Well rounded - strong prescence.

Bass response.

These are the only speakers I've listened to that make me smile. I had no intention of spending this much money on speakers. But these are incredible. They will probably make me spend money on all my other components just to keep up with them.

I also listened to ProAc's (the $3000) pair), they were equal in my opinion but looks of these is wheyyy better.

Similar Products Used:

NHT, ProAc, Solioquy

Sexy. High Wife Acceptance Factor - Gorgeous cabinet, great connectors, lovely mid-range, images like crazy with the right amp (eg. tubes).

801s blow 'em away ($10K +). Smallish-room prefered, else go up to 802 or 801s.

Build quality is beyond reproach. Fabulous looking speakers. These are suitable for any high-end living room that has great furniture and rugs in it. You can get some great sound from Dynaudio (very forward) for similar $, but they look really boring. If you have strong visual design sense, the BW Nautilus line is one of the finest available below $10K.

Fit & Finish.
-------------
I got the cherry wood version. It's not anywhere near as glamourous as the rosewood, but it works well with my hardwood floors. I am surprised how good it looks in my "Frank Lloyd Wright"-esq home. Straddles the line from "furniture quality" to "sculpture quality". I must say, the fit and finish are a joy to behold. Even the "karaoke microphone" tweeter adds a certain style. Really, the curves of the cabinet and the finish of the wood are first rate. (I though the Brits had forgone such quality decades ago (just kidding)).

I just love the lugs for the speaker wires. A joy to hold and twiddle. If you don't biwire them you are going to seriously lose performace.

Sound.
--------
After break-in (80+ hours), they really start to sound great. They open up dramatically and the highs and bass get defined. Midrange is wonderful. Bass response only goes down to 35 - 40 hertz. Sub needed for home theatre, but not needed for classical or jazz. A matter of personal taste if you "need" it for hard rock. (I've also got some room-induced suck-out at 110hz that I need to deal with.)

I started out running them off Solid State Rotel equipment. Yeah it's OK. But try drivng them from some good tube equipment or high-end SS. Wow!!! They image like crazy. You can get defined audio envelopes around *each string* in a harp. Drums - you can hear the kind of skin and what they used for a mallet. True 3-dimensional imaging. WOWOWOWOWOWOW. I've been driving them off the new Cary V12 in both Triode and Ultra-linear mode. Sexy.

I think several mediocre reviews have used non-broken-in speakers or sub-par amplifiers or auditioned them in very large rooms. Large rooms should go for BW 802 or 801.

80+ hours of medium-to-loud breakin *required*. They get 5 to 10 times better, trust me.

BW 804 Highly recommended.

Equips:
-------
BW Nautilus 804 stereo
BW Nautilus 805 surround
BW Nautilus HTM2 center
REL Q201 sub
Tara Labs RSC Reference interconnects
Tara Labs Prime 1000 Speaker cables (with custom tweaks)
JA Michell Gyro SE Turntable
JA Michell Trichord Delphini Phono Stage
Clearaudio Virtuoso cartridge
Rotel RDV 1080 DVD, DVD-A, CD player
Rotel RSP 976 Dolby/DTS home theater processor
Rotel RMB 1075 5-channel home theater amp

Cary V12 (CAD 280 SA) Class A triode tube amp (oh yes!!!)
Cary SLP-98 tube pre-amp

Similar Products Used:

BW 805 & 801, Silverline Sonata, Dynaudio, Wilson, Krell (speakers), Audio Pulse(!!!!), Maggies, Avalon, ProAC, Martin Logan

O.K., just to let you know. Three bozos rated these speakers with 1 star(speaker), and one of them posted his low score twice. Its cool if you want to give low marks to a mass market, el cheapo, piece of crap speaker; but to give one star to the 804 is a load of rubbish. I don't care who you are or what you listen to, if you have seriously listened to these speakers with some comensurate components there is no way in hell that they should receive 1 star. Would you give a Bryston 3b-st or Plinius SA 100 one star? A Lexicon DC-1? I think NOT! So please realize that these three individuals schew the overall score greatly. And to you three, I would like to hear what you would consider to be a five star speaker!

Gordy

Tremendous clarity of soundstage, tight and crisp bass, warmness to mids and highs - total elimination of that "shrill" sound most of us have come to loathe.

None that I can hear - unless, of course, you want BIG, BOOMY bass.

Much has been said about the N804s - most of it quite positive. I will continue in that tradition. These speakers are clear, and I mean CLEAR. It's like that moment when a lightbulb goes off in one's head - total clarity of vision. The N804s provide total clarity of sound.

Highs and mids are warm (without shrill) and the bass is tight and punchy. I used to be a "bass boomer", but eventually came to realize that the "booming" made the bottom end muddy and undefined. The N804s give me a high quality, articulate bass sound without blowing down the walls. I'm a 2-channel guy and use these solely for music listening.

Construction and cabinet work are first rate. My dealer has a side "cut out" of the N804 showing the interior construction. Unbelievable! The bracing alone is a work of art. I chose the red cherry cabinet for these beauties and, I must say, they are rich and stunning. I wasn't impressed with the black (ugh!) or the natural cherry (it lacked the visual "WOW" factor of the red cherry).

Now, I tested the N804s against the N803s and, I can unequivocally state, the differences are VERY minor (to my ears anyway). Yes, the N803s have a tad better bass response (due, no doubt, to the use of a 7" woofer as opposed to the 6.5" of the N804). Further, the tech specs off the B&W website show only slightly better low end response. However, I just didn't hear enough sonic improvement to justify spending an extra $1500 on the N803s. The Nautilus series IS expensive, but when comparing it to others in the price range (e.g., Thiel, Meadowlark), there is simply no contest. The B&Ws win. Period. End of story. The law of diminshing returns is an issue that most everyone should consider when listening to speakers. I think the N804s are the sweet spot - a VAST improvement over the N805s, yet hardly a difference with the N803s. Think about it. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy these speakers for years to come.

BTW, my system is:
Rotel RB-1080 Power Amp (200 wpc)
Rotel RCD-961 CD Player
Rotel RX-975 Stereo Receiver
Transparent Link 200 interconnects
DH Labs Q-10 cable (bi-wired)

Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech 2006tls (IF you can call it a similar product).

Everything, Worth every Nickle and dime.

Break in period, But everthing needs to break in. So this is not a weakness.

These speakers I ran across a few times, hooked up to many different choices. I heard them in NYC hooked up to CLasse' audio which I’m very familiar with and owned.
I also heard them hooked up to Proceed and so on. I like to judge a system as a whole. It gets tricky when you try to judge one component at a time, because when you try to do that you might be making a big mistake, it can be something else within the system.
I have to say after so many years of this audiophile madness I can honesty say I have a very amazing set up.
To many times you hear I’m happy with this stuff and kick yourself in the mouth again, not here.

People at B&W are so helpful, Mike Sheenan (hope I spelt that right Mike) is a great guy and he would stay on the phone as long as he could.
Ok first off the best cables in the market for these guys are HarmonicTech, Not a small difference a big one And the only cables that are jaw dropping in my opinion are HarmonicTech. I had many come and go as far as cables and stereos.lol Ok I said cables? Lets go.
Cables- Straight Wire-Transparent-TARA-KIMBER-CARDAS-MONSTER-SYNERJESTIC- XLO-ACROTEC-AUDIOQUEST-Iox-and more trust me. lol
These cables (HarmonicTech) do make a great change. Speaker cables are the pro 9plus biwire 8’ inter connects are truth link 1 meter 2 pair, digital is on its way and that is the cyber link copper by Harmonic, power cords are XLO er10 and soon to come is the ac11 power cord from harmonic. I had cables costing much more so don’t pre judge this review to quickly upon price because you will get snagged on the price hype.
Well this about speakers so I must go on.
Bass- is tight magical and in the right room you will be pleased as long as its hooked up to a great system like Plinius which all I can say, I must have the most amazing synergy going on here. I had this system setup in two different sized rooms, one small one medium, and wouldn’t think for a minute to place this in a large room with a sub.
804s’ has the dynamics, just get a REL sub or a B&W sub if that makes the match.
I love REL subs.
Highs are as good as it gets as long as you have the whole system matched, which takes trail and error. After many years of losses and lessons this is a great lesson and a great match.
Highs will be awesome as long as you believe in room treatment, put that on your list, very important. I don't like to get crazy with that but hey you need that also.
I play many types of music on this system. I can play the worst recorded CD’s and get relaxed. Doors Led zeppelin Elton John to name a few.
And when I play audiophile CD’s wow.
My digital DAC I use is the THETA DAC dsp pro 3.
Just to name a few amps and preamps.
KRELL FPB 300 not worth a dime, KRELL kav 250 a Classe’ ca 100 amp great amp,Aragon 4004,Sim audio w3 (good amp)Sim audio p5 pre,KRELL KRC3 pre(good preamp)Placette passive and active,the passive is better, Virtual Mode passive preamp,McCormack tlc passive buffered pre,AudioResearch Ls3,Aragon 18k preamp I’m just wondering if that’s the right Model number its been so long, that’s the one with the penny and Giles volume control think I’m right. Conrad Johnson’s’ Premier 8a mono Blocks good for the winter, and Edge electroincs m8 amp and the m4 amp and Edge preamp. Also the Rouge preamp the two thousand dollar one, Hey its hard to remember them all and its late tonight. I got bumped off so many times, Aol you stink.Rotel, 995 pre,Rotel,971 pre-Classe cp35 pre-Sonic Frontier sfL1, also the Sonic Fontier pre one and Sonic frontier amp one, CROWN Macro tech E, CROWN MICROTECH 1000, CROWN MACRO 1200, this stuff goes way back in time, and some old tubes from Scott. I also owned a CROWN preamp, got to go get that model number for my records.Where was I? wow….. ok just buy the damn speakers.
Just don’t buy them with an amp that has no balls I mean get a lot of current.
If you have the beans to go out and buy a whole new set up, Then try my set up it may be your last .
I’m very confident of having this stereo after what I just listed above. I know I left out some.
Twenty-three years of being an audiophile and its time to enjoy my CD’s.
I just listen for a system that can give me the most of tonality and the elusion and the most out of the recording.
Thank you B&W and PLINIUS and THETA and HARMONICTECH for being such a truthful product.
I’m a very satisfied customer.

Midrange, clear top, tight meaty bass with the right amp, great soundstage, realism.

revealing

These speakers need to be matched with a good amp and source to deliver. One weak item will ruin it all. I use them with the Krell KAV-300i, Rotel 991 CD, Auidoquest Clear biwires and Nordost Red Dawn XLR interconnects. This gives really awsome realism with good recordings, but it also reveals flaws. That's the price you pay for studio monitor quality stuff like this...So the 804s are not for everyone, I guess. These are for enthusiasts who are really into the music and the recordings, people who want to know how things really sounds like, if it's a bad recording or a good one, and above all, people who loves music...

I think the 804s are really as good as it gets in this price range. I've listened to dozens in the same range but these are really special, there's no competition, really. 5 stars, easily.

Similar Products Used:

Audivector, Proac

I have owned these speakers, driven by Krell FPB series amp, for several months now and am very pleased with them. The build and sonic qualities are excellent. Tapping the enclosure with your palm, the sound is dead solid, no reverberation, like a rock. This kind of damping and cabinet bracing reduces internal resonance and adds to bass accuracy. The features go on: surroundless Kevlar midrange for wider dispersion, tappered tweeter on top ... All for the undistracted purpose of precise and realistic music reproduction, and, IMO, achieved.

Anyway, I take issue with the review below by Jeff, who claims that matching these speakers with a Panasonic receiver resulted in disappointing bass. Assuming he is serious, I question the logic behind matching a $3500 pair of speakers with a $200 AV receiver. A jet fighter plane does not take off on diesel ... Get a clue!

Detailed, Clean, Warm and Articulate

None

Over the last year, I have read many reviews about the 804s and the one complaint that I have heard over and over is that they have limited bass. Every time I hear this, I know what the problem is because I had the same problem with these speakers until recently. However, as most of you know these speakers require top-notch components because they are very clean and will clearly present the class of your associated electronics. This includes your wires or one of the worst culprits that I have come across creating my system which are all the gremlins hanging around the electricity that we feed our systems. I have a very revealing system, and I recently purchased a pair of interconnects that allowed the Bass my system was producing to come through. The interconnects I currently use are Silver Audios Appassionato. They are rather expensive at $700, but the job they do is simply incredible. I have deep, solid, and some time very over powering bass from my 804s. So, if you are having bass problems, you may what to look at the components that you are using to drive your speakers because the speakers are just relaying what your components are feeding them. It is not the speakers that are not producing the bass, but more then likely the zip cords, AMP, and poor electricity that you are feeding your system.

Bryston 9B ST THX
Tag Mclaren AV32R
ADCOM GCD-700 (Transport only) Replacing with SACD player)
Sony DVP S7700 (Transport only)
B&W Nautilus 804s (Front)
B&W Nautilus HTM1 (Center)
B&W 602s (Rear)
Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler (Processor)
Harmonic Technology Pro AC11 (AMP)
Harmonic Technology CyberLink Platinum (Digital cable)
Harmonic Technology Pro-9 Plus Bi-wire (Cables Front)
Illuminata DV30 Digital Cable
Transparent MusicWave Plus Bi-wire (Center Channel)
Silver Audio Appasionata Interconnect (Fronts)
Pure Silver Sound Quartet Interconnects (Rears, Other)
Monster Cable HTS1000 Power Conditioner (switching to PS Audios P300 (power generator)
VibraPods Resonance reducers

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio, Cantons, Soliloquy, Sonus Faber, B&W (all models, Boston Acoustics, Definitive Technology, etc.

transparency, high resolution of the sound and its design

None for its spec.

Nautilus804might not be of good review if driven by consumer electrinics receiver or amplifier
which you can buy at Fry's or good-guys or Circuit City or some sort.
Once it's driven by powerful (not just a issue of "Watt"), it represents the very high resolution sound of each instrment and vocals.
Drive N804 by proper equipment, it represents character of each equipment such as
transport, DAC, preamp, power amp and each of the calbes.

Smooth, sweet, well rounded, neutral sound. Bass quality, quantity and slam are more than adequate. Imaging & soundstage are superb. Fantastic build quality. Absolutely beautiful. Great investment.

none, as far as I'm concerned

See strengths. I started my research for this investment last December. I did not plan to spend $3500 for mains & $2000 for a center (Nautilus HTM1). The beauty of the Nautilus line actually put them at the end of the line as far as my research went. They're like my wife. The first time I met her, I couldn't keep my eyes off her. I thought a woman as pretty as her had to be lacking in other ares. I'm happy to say, the 804s and my wife, are not lacking. Both are extremely well rounded...

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Reference Studio 100, PSB Stratus Silver 'i', B&W CDM 7SE