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B&W 800D3 HiFi Speaker = Porsche GT3 Sport Car

MasterApex

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I was looking to upgrade my HiFi speakers, so been doing a few auditions /evaluations on Magico A5/S5/M2 , Focal Maestro Utopia, B&W 800D3 (while waiting to get a chance to hear 801D4).

It seems to me that the B&W 800D3 as Hi Fi Speakers is like Porsche GT3 as Sport Car.
It is not the most exotic, most expensive but seems to hit the sweet spot for performance, resale, spare parts, looks.

The Z06 C6 have better measurement in term of HP, 0-100, static g-force traction limit but in real life road and track driving , 991 GT3 wins.
800D3 wins on the same real life listening to most people so I think I may just get 800D3 or get on wait list for 801D4 :cool:
 

Doodski

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Have you seen the new Klipsch Jubilee speaker?
Screen+Shot+2021-10-27+at+1.34.23+PM.png

klipscch-Jubilee-base-diagram.jpeg

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MasterApex

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Not yet...it looks badass.
I listened to the smaller Klipsch Cornwall . It is very efficient, but lack dynamic (when playing classical music) and the horn tweeter characteristic is an acquired taste.
 

Doodski

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Not yet...it looks badass.
I listened to the smaller Klipsch Cornwall . It is very efficient, but lack dynamic (when playing classical music) and the horn tweeter characteristic is an acquired taste.
The Cornwall is a old model with totally different parts. Yes, horns do have a live kind of sound. I ran large horns for some years in a tr-amp'd system and after getting used to the dynamics everything else sounded boring. They need to be fine tuned like any speaker for location and setup. If you are expensing in this price range you could look at the Klipsche too.
 

aschen

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Jubilee screams hellcat to me. gt3 is too well engineered to be a B&W.

shame about the top end issues on c6z, really kills the charm of that car for me.
 

Doodski

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Jubilee screams hellcat to me. gt3 is too well engineered to be a B&W.

shame about the top end issues on c6z, really kills the charm of that car for me.
Yes,125 dB/1m with DSP sounds loud and proud. I'm very interested in hearing them. I highly doubt I will see them in shops here in a city of a million.
 
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MasterApex

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The Cornwall is a old model with totally different parts. Yes, horns do have a live kind of sound. I ran large horns for some years in a tr-amp'd system and after getting used to the dynamics everything else sounded boring. They need to be fine tuned like any speaker for location and setup. If you are expensing in this price range you could look at the Klipsche too.
I will check this out...thanks for the tip.
 

raest

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It seems to me that the B&W 800D3 as Hi Fi Speakers is like Porsche GT3 as Sport Car.
It is not the most exotic, most expensive but seems to hit the sweet spot for performance, resale, spare parts, looks.
i'd give that title to the KEF Blades. on average cheaper than most exotics, outperforms the vast majority of exotics, has great and distinctive "high performance" looks...

...but i also get the B&W analogy. the B&W (particularly treble) will impress many in the showroom, but will be fatiguing for a not insignificant chunk of folks at home... just like the GT3 will wow many with the performance, but the hard ride in everyday use will turn off some people

as far as resale... is there even anything in the loudspeaker world that can approach 911 limited editions?
 

Doodski

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It reminds me of an old-skool rear-projection TV.
I've peeped at enough folded horns over the years I don't even get phased by the layout anymore. I like bigger to big speakers. Can't replace displacement and they have DSP too...lol. Lotsa fun there for days and days!
 

cavedriver

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B&W is more like a Lamborghini, or maybe a Jaguar, loud, brash, lots of technology, decent looks, doesn't perform for sh**. Porsche's engineering standards and performance per dollar are way beyond B&W. Much more of a scalpel. KEF could be good as mentioned, not sure what else matches the analogy since a lot of the best speakers out there can't approach cars for hours of engineering or history of development effort. maybe the top end of the Revel or Elac ranges?
 

sarumbear

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as far as resale... is there even anything in the loudspeaker world that can approach 911 limited editions?
Revel Salon2 does well…
 

cavedriver

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hmm, resale value for speakers? Porsche limited production models might have excellent resale value but only certain models and years, like 997-era GT2's, GT3 RS's and so on, but when do manufacturers make limited edition speakers and how have they held their value?? I can't even think of a limited edition speaker that is actually limited. Speakers that are currently marketed as limited edition appear to have unlimited runs.
 

raest

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hmm, resale value for speakers? Porsche limited production models might have excellent resale value but only certain models and years, like 997-era GT2's, GT3 RS's and so on, but when do manufacturers make limited edition speakers and how have they held their value?? I can't even think of a limited edition speaker that is actually limited. Speakers that are currently marketed as limited edition appear to have unlimited runs.
i think the list of LE 911s with a subpar resale is quite short (is there currently any pre-996 LE that isn't in the stratosphere? just skimmed through mobile.de and at least here in europe even the 996 era seems to be holding up pretty well when it comes to GT2s and 3s) :p

the Dynaudio Heritage Special is supposedly limited to 2500 units... all things considered, after 2 years it seems to be holding pretty well, secondary prices here in EU are around 5k while MSRP is 6k.
 

cavedriver

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When Klipsch say 105dB sensitivty, in reality it's probably 95dB.

They have a history with their sensitivity figures.
Yeah, I just read reviews of two of their speakers, one Heritage and one modern style, and both measured WELL below their ratings. I haven't seen any "quality" manufacturer be off by that much. Sure plenty that are off by 2-3 dB, which is embarrassing and really my limit for trustworthiness, but almost 10 dB in the two cases I read. That's some serious bs.
i think the list of LE 911s with a subpar resale is quite short (is there currently any pre-996 LE that isn't in the stratosphere? just skimmed through mobile.de and at least here in europe even the 996 era seems to be holding up pretty well when it comes to GT2s and 3s) :p

the Dynaudio Heritage Special is supposedly limited to 2500 units... all things considered, after 2 years it seems to be holding pretty well, secondary prices here in EU are around 5k while MSRP is 6k.
I didn't consider the value of pre-996 cars because honestly that's over 20 years old and if we're talking about buying speakers with the expectation of holding on to them for 20 years that's a way different proposition. If you look at speakers from 20-40 years ago then even normal production run speakers have increased in absolute value, but few could be considered collectible as the rates of return and appreciation has been, in a word, poor, compared to many other collectible objects. A website that sells used gear in NJ, Skyfi Audio, routinely has 30-50 pairs of vintage speakers that are considered "high quality" examples, so top $, and only the oldest speakers sell for significantly more than the their original prices. The ones that seem to increase in value the most are generally the ones that have significant sonic performance for their years of manufacture, like certain JBL's, Quad's, Altec's, B&W's, and a few others. Yes B&W's seem to hold their value well, but I credit that to them being a "prestige" brand like McIntosh where wealthy people just treat them like they can do no wrong and all their gear is worth ridiculous amounts of money. The job the McIntosh brand has done in establishing itself as the Cadillac of the audio world is commendable but honestly when I've heard a few of their amplifiers they've only sounded serviceable and I think they are one of the most painfully overpriced bs brands out there. I tend to see B&W as similar but not as bad. So I wouldn't compare either to a Porsche because the performance side of the equation seems to be missing.
 

raest

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yeah, that was kinda my point :) there's nothing really in the speaker world that can compare to 911s or... nearly anything else, be it watches, handbags, pens, knives, hell probably even furniture :D they're just not that collectible (which, imho, kinda makes sense)
 

cavedriver

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Well, you could always create the market. There was an investment broker that wrote an article back in the 2000's where he observed that Magic the Gathering playing cards were sufficiently rare and of sufficient value to make a good collectible to "corner". His article triggered a run on collecting MtG cards to a degree that their value has increased over 10 times as a result. Collectors constantly monitor larger markets like cars and their values are well studied and tracked and opportunities for abuse are limited. If someone with influence were to write an article on the increasing values of rare vintage speakers you might be able to create the demand. The problem is, again, there just aren't enough laying around to maintain any kind of fluidity and they are large and difficult to move and maintain. I think old speakers are destined to remain forever niche.
 
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