Trouble with Bowers and Wilkins 804 D3

[shadyJ]

Unfortunately until I can build a dedicated room my current set up is in a 17’ x 50’ room with 9’ ceilings that is also open to another area on one side. Sitting about 15-16 feet away

Music is about -20 when playing

But I’m a sucker for good action movies so it does tend to stay around 0 when the action is going on. There’s something about when a gun is fired and feeling it like your in the room with it. Hence the dual svs subs

I would 100% agree when I hear them in a show room in an average listing environment 0 is crazy loud!

How are you blowing the bass drivers when you are using subs? You are high-passing the main speakers, right?

 

[Turk]

How are you blowing the bass drivers when you are using subs? You are high-passing the main speakers, right?

At 80hz

But apparently my audyssey is trying to over correct around 100-200hz

 

[PENG]

At 80hz

But apparently my audyssey is trying to over correct around 100-200hz

It boosted 65-80 hz too , to one of the front channel by 8-9 db .

 

[Turk]

It boosted 65-80 hz too , to one of the front channel by 8-9 db .

I’m kinda new to this but how would it boost that low if crossover is 80hz?
I thought audyssey took measurements for everything but didn’t actually apply it that low. At first it set speakers to large but I changed it to small with a crossover at 80

 

[PENG]

No, It will boost regardless but setting the channel to small will cause frequencies above XO (80hz in this case ) to be redirected to the sub. As I explained before, crossover is not a brick wall so with 9db boost the channel affected will still get a fair bit of 80hz and slightly lower freq contents even with XO set to 80hz. Again, this of course should not be a problem at all by itself, but everything else , that is , large room , sitting 16 ft away, listening at 85db average , boost in the mid bass , inefficient and small woofers that cannot take the heat and/or excursion when being pushed to produce very high instantaneous spl at your seat all add up to cause trouble .

 

[Turk]

I believe I can build my theater room in the basement for about 1/4 the price of the 800 d3’s that TLS Guy suggests. I know the 800’s are awesome but the wife would never go for it. And the theater im going to make small about 13’ x 10’ with 8’ ceilings maybe a little smaller and then I think the 800’s might get a little over powering and the 804’s should work just fine.

 

[TLS Guy]

I believe I can build my theater room in the basement for about 1/4 the price of the 800 d3’s that TLS Guy suggests. I know the 800’s are awesome but the wife would never go for it. And the theater im going to make small about 13’ x 10’ with 8’ ceilings maybe a little smaller and then I think the 800’s might get a little over powering and the 804’s should work just fine.

That sounds like a really sensible plan.

By the way, do not use Audyssey. That is a massive sound quality spoiler. Your speakers will sound much better without it. It also wants to use Audyssey Dynamic Eq, which is a real rogue program. The also, among other ills, gives a big gratuitous bass boost in the last octave. It absolutely should not be used with speakers of the quality of your B & Ws. That will be a massive downgrade.

The only good thing I have to say about Audyssey is that it is an accurate tape measure.

You can read my three part write up on Audyssey here.

 

[Turk]

That sounds like a really sensible plan.

By the way, do not use Audyssey. That is a massive sound quality spoiler. Your speakers will sound much better without it. It also wants to use Audyssey Dynamic Eq, which is a real rogue program. The also, among other ills, gives a big gratuitous bass boost in the last octave. It absolutely should not be used with speakers of the quality of your B & Ws. That will be a massive downgrade.

The only good thing I have to say about Audyssey is that it is an accurate tape measure.

You can read my three part write up on Audyssey here.

That’s an expensive tape measure

 

[Turk]

That sounds like a really sensible plan.

By the way, do not use Audyssey. That is a massive sound quality spoiler. Your speakers will sound much better without it. It also wants to use Audyssey Dynamic Eq, which is a real rogue program. The also, among other ills, gives a big gratuitous bass boost in the last octave. It absolutely should not be used with speakers of the quality of your B & Ws. That will be a massive downgrade.

The only good thing I have to say about Audyssey is that it is an accurate tape measure.

You can read my three part write up on Audyssey here.

Just reading the first part of your part 3 on audyssey I noticed it was crossing everything at 200hz about. Did you try a second mic by chance? I have that issue with one of my mic’s no matter what room or where it goes it crosses everything high but when I use one of my other mic’s everything measures fine.

 

[TLS Guy]

Just reading the first part of your part 3 on audyssey I noticed it was crossing everything at 200hz about. Did you try a second mic by chance? I have that issue with one of my mic’s no matter what room or where it goes it crosses everything high but when I use one of my other mic’s everything measures fine.

No the stupid program got confused by a room null on the center channel. I was able to trick it by boosting the BSC by a few db. Anyhow keep reading.

 

[Mr. BLH]

I'm having the same trouble with my 804 D3. I have a mid sized room and use the B&Ws for music and as the fronts of a 7.1 surround system. I have an Anthem MRX 720 as my reciever with a Panamax M5300-PM as my power management system. My amp is a McIntosh MAC6700 and my server is a Sony HAP-Z1ES. When I listen to music, it is just a 2 channel system. The Mac puts out 200 watts/channel which the B&Ws supposedly can handle. On a volume scale of 1 - 100 I've never been over 43. Why are the drivers failing?

Side note: everything was installed by a B&W diamond dealer.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm having the same trouble with my 804 D3. I have a mid sized room and use the B&Ws for music and as the fronts of a 7.1 surround system. I have an Anthem MRX 720 as my reciever with a Panamax M5300-PM as my power management system. My amp is a McIntosh MAC6700 and my server is a Sony HAP-Z1ES. When I listen to music, it is just a 2 channel system. The Mac puts out 200 watts/channel which the B&Ws supposedly can handle. On a volume scale of 1 - 100 I've never been over 43. Why are the drivers failing?

Side note: everything was installed by a B&W diamond dealer.

So the Sony Server connects to the Anthem 7.2Ch Receiver which connects to a McIntosh 2Ch Receiver which connects to the B&W 804D?

Why didn't you get a regular McIntosh Amp, instead of a Stereo Receiver?

 

[PENG]

I'm having the same trouble with my 804 D3. I have a mid sized room and use the B&Ws for music and as the fronts of a 7.1 surround system. I have an Anthem MRX 720 as my reciever with a Panamax M5300-PM as my power management system. My amp is a McIntosh MAC6700 and my server is a Sony HAP-Z1ES. When I listen to music, it is just a 2 channel system. The Mac puts out 200 watts/channel which the B&Ws supposedly can handle. On a volume scale of 1 - 100 I've never been over 43. Why are the drivers failing?

Side note: everything was installed by a B&W diamond dealer.

As pointed out on this forum many times, volume position does not mean much by itself. For example, if the input signal is super strong, even at 43/100 can cause the amp to max out and clip. You can either take some measurements, or use a good online spl calculator to figure out the actual power output to the speakers.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm having the same trouble with my 804 D3. I have a mid sized room and use the B&Ws for music and as the fronts of a 7.1 surround system. I have an Anthem MRX 720 as my reciever with a Panamax M5300-PM as my power management system. My amp is a McIntosh MAC6700 and my server is a Sony HAP-Z1ES. When I listen to music, it is just a 2 channel system. The Mac puts out 200 watts/channel which the B&Ws supposedly can handle. On a volume scale of 1 - 100 I've never been over 43. Why are the drivers failing?

Side note: everything was installed by a B&W diamond dealer.

Yes, you need to explain why you have a receiver connected to a s receiver and how.

The reason these speakers are failing is because people are playing the wrong sort of music too loud.

I think from the design of these speakers their primary purpose should be the reproduction of classical music.