B&W 804 Dilemma

[steve cougar]

I have been lusting for a pair of B&W speakers for years and have now been presented with a bit of a dilemma and could use some expert advice.

There is a pair of well loved 804's for sale that I'm looking at buying.
There is no "S" or "D" on the label just 804. These were purchased by the original owner about 5 years ago and I was wondering if the early 804's had the diamond tweeter in them and if these would sound, or be, better than either a new pair of 804S's or a pair that was perhaps a year old.

Any thoughts on this quandary would be very much appreciated!

Thanks
Steve

 

[DonBattles]

I'm not a B&W expert but I didn't think the 804's, old or new, had the diamond tweeter When the 800 Series was released, from a fast "google" search:

http://www.stereophile.com/news/112204bw/

The top models in the new line are three three-way units with all these features, including the diamond tweeter, FS-T midrange, and a supporting base that controls output from the LF port on the bottom of the main enclosure: the 800 with two 10" Rohacell woofers ($10k/speaker), the 801 with one 15" Rohacell woofer ($8k/speaker), and the 802 with two 8" Rohacell woofers ($6k/speaker). The 804 and 805 retain the Nautilus-inspired tweeter mounting, but use an FS-T midrange in a conventional enclosure and an aluminum tweeter but the three-way 803 models straddle this dividing line. The 803 is available with the diamond tweeter and three 7" Rohacell woofers (803D, $4k/each) or with an aluminum tweeter and two 7" Rohacell woofers (803S, $2750/speaker). Also updated are the three-way 804 with two 6.5" Rohacell woofers ($2k/speaker) and the two-way, stand-mounted 805 with a single 6.5" Kevlar bass-midrange unit ($1250/speaker).

 

[TLS Guy]

I have been lusting for a pair of B&W speakers for years and have now been presented with a bit of a dilemma and could use some expert advice.

There is a pair of well loved 804's for sale that I'm looking at buying.
There is no "S" or "D" on the label just 804. These were purchased by the original owner about 5 years ago and I was wondering if the early 804's had the diamond tweeter in them and if these would sound, or be, better than either a new pair of 804S's or a pair that was perhaps a year old.

Any thoughts on this quandary would be very much appreciated!

Thanks
Steve

Those speakers have a cast aluminum tweeter. However don't worry, the 800
series of speakers from B & W have been successful all along. They do how ever take a lot of power in the lower end, and you will need to power those with a separate amp, and that goes for the whole 800 range then and now.

 

[annunaki]

TLS guy is correct. The diamond tweeters only started aboout 2-3 years ago tops.

They do require a bit of power but it is well worth the investment (in power).

 

[KODG]

804 b&w

I have been lusting for a pair of B&W speakers for years and have now been presented with a bit of a dilemma and could use some expert advice.

There is a pair of well loved 804's for sale that I'm looking at buying.
There is no "S" or "D" on the label just 804. These were purchased by the original owner about 5 years ago and I was wondering if the early 804's had the diamond tweeter in them and if these would sound, or be, better than either a new pair of 804S's or a pair that was perhaps a year old.

Any thoughts on this quandary would be very much appreciated!

Thanks
Steve

DEAR STEVE:
THE OLD VERSION OF B&W SPEAKERS ARE CALLED THE NATILIUS.
THE NEW VERSION OF B&W SPEAKERS ARE CALLED (S) OR (D)
THE S STANDS FOR STANDARD (ALUMINUM TWEETER)
THE D STANDS FOR DIAMOND TWEETER.

ALTHOUGH THE OLD VERSION NATILIUS ARE STILL VERY GOOD SPEAKERS (B&W DID NOT UP-GRADE/CHANGE THE SPEAKERS FOR 7 YRS.! AS PROOF)

THE NEW 800 SERIES THE S (STANDARD TWEETER) OR THE D (DIAMOND TWEETER) HAVE MANY NEW TECH. ADVANCES & THEY ARE A SIGNIFICANT UP-GRADE TO THE OLDER NATILIUS VERSIONS. THE SPEAKER CABINET & APPEARANCE HAS CHANGED VERY LITTLE BUT THE LATEST TECH. IS MOSTLY HIDDEN.

YOU CAN GET A OLD VERSION OF THE 804 FOR AROUND $2000-$2400.
YOU CAN PURCHASE A USED PAIR OF 804S FOR $3100-$3600.

AIM SELLING TWO PAIRS OF 804S (RORENUT/BLACK ASH FOR $3,500.00 & $3,200.00 (SLIGHTY DAMAGED CORNER, BUMP INTO A WALL!) & THE MATCHING CENTER HTM3S.

RETAIL PRICE IS $4,500.00 A PAIR & GENERALLY THE BEST DISCOUNT YOU WILL FIND FROM AN AUTHORIZED DEALER IS 10%. THEY JUST DISCOUNT B&W. (THEY DONT HAVE TOO THERE THE 3RD LARGEST SPEAKER SELLER IN THE WORLD)

B&W ARE PERFECTIONIST ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS & WELL NOT SELL A SPEAKER THEY DON'T FEEL IS PERFECT COSMETICALLY OR FUNCTIONALLY.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR BUDGET IS BUT, IF YOU CAN SWING IT GO FOR THE 804S. (YOU WON'T WANT OR NEED TO UP-GRADE FOR MANY YEARS.)

THE NEW SERIES OF 800 SERIES LAUNCHED IN 2005.

IF YOU HAVE INTEREST IN MY 804S LET ME KNOW.
AIM UP-GRADING TO THE 803D. & THE MATCHING CENTER HTM2D.

THE PRICES LISTED BY ANOTHER MEMBER ARE NOT ACCURATE. THE PRICES I LEAST ARE THE CURRENT PRICES.

KODG

P.S GO TO B&W WEB SITE THEIR ARE MANY GOOD PDF DOWNLOADS.