Incredible mid-range clarity. Perfect highs, substantial bass (less though than the huge 801 Nautilus I also looked at, but wouldn't fit in my room.

Need expensive matching components.

Purchased as part of five speaker surround sound system + 1-Nautilus small center channel + 2-805's + no subwoofer (in a brownstone the bass rattles the other occupants). Against the better wishes of my retailer I initially purchased a Classe' CAV-150 (150 x 6) to run all 5 channels, assuming that 150 watts from a home theater-based amp would suffice. BOY WAS I WRONG. When it was hooked up, there was absolutely no bass. I actually thought the low-end speaker connections were disconnected/broken. Luckily, I found that the CAV-150 could be rebridged to run 300 x 3 and I picked up a Classe 301 (300 x 2). The result blew me away. The B&W/Classe combo is extremely synergistic and highly recommended. I would never purchase this speaker without running a minimum of 200 watts/channel from a top amp company (i.e., no Sony/Denon, etc.).

Similar Products Used:

801, Classe Omega amp(perfect, but $15K+!!!)

I purchased these speakers over 3 years ago and ever since then, I’ve been upgrading the rest of my system trying to make these things sound descent. My wallet has been severely abused and I’m still not happy. I regret to say that I was happier with my old Definitive Technology speakers, and a fat wallet. The biggest issue is the Nautilus tweeter. It really hurts my ears when I play very loud rock music. The midrange seems sucked out and the bass is very week. Many of my CDs from the 80s sound poor on these speakers. They lack clarity, detail, and they sound grainy. The soundstage is very small for a speaker this size. I do like the looks of these speakers and I admit that looks had to do a lot with me purchasing the B&W speakers. Anyway have a listen for yourself. But listen with your ears, not your eyes. My System: Denon 5800 Receiver Toshiba 5700 DVD/CD player Monster Cables

Imaging, driver integration, tight bass, stunning clarity in the midrange.

Bass does not go quite as low as other, larger speakers.

When I auditioned these speakers, it was with a $7000 Goldmund CD player, and I was blown away. Then the dealer put on a CD player more like mine. I still loved the speakers, but realized how truly revealing these speakers are. The highs can be a bit bright in a poorly treated room. The midrange is some of the best I have ever heard. The imaging is excellent, and if you can't hear that, you must have them against the back wall. The bass does not go as low as larger speakers, but the bass that is there is the tightest I have ever heard - absolutely no cabinet vibration or room excitation. The overall coherence and integration of the drivers is also some of the best I have heard. (None of the drivers have their own distinct sound.) One thing people need to know is that these are demanding speakers - they need a powerful amp. If you have a weak amp, or poor quality components upstream, you will hear that with these speakers. Overall, I am very pleased with these speakers. I just wish I could afford a better CD player, so I could make the most of them.

Similar Products Used:

Martin Logan, Klipsch, Polk.

Soundstage full and detailed, great design, when set up properly these rather large speakers completely disappear

Perhaps too critical of upstream components and cables.

I have just read 4 reviews that blasted these speakers, I can honestly say that the 802's in my system, which are not even run-in yet, sound fantastic. The bass is smooth and deep the mids and highs are tight, soundstage is excellent. The boxes completely disappear. I feel the reviewers who have had poor experiences with these speakers probably don't have the proper set up and or equipment. The 802's are extremely revealing which can be good and bad. It’s good because you hear all the music, its bad because any flaws in system or disc come through loud and clear. The 802's are very picky when it comes to cables and components. Get the right mix and nothing sounds better.

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan 3.6R, Magnepan 1.6

These are very pleasant sounding speakers and so are Polk 600.00 towers

These things cost 3,000.00 more than Polk towers.

I've posted on this site before concerning these speakers in the forum. My brother owns a pair and I may inherit them soon as he has substantial resources and gets bored easily.He got bored very quickly and angry considering the price. I really like these speakers and B & W in particular. But Im sorry, these are really weak efforts considering the price. They do sound very resstrained run with a B & K 307 (I think). I simply do not believe that any "upstream" component differences or Wires (cable to the audiophile) can solve the problem here.They honestly sound like a 600.00 set of Polk towers to me.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, Boston acc, and Polk

Sound stage

I have similar issues with my 802s that have been reported here. It seem like the music has a hard time making it out of the speaker cabinet, as if there’s a very thick blanket covering the drivers. I’ve tried all sorts of things, like moving the speakers, adjusting the bass/treble knob on my system, and removing the grills. No real improvement. The best speaker placement seems to be, one speaker in the center of the North wall and the other in the center of the East wall. Both speakers are right on the wall and aimed directly in the center of the room. I sit up against the center West wall. Anyway, the sound stage is not that great and I’m not impressed with the dynamics. The bass is on the light side for a speaker in this price range. The 802s just don’t have a good mid-bass punch. Vocals don’t sound that bad, but I feel like they should have more clarity at this level. That Nautilus tweeter is just too bright for me. I wished the crossovers could be adjusted to tone it down. I’m going to buy some Revel speakers when I save up[ some more money.

None

Too many to mention

These speakers are about as depressing as the stock market. I’ve had the 802s for a year and a half. It kills me when I listen to other speakers now that my ears are more aware. Almost everything sounds better in this price range. The major problem I have with my 802s is the clarity and harmonics. The 802s just don’t sound alive. It seems like the music is buried somewhere deep inside the cabinet and it can’t escape. The soundstage and bass is on the weak side. They made all of my CDs sound like bad recordings. One positive thing is that they do look good and my wife likes them. I’m not sure if upgrading to an amp/preamp would help.

After 2 grueling years with these things, I’ve finally saved up enough money to replace them. They sounded great in the store where I bought them. However, the audio store used a $20,000 amp and the room had extensive acoustic treatment. This is not the same environment that most of us have at home. I wrote the first 3 months off as break in time. The speakers got better, but not good. The soundstage was very week. There was no real tight bass. I became increasingly annoyed and I began spending money on expensive cables. But no luck. I began taking home different amps in the $5,000 range and the N802s still didn’t deliver the goods. I just couldn’t get these to deliver the clarity and detail that would be expected in this price range. They seem to have a problem with imaging and dynamics.

Everything

None

These are definitely the best sounding speakers I have ever heard. I have listened to other speakers that performed very well also but, they always seemed to fall short in one area or another. For instance the Martin Logins are fine if you never intend to listen to any kind of rock music. Aerial Acoustics were nice as well but, a little to warm for me. The Revels were probably my next choice after the B&W's. In fact a friend and I listened to a pair of Revels next to the B&W 803's for 6 hrs. and decided that the 803's were better especially when it came to reproducing Cello's, Violin's, and Piano's. Then I decided to here the 802's next to the 803's and the 802's came out on top. The 802's have the ability to reproduce music with realism and detail that I have never heard before out of a speaker. When I listen to music that I have heard many times before I can hardly believe how much better it sounds. These speakers are truly amazing and I would highly recommend them.

Similar Products Used:

Aerial Acoustics,Martin Login,Revel,Definitive Technology and many others.

An outstanding speaker in every regard, with some caveats regarding long break-in.

Long break-in period

This is a superb speaker -- exquisitely detailed and coherent, with outstanding imaging and soundstaging. I'm about halfway through the dealer's recommended break-in period (200 hours), and they get better each time I listen to them. It is unfortunate that a number of reviewers have given this speaker a "1" or "2" rating. I suspect that this was due to poor set-up, or source material/components. These speakers are the most ruthlessly revealing of any I have owned, producing an exact analog of what's fed to them. Small adjustments in spacing and set-up are readily audible. To do these speakers justice, you must audition them when properly set up and broken in. Careful choice of a dealer for auditioning is therefore critical. Also, I'd give a new pair at least 20-30 hours of break in before doing any critical listening to them.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel 3.5