New B&W 800 Diamond series

Hi Steve,

yeah perhaps I should have let it run!

i can't see me replacing my current 802s until we do something similar and move house.

i am still toying on changing to the SL speaker cables I recently demo'd but at 9m they are a wee bit more than a 500 service and DR upgraded which I have just added my name to the list.

All the best,

Richard

p.s. The new 802s do look nice in high gloss white.

Can't you rearrange your room to accommodate shorter cable runs Richard?

Yeah apologies HH .... I just thought it was a good photo.

I could put the Fraim stack between the speakers but as it is at the front of the house with a window all you would see from outside is the back of my Fraims, black boxes and ICs.....Not a popular idea.

A small price to pay I'd say. 

Don't get me wrong, the basic speaker looks it's just the unnecessary shiny bits. Why can't designers exercise restraint. Perhaps they are going for the oversized Rolex look.

I've seen 'em and heard them in the flesh ! Still not sure about the silver pod on the white ones and more than one wood veneer would be nice , a pale blond or oak maybe .But the cabinets are just beautiful . The curve is on the front and they tapper to the narrow flat panel at the back ( what was the baffle )   So they are the wrong way round ! The rear panel is an aluminium extrusion , stiff ,narrow and pretty . They have a very pleasing room presence , they look nice, and to my eye smaller than the old ones due to the tapper .

Sound , magnificent , diamond tweeter integrates better than before , base is quick and boom free. The whole can be summed up in one word , effortless . Totally effortless , okay thats two words ! 

I heard the big ones on the end of a Naim 272 250 and you just listen to music . The smaller 803 's were on the end of a Klimax  system and also sounded wonderful though I spent less time with them.

B&W have done a lot of good work here. I am impressed 

Oh well - still a great room and the speakers look rather tasty too 

I briefly heard the new 805's and I was impressed.  They were hooked up to an amp (MacIntosh)I'm not very familiar with but they still sounded great. 

I've seen 'em but not yet heard them. My dealer was unpacking his delivery yesterday, so back next week to hear them.  However... the silver pod on the white ones is a travesty... in fact it's a total disaster.  These are going to be 'marmite' speakers - you'll love 'em or hate 'em  (their looks that is).  Personally, I hate 'em... I don't care how wonderful they might sound, something as abominable as this 'ain't  setting foot in my lounge.

Of course, I may live to regret writing this, but somehow I think not.

And as Martin writes above... where's all the wood gone?   My dealer answered this by saying we're the only market (the UK) that demands a wood finish, so B&W aren't pandering to us (hmmm..?).

Well, the boys and girls in the B&W design studio have obviously had some sleepless nights, with grey & white and only one (dodgy) wood finish being the outcome.  If I had shares in B&W I'd sell now, before news of this latest 'offering' gets out.

Roger   

I'll be very interested to hear what the sound like - so to speak. Look forward to reading that.

Our lounge is an absolute bugger not to set off at lots of frequencies, so the current incumbents have been chosen with extreme care after lengthy auditioning. A replacement is not required. And I hope I don't regret typing that too.

Apparently, despite having started production back in March, B&W has orders to account for the next 18 months' capacity, and by far the most popular finish is the white/silver.

Me, I quite like the gloss black 803 D3s I'm sitting in front of right now, on the end of a NAP 250 DR.

I am not in the market to replace my 802s but I will definitely be interested in a dem of the new model.

I just hope they have not become too 'precise' or crystal clear as I bought my first pair of 802Ds because of their depth and reality, like being at a live gig, As well as being able to perform with real beauty and grace.

I then upgraded to my current 802 Diamonds (in a fantastic piano black gloss) which had, for me, better expresive vocals and high treble but still that power of the 802Ds.....At least on the end of my system.

Richard

Imagine what would happen if Naim gear suddenly turned silver or white shiney and with curves and big gold volume knobs.... there's a "right" and "wrong" side to boring.   What can seem wrong now can suddenly sometimes make what once seemed right - to become boring and wrong.

Classic" is something that sets a standard as long as there is enduring interest. If established behemoths wish to change interests by slashing blood and tears from conservative hangers on then so be it.   Mwahahahaaa.

Perhaps the Ovator speakers could be updated to include gloss white , red , orange and silver along with the wood veneers. I'd love a couple of big red ones.

Piano gloss black for me if/when I buy a pair.

As Roger says they are going to be Marmite speakers . Thinking about it , its the silver drive unit in the silver pod that comes as such a visual shock . My dealer in Wycombe has the 802 D3 in wood with black pod , nice but the wood's a bit brown , rosenut ?. 803 D3 in white with silver pod , might work in a modern contemporary room . 804 D3 in Black which is stunning . Not seen the 805 but I'm told that the 805 is the most improved re sound.

B&W have invested  £4 million  in a new production line for this range ! 

Some of the photos on the internet of said production line look  like Airbus or Mclaren production .

Anton D 's dealer described them as game changers and I can't disagree with that . The sound is fantastic , the appearance is a bit of a mixed bag . The finishes are limited but the design and production engineering is staggering as is the price . Maybe they are selling them by the pound ! The packing base tray has a ramp built in so you can slide them out onto the floor , these speakers are very heavy .

They also look better than their photos suggest . They look better than the Scottish firms latest over hyped efforts  .

Especially with their speaker 'socks' Martin. 

Lawrence Dickie ( ex B&W, nautilus designer) has said that speakers don't need to be light ( like a car or plane) or heavy.  His high end speakers are very light compared to these new B&Ws.  I wonder why the big upgrade in mass.  

Flipping the cabinet shape front to back makes some sense for front reflections but you don't need a heavy box to get rid of resonance.  I put my hand on my Vivids at high volumes and there is no vibration transferred to the cabinet.  I would think that too much weight is not domestic friendly.

Good point Briz. The 802s have increased in weight from 72kg to 94.5kg, a whopping 22.5kg. I've not seen the new speakers in the flesh but they seem to have a narrower profile compared to the last model so where has the extra weight come from? The 72kg weight of the 802s was heavy enough to do my back in when I changed the roller balls for the spikes! 

Steve,

not only weight, but also prices have increased considerably!

802 D3 = £16,500 (was £11,500 for D2, up by £5,000)

803 D3 = £12,500 (was £ 7,500, up by £5,000)

804 D3 = £ 6,750 (was £ 5,750)

This means that if you have a pair of 802 D2 for £11,500 and you like to trade them in for a similar price, you need to 'downgrade' to 803 D3 and still pay £1000 more on new price.....

I hope to hear them soon, but really wonder if the 803 D3 sounds better than the 802 D2! Has anybody done that comparison?

Bert,

I'm getting deja vu here. Didn't we discuss this on page one?

Since 2011 Naim's Ovator 600's have increased by 11%. The 802's have stayed the same price of £11,500 and if B&W increased their prices annually, like Naim, at 11% they would be £12,765. Given the R&D, tooling and costs of supposed improved components the increase in cost seems quite reasonable to me, especially if they sound as good as some people are saying.

ATB

Steve 

Steve,

But that's the point: Naim only increased the Ovator 600 price by a very reasonable 11% since 2011. However B&W increased their 802 price since 2010 by 44%, their 803 price even by 67%!

Agreed, the 803 has been upgraded to a different model, but from a price perspective, the B&W prices have jumped up to the next model in the range.

So that begs the reasonable question: is the new 803 (£12,500) just as good as the old 802 (£11,500)? I hope some forum members will let us know!

If they are anything like my Miele washer dryer, which weighs 100kg, they have probably but a block of concrete in the bottom.

They are different speakers Bert.