802d's prices and comparisions

[coilman]

hey guy's could someone give ballpark on 802d's and are they that much better to buy a pair for start of 5.1 or just get 5.1 complete from psb or paradigm etc? i don't know what the cost factor between them? my thought is a couple zero's more for b&w. will be using for music and movies. long term which is the better solution. budget is around 4-6k Thanks ahead of time

 

[JerryLove]

I cannot tell you what you should do. I can tell you only what I would do right now (and this assumes a love of 2-channel music). I would get a pair of 802Ds, phantom the center, and put "whatever I could get" on the surrounds before I would split the money 6-ways for a HT.

Simply put: cheap surrounds won't be too bad in a HT compared to cheap fronts in a music setup.

But in the end you need to make those decisions... and I think in your price range: you'll need to find a deal on used.

 

[oppman99]

My dealer recently started carrying B&W so I had a chance to audition the 802D's about two weeks ago. They are phenomenal speakers. I can tell you they are way our of your price range (around $15K retail). I thought they did a lot of things amazingly well (imaging, bass ect), but I don't think I personally like the diamond tweeter. Sounded a bit "dry" to me. That's the best way I can explain it. I prefer the overall presentation of the Paradigm Signature S8's at less than half the cost, but again, that's just my opinion.

As mentioned earlier, I can't tell you what you should do either. At your price range, I would look into the PSB's. If you look into the used market, I think you could put together a very nice system that won't go over your stated budget. If you find something you like that is over your limit, start with the front three speakers and a good sub. You can add surrounds as funds become available.

 

[Seth=L]

The 802D is perhaps the best production speaker you can buy for the going price. They are very expensive of course.

Another option I would explore would be Vandersteen. Vandersteen uses an under engineered concept to the 802D. Vandersteen makes very good speakers and they cost much less than many speakers of similar quality. Because of the design choice and longevity of production Vandersteen is able to produce the Model 2 and derivations of the Model 2 for reasonable prices.

 

[zumbo]

Believe it or not, the 805s bookshelf used in a 5.1 set up will yield amazing results in your budget.

My dealer has a dedicated room with the 802d, and the 805s. He has the 805s on Macintosh tube gear, and the 802d on Macintosh solid state. The 802d are breath-taking. The 805s are nothing short of amazing.

 

[EJ1]

I believe the 802D's are $7k each.

 

[oppman99]

I believe the 802D's are $7k each.

The price I gave was per pair retial. The expected steet price should be a bit lower.

 

[zumbo]

The price I gave was per pair retial. The expected steet price should be a bit lower.

Just noticed your sig. Killer set-up.