B&W 802d

[flyboylr45]

Thinking of pulling the trigger on a pair of 802D. They are brand new from my local dealer. I know what the MSRP is, but can anyone tell me what a good price for these is?

 

[UnxpectedError]

I would say 20% or better discount is fine to pull the trigger. 20% what I got on all my non b-stock B&W gear. Some people say they get 30+% but I've never been able to get that, and have to wonder. Although I don't doubt that USA buyer do a little better than us here in Canada.
I did Negotiated 37% on my B-stock 803's.

 

[lsiberian]

Depends on the price. B&W has some great speakers now doubt, but some of the online offerings are amazing too.

 

[flyboylr45]

Perfect. Thanks guys. Santa is coming early this year!!!!

 

[English210]

Flyboy, just curious, are they replacing any of the speakers in your sig line, or are they additional? I noticed you have the 1028Be's, which I really like too...

Never mind, saw your ad - Yo, Santa, I know what I want this year!!! Can you stop by Orlando on your way here????

 

[flyboylr45]

Replacing the 1028be. I listened to the 802d with mcintosh equipment and loved it. I personally feel the Focals are bright for my taste. I also auditioned the Revel Studio 2 and Salon 2, and ML summits and just liked the 802d better. They're all great speakers though .

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

You mean 802D2, not 802D1, right?

D2 = 2nd Generation Diamond
D1 = 1st Generation Diamond

I paid $12K brand new out the door delivered and installed in my HT room, which is 20% off the $15K MSRP.

 

[English210]

Replacing the 1028be. I listened to the 802d with mcintosh equipment and loved it. I personally feel the Focals are bright for my taste. I also auditioned the Revel Studio 2 and Salon 2, and ML summits and just liked the 802d better. They're all great speakers though .

That's my concern, at least until I invest the time in learning about room treatments, but I did love a lot about what I heard from that tweeter...I know that 'detail' can become 'fatiguing' though. I can't fit the 802's, but have listened to the 803's recently, and would love to hear them next to the 1028's. I'd like to hear the smaller Revel's (always get the names confused, Studios are the smaller of the 2?), but there are no dealers close. I have 2 B&W dealers within 20 miles, though.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Replacing the 1028be. I listened to the 802d with mcintosh equipment and loved it. I personally feel the Focals are bright for my taste. I also auditioned the Revel Studio 2 and Salon 2, and ML summits and just liked the 802d better. They're all great speakers though .

Not an unusual preference. I have a good friend who prefers the 800D/802D to the Revels, and I have two internet friends who have that preference too. I also know several people who strongly prefer the Revels. I know of one person who traded Revel Studio2s for 802Ds, and another that went from 800Ds to Salon2s, all thinking they made an improvement. Sometimes I wonder if people are just drawn to something different after a while, even if what they currently have is really just as good.

The MLs are a different animal altogether.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Not an unusual preference. I have a good friend who prefers the 800D/802D to the Revels, and I have two internet friends who have that preference too. I also know several people who strongly prefer the Revels. I know of one person who traded Revel Studio2s for 802Ds, and another that went from 800Ds to Salon2s, all thinking they made an improvement. Sometimes I wonder if people are just drawn to something different after a while, even if what they currently have is really just as good.

The MLs are a different animal altogether.

My wife's uncle was pretty sure he preferred the 802D2 over the Salon2.

But after I gave him a single-blinded comparison, he was quite unsure.

 

[English210]

That's why I refer to this hobby as my crack habit - always looking to 'add something' to what I already have. In my case, though, I'm still in the early stages, so changes I make are far more likely to be an improvement than the riskier steps of one 10-15K speaker to another I'd like to hear the Aerial 7T's as well - I like what I've read, and the form factor fits, and I'm wondering if the 'softer' tweeter might not be a better match (for me!!), but they have no dealers near me. Mr. Kelly did offer a nice deal to buy direct in lieu of being able to audition, though.

OP, do you have a Best Buy Magnolia store near you? That's where I heard the 803's and they had the 802's as well. There may be an option to get a deal through them. They do discounts just for using their card, and the no interest option is a no brainer.

 

[English210]

So do you prefer one over the other? Or is it simply 'different tools for different jobs'?

 

[flyboylr45]

There are Magnolias around me, but none carry the 802d. I prefer the 802D (diamond) over the Focals. They both have their pros and cons. My room is 18x15x8, carpeted and has bass traps and acoustic panels from GIK acoustics. This is a dedicated room. Only one chair in it for me. For a while I'm going to have both the Focals and the B&Ws in the same room and can compare. I thought about going with a subwoofer (I felt the Focals lacked a bit in the bass dept) but in the end just got blown away by the B&W.

 

[Irvrobinson]

So do you prefer one over the other? Or is it simply 'different tools for different jobs'?

With audio equipment I don't believe in different tools for different jobs. It's either more or less accurate, and I like more accurate.

If you're asking me, I have a strong preference for the Revels over the B&Ws. On my own recordings the Revels are more true to the original, to my ears. I also believe the Revels have superior imaging capabilities compared to the B&Ws, and that's an important attribute to me (not so much for some other people). I fully understand a preference for the B&Ws though, it's like Fuijifilm versus Kodachrome, to use an outmoded comparison. The B&Ws remind me of Fuijifilm, which to my eyes has over-saturated colors that make the world look a little more exciting than it really is. The Revels are like the more accurate, but more boring to some, Kodachrome. The B&Ws, IMO, are voiced to inject some excitement into the frequency spectrum. On some recordings the colorations are very attractive, on others not so much.

 

[English210]

With audio equipment I don't believe in different tools for different jobs. It's either more or less accurate, and I like more accurate.

If you're asking me, I have a strong preference for the Revels over the B&Ws. On my own recordings the Revels are more true to the original, to my ears. I also believe the Revels have superior imaging capabilities compared to the B&Ws, and that's an important attribute to me (not so much for some other people). I fully understand a preference for the B&Ws though, it's like Fuijifilm versus Kodachrome, to use an outmoded comparison. The B&Ws remind me of Fuijifilm, which to my eyes has over-saturated colors that make the world look a little more exciting than it really is. The Revels are like the more accurate, but more boring to some, Kodachrome. The B&Ws, IMO, are voiced to inject some excitement into the frequency spectrum. On some recordings the colorations are very attractive, on others not so much.

I see your point, but I would say it's not the fairest comparison. Flyboylr45 has a dedicated room with treatments (his 'job', so to speak), whereas others are integrating into family rooms, or have larger/smaller rooms, (different jobs) so that by the time the sound reaches our brains, it has been altered by the environment, so a speaker which measures less accurately anechoically (sp?) can actually sound more accurate in a given room, correct? Plus of course personal preferences, such as you mention in regards to imaging.

I forget the 'version' of Magnolia stores that carry the higher end, but there's one here in Atlanta, and others around, it was worth a shot

 

[English210]

There are Magnolias around me, but none carry the 802d. I prefer the 802D (diamond) over the Focals. They both have their pros and cons. My room is 18x15x8, carpeted and has bass traps and acoustic panels from GIK acoustics. This is a dedicated room. Only one chair in it for me. For a while I'm going to have both the Focals and the B&Ws in the same room and can compare. I thought about going with a subwoofer (I felt the Focals lacked a bit in the bass dept) but in the end just got blown away by the B&W.

I'd be very interested in that comparison

 

[flyboylr45]

Dealer says thy would take 4 to 7 days. Hopefully before I leave on my next trip. ;-)

 

[eljr]

On my 803d's I got 33% off MSRP.

 

[jinjuku]

I had a chance 18 months ago to A/B my Statements vs the 803D. Statements bested them. I would like to hear the 802D's. Honestly not impressed for the $$$ that they 803's cost.

I would go find a pair of the original Revel Salons for $4-5K.

 

[UnxpectedError]

I had a chance 18 months ago to A/B my Statements vs the 803D. Statements bested them. I would like to hear the 802D's. Honestly not impressed for the $$$ that they 803's cost.

I would go find a pair of the original Revel Salons for $4-5K.

Were the 803's Broken in? I was always a non believer in the Break-in thing but my 803's changed dramatically over the 1st 300 hours. Was a totally different Speaker.

I A/B with my Studio 100's when new and was extremely disapointed with the 803's. Another A/B session a couple months later and I was floored.
I also Bought a used HTM2 at the same time as the new 803's and thought it sounded way better/different than my 803's and wondered how this was possible since it has the exact same drivers as my 803's. Well 300 hrs later all 3 speakers sounds the same now.

Hey Accudef.....were your 802's like this as well?