Fine workmanship

Bass and max volume level were very weak

My local dealer let me borrow a pair Nautilus 803's for an in-home trial. I hooked these $5,000 babies to my 5-year old, but very reliable Sherwood receiver. Put in a couple heavy metal CDs in my Sherwood CD changer and hit play. Immediately, I noticed that the max volume level was greatly reduced compared to my Pioneer speakers. The bass output was a joke compared to what I'm used to. Even after I turned up the bass to max and pushed the speakers against the back wall, the bass was still very lacking. There was no boomyness. I took them back to my local dealer and asked him for some other speakers to try. He said that he didn't have anything for me. Can you believe that? He said that I should go to his competitor and ask him to try out some Thiel speakers. So look for my review on the Thiel's soon.

Similar Products Used:

Cerwin Vega, Pioneer

I have had these since Jan and like them more every day I listened to a lot of differnt speakers but I liked these the best. Sound, build quaility and appearence these were my choice. I also have the HTM1 center and 805s for surround with the ASW3000 sub.I love movies and this setup is great for that as well. Highly recommended.

Nice looking

I auditioned these against the Dynaudio Contou 3.0, Hales Rev. 2 and 3, and the Aerius i, and was very dissapointed in them. They sounded really colored, muddy and boxed in compared to the Dyns. The Rev. 2 has about the same dimentions as the B&W N803, costs less, but sounds much cleaner and its tonal balance is much better. The Rev. 2 sounds better in every aspect, including sounstaging, where B&W is usually the top dog. I think that the N803 sound a lot like the aerius, but i also think the my Dynaudio 3.0 are better the either of them.
Try the Rev. 2 (or Rev. 3 if you have a larger room) and the Dynaudio Contour 3.0 before you lay out the cash for N803.

Art S, get real!

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio Contour 3.0 etc...

I just heard the BW Nautilus 803 speaker. I did hear it on great equipment. I heard it on a Pass amp and a Wadia850 CD player. I must tell you, the Nautilus 803 speakers, have a very sweet sound. It was very articulate sounding with a great soundstage. But I felt the bass was alittle light. The bass is the weak point on the speaker. I would definitely rather have the Dunlavy 4 speakers. The Dunlavys are amazing speakers. Great bass, soundstaging, and imaging. I also like the Aerial 10Ts, better then the Nautilus 803 speakers. The Nautilus 803 speakers, are sweeter sounding and alittle more articulate sounding then the Aerial 10TS. The Aerials are so smooth, with a nice open sound. The bass is great on the Aerials. Thanks

Best bass reflex design I've heard, Great speed and articulation from top to bottom with low coloration, spectacular good looks

*slightly* recessed midrange followed by an upper mid/lower treble which is a bit forward

This speaker at first perplexed me, as it was the antithesis of my 802's. It was obviously clearer and more articulate, but sounded too restrained in the bass and too prominent in the low treble with inadequate midrange presence.

After an EXTENDED break in time the bass has fleshed out a bit and the treble has receded somewhat.

This week I received the fix I needed to set these babies straight. Alpha Core MI-2 on the bottom with AG-2 on the top. The improvement was not subtle. The forward quality to the upper mids/low treble has disappeared, the midrange has fleshed out and the bass is push pull perfect and powerful. It was like trading up to a much more refined amplifier. If any of you own these speakers and have the same reservations about the sound as I did, give these cables a try. They may do the trick. Manufacturer offers a 30 day home trial.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 802 Matrix III's, 801 Matrix II's

Coherence, imaging

Transparency, Bass

Again, I do not think the 803s are bad speakers. They are decent enough with good imaging and good coherence although they do seem tight and controlled in the bass, they do not have the weight or transparency I would be looking for in a speaker.

I suspect that for many, who feel comfort in buying a big name, more power to you. B&W is certainly one of the big names in audio and have stood the test of time. Does this mean they represent the best VALUE? Well, this is where the B&W Speakers run into some problems. But this proposition of value is endemic in all of the big names (ProAc, B&W, Aeriel, Revel, Avalon, Wilson). Indeed, all of these speaker lines have some fantastic speakers(the ProAc 2.5s lacking a little dynamic jump and the Aeriel 8s being sensitive to room placement to get the bass right and the 10T bass being full but lacking detail). The question is whether your hard earned dollars are giving you the most for your money. I know for many, these speaker lines represent sacred cows and for me to say that you may find better VALUE elsewhere is heresy but if one were to dig a little deeper and go beyond the ones seen in the glossies, one might find some true gems. For the sake of this discussion, I throw out the following names: Silverline(with a SET amp like Cary 300BLX20 or Art Audio Jota or Sun Audio), Coincident(Same as Silverline), Merlin(with Joule of course), Meadowlark(with Art Audio Jota). For amps, how about AES, Edge, Odyssey, Wright, Welborne, Art Audio, Sun Audio, etc.

As for Art, it seems that he is unwilling to accept other's veiwpoints. I have submitted my reviews based on what I hear. I did not question or attack Art's review in anyway and was, quite frankly, startled to see someone mention me directly in his review. I didn't think this was a forum where people post for feedback. I thought this was an area where people could freely share their experiences on the gear in question.

Lastly, I see that they pulled the last "review" from Art in which he had questioned if I were "bashing" B&W speakers because I could not afford them. He went on to mention that he had owned Krell KSA amps and some Krell digital and even put the retail prices of the gear. Gentle readers, this is exactly the type of thing I fear will cause the demise of high end audio. As Srajan Ebaen said "The only ones rankled by and complaining about it(midfi gear closing the gap on "high end" gear) are those with an investment into the snob appeal and inherent segregation that apparent taste and money can buy."

Finally, system synergy is the thing. The B&W speakers may indeed sound great with the right gear. For that reason, I name the gear I heard the speakers with. My only hope is that prospective buyers will use these comments as a jumping off point in determining which speakers he/she will eventually buy. In the end, trust your ears. But I beseech you to go out and find some of the lesser known speakers above and see for yourself, how much value these speakers represent.

Similar Products Used:

Lots and lots of equipment

Timbral accuracy, speed, soundstage, tunefull, defined.

needs reel investment in power amp.

It was 1991, I had saved up some money from summer jobs and bought myself a decent stereo. It cost my something of $2500 and found that reason anough to forbid myself to go to any hifishop for the comming decade. 8 years later i've
visited one, and within half an hour I walked out with a new amp under my arm.
From that moment on the hifi virus kept my in his grip, and a few months later I renewed the compete stereo.(Tannoy D300 speakers, Denon PMA 1500 amp, 1550 cd player, and TU 1500 tuner. Cables from Audioquest and M.I.T ) Yet not completely satisfied I've chanched the D300's for D500's and ofcourse now the amp was a little underpowered. You see I began to loose it. The next couple of months I was listening to much to my stereo instead of listening to my music. My girlfriend and wallet had a hard time. Untill that was, I've heard the nautilus 803 at my local dealer. WOW, this was the sound I was looking for. I tried the broke-in demo set at home, and within two hours I was sure, these speakers are stunning. The Nautilus 803 provides a wall to wall and cieling to floor soundstage. Bass sounds thight, tonefull, and defined, with speed and impact.The tweeter and midrange drivers have speed, frequency axtension, and timbral accuracy, with I only heard with speakers costing much, much more. All my cd's sound as if i have removed a curten. Like I hearing them directly for the first time. Whether you play vocals, clasical music or rock the sound is always fantastic. These speakers have a great "What shell we play next" level. Despite the 90 db sensetivity these speakers need a quality power amp, to make them disappear in there stunning soundstage. The asked price for this pair of beauties is a reasonable $5000. For Thet money I find it an audiophile bargain. I recommend stronly that you audition the Nutilus 803 when shopping for speakers.

Associated equipment:

* Classe CP 47.5 pre amp.
* Classe CA 151 power amp (Soon to be CA 301).
* Sony CDP XA 555 ES cd player.
* Denon TU 1500 RDS tunur.
* Siltech LS 100 G3 speakercable.
* siltech ST 38 Interconnects 3x.

Similar Products Used:

* Audio Pysic virgo and Tempo
* Dynaudio Contour 1.8, 3.0, 3.3
* B&W Nautilus 804, 802.
* Thiel 2.2, 3.6.

•Cabinet finish is absolutely exquisite in Natural Cherry, but the Red Cherry is fine also.
•Dynamic and fairly efficient. Does not compress or get 'nasty' at high loudness levels.
•"Tells the truth" about upsteam components better than any other dynamic cone/dome-type speaker I've heard (but of course, I haven't heard them all!). i.e., almost as transparent as a good electrostatic.
•Beautiful overall industrial design - these are great looking speakers, and are something better than the traditional 'box' speaker. Is solid as a rock internally due to the "Matrix" bracing.

•None really, except a fairly high phase angle-to-impedance ratio between about 80 Hz (-39.4 phase/3.6*), up through about 98 Hz (-20.7 phase/3.1*); which may in that range be a bit difficult for some lesser amps to drive. In other words, don't complain about the sound of these speakers if driven with inferior amplifiers/receivers.

•Associated Equipment:

As stated above, a reasonably powerful amp is required to drive the N803's. You don't need a large, "arc-welder" solid-state design, such as those from Rowland, Bryston, Levinson, Krell, YBA, Classe', etc. But, if you choose tubes (as I do), get an amp with some power (say, at least 60-100 w.p.c.); and a tube amp that is as neutral as possible and doesn't add euphonic "sweetness" to the sound. I doubt very much that single-ended triodes will work well with the N803's at all. I'm using a Mesa Baron amp with the N803's, and at 55/85/120/150 watts per side (depending on either triode or pentode configuration), it drives the N803's admirably and without fuss.

Bi-wiring is also called for with these speakers to allow them to perform to their full potential. Some good choices, (again, depending on listening tastes, amp, cost, etc.) would be Audioquest Granite or Gibralter, Synergistic Research Signature 2 and/or 3, Cardas Neutral Reference, Coincident Technology, and Goertz Alpha-Core, to name just a few. However, I wouldn't recommend a "laid-back" or "forgiving" type cable, unless you have edgy or bright solid-state components to start with. The N803's will tell you whatever you give them to reproduce.

•Set-up:

I have my N803's positioned in a 20' x 13.5' room, on the long side of the room with a large bay window behind them. 28" from the back of the speaker to the rear wall, 4' from outside of the cabinets to the side walls, about 9' 8" apart from the center of each speaker baffle, and about 11' from each speaker to the listening position. Toed-in so that their axes cross behind the listening spot.

My N803's are set upon a pair of Sound Anchor stands, specifically designed for them. The stands significantly improve the focus and coherancy of the overall sound, probably due to the slight (approximately 5º) tilt-back that I use - which helps to time align the speakers. As well,the Sound Anchors clean-up and "tighten" the low frequency response, insofar as they raise the speakers a few inches off the floor and decouple them from the floor. This helps to tame the mid-to-upper bass boom, if you have that kind of room anomaly. Another benefit is that much less floor-borne vibration is transmitted from the speakers to the other components in the system. For those of you that own or are considering owning the N803, I would definitely recommend the Sound Anchor stands. At only $200./pair, they're a steal and almost mandatory.

Finally, don't even THINK about getting these babies to sound right until they've had AT LEAST 200 hours of play time on them. Actually, more like 300+ hours of break-in is required before they begin to really settle in and sound like they're worth their $5k retail price. Be patient, and you will be rewarded.

•The Sound:

The integration of the sound from top to bottom is very coherent and seamless, similar to an electrostat. But, you have the punch and dynamics present with the N803 that no e-stat can hope to match, without the narrow sweet-spot that you're forced into with e-stat's.

And speaking of dispersion, that and the delicacy of the Nautilus tweeter is a revelation. B&W has done quite a commendable job on this unit and the Nautilus housing that it resides in. Ditto the midrange unit - harmonics come through as smooth and rich as you could ask for, without harshness or "brightness". They also define separate instruments very well in a broad yet focused soundstage. You want imaging? I can find each and every one of Billy Cobham's Octoban drums, cymbals, hi-hat's and the rest of his kit, and all of the other instruments placed on the soundscape on his "Spectrum" album. And this from a self-recorded cassette from a CD source!

And what's more - you can REALLY hear what the N803's can do when fired-up with a good turntable rig. (Not to offend you 'digiphiles' out there, but you owe it to your musical enjoyment to get yourself into a good analog rig. I've owned some of the top CD rigs in our galaxy, and they simply cannot do justice to the music the way an analog set-up can.)

The bass response of the N803 is excellent down to around 30Hz, with none of the "boxiness" or boom and chuffing noises that many ported designs have that pass for "bass", and without the "chestiness" and thickness on male vocals, etc.

I don't feel the need for an external subwoofer with these speakers, although I'm sure that an old Entec or some of the better REL offerings would just increase the enjoyment of what's already there, and would give you that final lowest half octave of subterrainian rumble. The lows are dynamic, extended, solid and taut, very informative as to the timbre and character of the particular bass instrument being played, and exhibits good transient speed along with fullness (two almost mutually exclusive qualities in many so-called "high-end" loudspeakers). In other words - these guys BOOGIE!

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that the Nautilus-series are best only on classical or jazz-type music, either. These speakers will get down and rock if you want them to! Just don't expect them to sound like the distorted, boomy "rock" speakers that you may have heard before. Try a well-recorded album from Dire Straits, Yes, Santana, Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Lynerd Skynyrd, etc., some good blues material, or vocal-based stuff like Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Diana Krall, Natalie Merchant, et al - and you'll see that these are a great choice in speakers for many musical types and styles. The N803's do well on movie soundtracks too, because the clarity of the spoken dialog is so easy to pick out of the background sounds. Clarity in abundance is yet another descriptor for these speakers.

One more thing: for the quality of their sound, they're a reasonable size. Proving once again that you don't need a refrigerator-sized speaker to get excellent, full-range reproduction!

I chose to purchase the B&W Nautilus 803 after much in-home listening and demo-ing of many of their competitor's products in the same price range, and some models that were more AND less expensive than N803's. I even chose them over B&W's own N804 and N805 models after extended listening sessions, which are fine units in their own rite. I'm very satisfied with my decision, and you may feel the same after you give them a proper audition.

Similar Products Used:

•ADS L990
•Apogee Stage
•Boston Acoustics A40
•B&W Nautilus 805 & 804
•Entec LFX & LF-20
•Infinity Rsa (the old 10" 2-way)
•KEF C80
•Mission 70 MkII
•Magnepan 2.6R & Tympani IV's
•Martin-Logan CLS IIa

Sensitivity, delicate detail, clean accurate tone, state of the art drivers. The hand crafted appearance and scent of red stained cherry wood.

Break-in time 300+ hours, priced a little high. Bass lacks the push of 8 inch drivers. Rated at 250 watts.

For several weeks, as these new speakers were breaking-in it didn't have very deep bass, smooth liquid like treble, just seemed forward and top heavy. Sure, I did listen for hours to a pair at the shop and compared it with other stuff eg. N802, N804, M802 and thought the N803 was good.

For a while, I was skeptic like many people and just over the last few weeks, everything loosened up dramatically and IMO from TOP to BOTTOM it became rather much better than many I have listened to including my old Matrix 802s3. The new delicate, fuller sound, improved resolution, wider soundstage, and focus is also better dispersed. It did take me some time to fully appreciate all the improvements.

I rediscovered all my music over very many pleasant listening hours. As I played different types of music, these dark red speakers took on different characteristics. If you play bass heavy tracks, the room will really shake. Bass can snap so tight, rumble low and deep and the treble will be smooth or piercing depending on the quality of source you wish to play. Guitar and violin pieces seem to take on a slight wood sound something like a finely tuned instrument. The best part IMO is the FST driver, its very good. Give yourself the time to hear it.

If you have a mid-sized elegant room, need beautiful modern hand crafted speakers, enjoy the scent of cherry wood and have decent refined gear to fully enjoy them then these can fit the bill.

Equipment used:
Rotel RB1090 amp
Rotel RCD991 cd
Rotel RC995 pre
DH Labs wire
Technics turntable

Similar Products Used:

B&W Nautilus 802 & 804, Matrix 802s3, 803s2, 804, 604, 603, Infinity, etc.

As before

As before

For the record, my system is as follows:

Silveline Audio Sonatinas
TG Audio Silver Speaker Cable (Broken in at the Crump Residence)
AES Super 25 wired in Triode Mode with oil filled coupling caps with KR KT-88s
DIY Passive Pre-amp
JPS Superconductor+ interconnect from passive to amp
Bel Canto DAC-1
HT Truthlink from DAC to PRE
Pioneer DV-333 Transport modified(a lot of damping, some diode and cap changes etc)
HT Cyberlink Copper

To my ears, this system offers what I am looking for which is:
1) Transparency with coherence
2) Tone (natural harmonics and tone)
3) Soundstage which is very deep, wide
4) Holography

The keys to 2, 3, and 4 above are all linked to 1.

I still hold to my original feelings about the 803. Sorry we can't agree but almost every B&W dealer I know of belong to this certain group of dealers(go dig and I know you will know what I mean) which pushes the same product line(Aeriel, Revel, B&W, Krell, Mark Levinson, Vandersteen etc.) Personally, I think all make okay products. My beef is the prices they charge. I just think better value abounds. However, due to peoples insecurities they buy what a certain magazine tells them is good, the same magazine which will note that Meadowlark Shearwater and Kestral are speakers that deserve considerable attention, but wont put backing into because he wont advertise with them.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list here.