaging, headroom ( few speakers play orchestral works at full tilt as effortless as the N802 do )

None

I agree with Asoapova. If anything sounds wrong, don't blame the Nautilus 802's but check the other components and take care of proper positioning of the speakers in the room. I use the Bryston 4B-SST power amp ( 300 Watt 8 ohm/500 Watt 4 ohm ), the Sony SCD-1 as cd-drive, digitally linked ( with the Siltech HF-10 ) with the RCS-2.0 S Roomcorrection preamplifier from Tact and can say the results are truly amazing. Many recordings sound frightingly realistic. I have evaluated may other speakers ( Avalon Classic and Arcus, Thiel 3.6, Revel Studio,JM-Lab Mezzo Utopia, kef Reference ) but none of these speakers are as realistic as the 802's are. One inexpensive ( about 80 dollars )upgrade tip for fellow owners: I replaced the original plastic bullets of the midrange unit for the aluminium bullets of the Signature 800 ( you can order original from the B&W factory ) and you'll get an even more open and impulsive midrange response. The inprovement is significant ( especially with piano and voices - choral works ) and really inexpensive. Also owners of other models in the Nautilus range ( from 805 to 801 ) should replace the bullets. I will keep my 802's for a long,long time!

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See text

Everything. 3D soundstage. Stunning honest reproduction.

Absolutely none.

I am inspired to write this review of the B&W Nautilus 802 speaker because of the extreme misinformation I have seen posted in this forum. Namely, the majority of the negative reviews come from folks who clearly have stretched their budgets to buy these speakers and have ignored their other components upon purchasing these speakers. We have "Bill" who says, "...my receiver worked well with my Bose." We also have Don Ba who says, "My old Polk speakers sound better on my receiver." Lastly, we have Atlas who lists as one of his components, "Denon 5800 Receiver." The trend clearly is dissatisfied users who are incorrectly driving these speakers. So the first thing to emphasize in my review is that you cannot under power these speakers and hope to hear their qualities. With that out of the way let me tell you my experience with these speakers. I have owned these speakers for four years and they are amazing and a bargain. Before turning to the amazing part let me address the "value" aspect of the speakers. Over those four years I have spent an average of $5.50/day owning them. That is a pittance and ever day of addtional pleasure yields a lower average daily cost for these speakers. The amazing part I will relate by stating several anectdotes. The first and most powerful endorsement I can relate is that of a friend of mine who is an audio engineer. I had the audiophilic pleasure of having him come to my house and listen to a recording that he engineered personally (!). What is more, the recording was entirely recorded live with very minimal changes to the original. He told me that what he heard was absolutely true to life and he did not hesistate to tell me that he was hearing things through the 802s that he had not heard live, or in playing back the recordings for mastering. The second anectdote I wanted to share that illustrates the uncompromising quality of these speakers relates to another friend who came for a listening session. He brought with him some of his favorite music. This was music that he had listened to for years and years. When I was sitting behind his positiion in the "sweet spot" and he played one of his favorite tracks, the clarity and slam of the music actually raised the hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck. A short anectdote, but revealing one, is that my cats are constantly fooled by the speakers. I was watching "Winged Migration" on DVD and my cat's head constantly followed the soundstage created by the speakers. He even leapt up and tried to touch the birds in the TV screen. He was utterly baffled by the realism of the sound, but lack of smell! The last anectdote I wanted to share is similar to the first. I had a friend who was a lover and performer of Balinese Gamelan music. I have a recording which actually featured some of her Balinese musician friends on it. Upon hearing some of the music she actually began to cry. I asked her why afterward and she said something to the effect of how close she was to the musicians' performance, yet geographically so far away. All of my anectdotes relate to one thing, these speakers are REAL. The reproduction of bass, mid-range, and treble is startingly life-like. The soundstage is impecable and richly three dimensional. Furthermore, the speakers are utterly transparent. As many reviewers on this site and others have pointed out, the speakers are brutally honest. You can honestly hear overdubs that have been poorly executed on recordings. You can tell when performers have tilted or turn their heads slightly. Some have criticized the 802s for a lack of bass. All I can tell you is that I was listening to very deep bass music once and a glass (suffering from the vibration) actually fell off of the counter in my kitchen a room away, and broke. There is one review listed below that describes an auditioning of the speakers with Macintosh amplificatiion. That is perhaps the one negative review I have read that has some legitimacy. However, I would point out that many audio stores sell these speakers without the proper auditioning space or attention to detail. Case in point was me auditioning a new amplifier last year that was driving these speakers. The sound stage was non-existent and the emotional content of the performers was missing. The culprit was the worst-shaped room for listening that I have ever seen, and speakers that were not toed-in (as in pigeon-toed), but actually duck-footed. I would suspect that reviewer's listening environment was deeply flawed. These speakers are capable of reproducing anything you give them and beautifully. They also are very capable of creating soundstage outside of the space between the speakers, that is, on the sides. See Radiohead's "OK Computer" and the track "Let Down" for a case in point. If you are a true audiophile and are willing to invest in an entire system. You simply must include these on your short-list of speakers to audition.

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Adcom GCD-750 CD player; Levinson No. 28 preamp; Chord 1200E amplifier (high recommended); Kimber cabling

Look great, whatever is on the recording is what you get.

You must spend a lot of money on the speakers and associated equipment. Otherwise, no complaints.

I am amazed at the disagreements in this forum concerning the B&W 802s. I have owned them for over two years and have found them to be consistently great even with my old 100 watt Krell amp. If the recording sound is bad, so is the sound coming from the 802s. I do agree that they must be set up properly and with equally great components.

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