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B&W 800 D3 vs KEF Blade. Let's discuss.
- Thread starter bandit
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Oops.
That's the problem ...
I'll take the Blades any day of the week.
I wonder how many people commenting on this thread have auditioned a pair of 800D3 and Blade in a controlled environment (not at a show or showroom)?
I did (I used to own a pair) and I say there’s no competition. 800D3 wins by a good margin, especially at realistic levels of a symphony orchestra or a (unregulated) night club.
I did (I used to own a pair) and I say there’s no competition. 800D3 wins by a good margin, especially at realistic levels of a symphony orchestra or a (unregulated) night club.
I have auditioned them both, at a well-designed and treated dealer showroom.
B&Ws were driven by Classe electronics.
KEFs were driven by Nagra electronics.
I'll take the Blades any day of the week.
Maybe… but the Dali Fazon F5‘s are made from die-cast aluminium and perform very well indeed.
Quote from Dr Toole's latest post.
You can find an informative and very interesting (IMHO) assessment of B&W design philosophy in his post here.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...cal-music-pros-using.12225/page-8#post-841644
You can find an informative and very interesting (IMHO) assessment of B&W design philosophy in his post here.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...cal-music-pros-using.12225/page-8#post-841644
So you are saying that B&W doesn’t give Abbey Road studios the speakers for free or at cost!
HiFiDiscoveryTrip
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@sarumbear That’s exactly my experience as well. Only a very few number of speakers like the 800 D3 have the rare ability to instantly transport you to another time and space.
As an audio enthusiasts, there are a number of speakers that stay with you and that you aspire to own one day. And sorry, but the blades aren’t on my list.
What speakers do you own now then??
I read a review of the 800 D3’s on WhatHifi and could find myself perfectly in there conclusion:
“Verdict
In the world of high-end loudspeakers, manufacturers use many methods to convince consumers of the superiority of their particular acoustic creation.
Some use physical size, others use sculptural devices, while a few of them provide myriad complex adjustments to encourage ‘listener participation’.
Regrettably, an increasing number of manufacturers are rather crudely just attaching unjustifiably high price tags to inferior products in an attempt to fool consumers into thinking that because their products are expensive, they must somehow be ‘better’ simply because they cost more.
B&W has employed an entirely different selling strategy with the 800 D3. It has created a loudspeaker whose sound speaks for itself. Audition a pair and they’ll speak to you. They’ll say: ‘We’re the best speakers you’ve ever heard!’”
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Yes. They buy them at the price dealers buy.
HiFiDiscoveryTrip
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I have downsized to a flat and no longer have a listening room that can accommodate large speakers. I’m now using my own Silver 5L speakers.
HiFiDiscoveryTrip
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Wow, you started that company? Looks like you’ve made a very original speaker!
We sold 8,000 pairs between 1993 and 1998. A good amount considering we were selling only to the pro market. Unfortunately we were too early. China was still in dark ages. The outsourcing in the UK was unreliable. Quality control was taking too much of our time. My partner and I finally thrown in the towel as neither of us were into actual manufacturing.
Then the people in charge of Abbey Road are clueless. The marketing value for having your speakers at Abbey Road is enormous. B&W would provide these speakers for free. You have to explain to me how paying for them is using Abbey Road's own brand value.
Is there a reason for the 5dB increase from 200Hz to 11kHz?
Sponsored doesn't mean free. For the big famous studio's its a no-brainer for B&W to provide them for free or at an extreme discount.
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I haven't heard the Blade or the 800D3, but I have heard the 802D3 and the KEF Reference 5 in an acoustically treated showroom with just these speakers in there. Even though the KEF is the less expensive one it was the best. The bass was went deep and sounded better on the 802D3, but above 2kHz the B&W just falls apart. You got some extreme peaking that can really ruin certain tracks. On the KEF it was always just right and for the price difference you can just add double subwoofers anyway.
Maybe you should apply for the job of running Abbey Road...
Too much of a bother to actually respond?
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A big studio like Abbey Road is a serious place where everything has to work every day, so relationships with suppliers are usually long-term and in depth. There's a huge tail of spare parts and replacement units to be supplied. Some technical manager (perhaps @sarumbear was one?) signs off on the deals, with at least some engineering common sense, so price isn't really make or break. The studio gets a trade price, possibly 50% of retail, and depreciates it over a number of years, down to maybe 25% of retail, and probably the spares are on sale-or-return. So no big deal. Meanwhile the supplier books the retail price of absolutely everything as promotional deductions, and loses very little in the end.
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