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B &W advise needed

Sammy77

Sammy77

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Joined
Sep 15, 2025
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Hello folks , I am in the market for speakers and from research conducted have corralled myself into possibly purchasing some B&Ws.
I have been using Klipsch FR2 speakers paired with ps audio m700 amps and dac , sound has been ok and only some music sounds good not all, so I have decided to finally upgrade, have been combing eBay and am wondering if someone can give me advice on which speakers to buy .. here is my list so far .. (would be so grateful for some down to earth advice, frankly I don’t want to pay more than 6,7,8 grand as this will be an investment that will last me a long time hopefully )
1.802 D2. $8,399
2.802 D4. $11,400
3.804 D3 $ 7,395 and 11,000
4.803 D3 800 series $9,000
5. 703 S3 $5,600 and 5,800
6.804S $3,498
7.804 Diamond $4,499

Would be super grateful for some advice on what sounds better , thanks guys
 
Generally B&W is not recommended on ASR. They have a house sound that impresses in the shop, but gets tiring when listening at home.

Erin describes it well here:

"Response linearity is very poor. Many in the audio circle discuss the Bowers & Wilkins “sound” with respect to the treble bump and this speaker is no different. The treble is 3-5dB higher than the midrange which yields an extremely unbalanced and - in my opinion - unnatural sound. It is quite fatiguing."

Bowers and Wilkins HTM81 D4 Center Channel Speaker Review

Bowers and Wilkins HTM81 D4 Center Channel Review
www.erinsaudiocorner.com
 
Sammy77 said:
Would be super grateful for some advice on what sounds better
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I am neither a supporter nor a hater of B&W, but have heard several models under different occasions. If I have learned two things, it would be:

- every generation of any model has its own designated sound and character, there is nothing like a ´house sound´ over the years and the series
- the sound with almost all models dramatically depends on the room acoustics and placement. A model that can be terrible in one room, might sound excellent under different circumstances

So, if I were you, I would not ask anyone for advice. Listen to several models, take the one you like home and check if it is compatible with your room (most probably not, if that is a living room).

Which B&W have you heard that made you think you would like them?
 
Would advise against B&W if you're after reproduction that's faithful to the source material.

B&W designs usually put their own house sound over every track that you play, and it's difficult to get rid of due to the often poorly controlled directivity.

6-8k is a mighty budget that can buy you speakers which are clearly better engineered than Bowers - though they won't get you the same street cred in your nearest HiFi shop if that's what you're after ;)

If passive floorstanders are desired, then I'd shortlist:

Ascilab (C8T)
KEF
Perlisten
MoFi
Revel
 
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G|force said:
Perhaps look into Neumann KH420 or Genelec 8361
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Would assume that someone who has decided to like some B&W models, most probably would not be happy with one of these two. Particularly if it was about one of the brighter, more treble-rich B&W models/generations.

Admittingly I cannot name a promising alternative at this price point. If I had to choose an alternative to B&W remotely resembling the character and virtues of a mid-sized D3 or D4 series model while being engineered in a more linear, measurement-oriented way, I would recommend FinkTeam KIM.
 
Arindal said:
If I had to choose an alternative to B&W remotely resembling the character and virtues of a mid-sized D3 or D4 series model while being engineered in a more linear, measurement-oriented way, I would recommend FinkTeam KIM.
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Would love to read the whitepaper this house curve is based on :D

321kim.lab1.jpg
https://www.hifinews.com/content/finkteam-kim-loudspeaker-lab-report
 
staticV3 said:
Would love to read the whitepaper this house sound is based on
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I think the goal to maintain energy in the room more or less constant for the transitional band and bands the (tall) tweeter starting to narrow vertical dispersion, was explained in some interview or review (need to find it, if you are interested). The latter might explain why on axis you find something like a +2dB boost at 10K, which, as mentioned, gives it a character slightly leaning towards B&W sound, but not too far off. If I recall it correctly, treble level can be adjusted by a switch.

Edit: found it, follow this link to an ASR post showing a measurement under different angles (which looks pretty linear) and an explanation regarding sound power:

Post on ASR
 
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I am aware of most if not all the Variables that are needed to have an optimal listening experience, and because of this I have become pretty good at using my equalizer to the point that I am proud of myself for being able to upgrade my old system all by ear , of course I do take into consideration how the artist intended his sound to be portrait as but as we know there are technical and other reasons for poor recordings, am open to alternative advice but from research it seems that B&W has the financing for lots of research and development, will try to listen to product before purchasing but you guys know how that goes when buying on eBay , shipping sucks too. Love all the responses, thanks guys and can’t wait to keep reading more !!!!
 
Sammy77 said:
Hello folks , I am in the market for speakers and from research conducted have corralled myself into possibly purchasing some B&Ws.
I have been using Klipsch FR2 speakers paired with ps audio m700 amps and dac , sound has been ok and only some music sounds good not all, so I have decided to finally upgrade, have been combing eBay and am wondering if someone can give me advice on which speakers to buy .. here is my list so far .. (would be so grateful for some down to earth advice, frankly I don’t want to pay more than 6,7,8 grand as this will be an investment that will last me a long time hopefully )
1.802 D2. $8,399
2.802 D4. $11,400
3.804 D3 $ 7,395 and 11,000
4.803 D3 800 series $9,000
5. 703 S3 $5,600 and 5,800
6.804S $3,498
7.804 Diamond $4,499

Would be super grateful for some advice on what sounds better , thanks guys
Click to expand...
If you could demo these. It will be better imo. Cos B&W is hit or miss (mostly misses for me personally) but maybe one may resonate with you
 
B&W do know what they’re doing. They design speakers to win quicker hifi shop demos versus their competition.

Beautifully built and with a great brand reputation.

Every B&W speaker I’ve ever heard over the last 30 years has been horrible. Excessive treble taints everything you play on them. Sadly most think this sound is what hifi means. But listen to an accurate speaker with great bass (bass has never been a B&W strength) and well controlled dispersion and you’ll know what’s right.

If you want long term satisfaction buy something recommended by the ASR community. Hell, choose anything from KEF if you want a mainstream brand.

At least have an open mind to other options. You came here after all :)
 
IngMishael said:
LMAO.
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I'm the friendly neighbourhood Doge here, a fun online identity I adopted and embraced years ago, biggest benefit being readily available memes for virtually all occasions. My posts are often cheeky and to be taken with a grain of salt - but usually I'm right. But not always... Hehehe.

Anyway, you'll find those big MoFi speakers highly recommended everywhere. Maybe not the prettiest ever, with a rather rough industrial charme, but oh boy, the sound. I got to listen to the 888 at a local hifi shop briefly, and I thought "yeah, this is it".

Amongst many other good options for the money, definitely worth looking into.
 
Ropeburn said:
I'm the friendly neighbourhood Doge here, a fun online identity I adopted and embraced years ago, biggest benefit being readily available memes for virtually all occasions. My posts are often cheeky and to be taken with a grain of salt - but usually I'm right. But not always... Hehehe.

Anyway, you'll find those big MoFi speakers highly recommended everywhere. Maybe not the prettiest ever, with a rather rough industrial charme, but oh boy, the sound. I got to listen to the 888 at a local hifi shop briefly, and I thought "yeah, this is it".

Amongst many other good options for the money, definitely worth looking into.
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well I am laughing because that was what I was gonna do and held off recommending. As you can see from my signature I am a Sourcepoint 888 enjoyer
 
IngMishael said:
well I am laughing because that was what I was gonna do and held off recommending. As you can see from my signature I am a Sourcepoint 888 enjoyer
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Oh! Now that's funny indeed. I don't see signatures here by default (android browser). I checked and now that made me laugh as well! :D
 
Please read this thread thoroughly.
www.audiosciencereview.com

B&W 800D4 series

Seems to have leaked. On the tech front, the loudspeakers include the company’s Continuum Cone, FST and Biomimetic Suspension technologies. The result of an eight-year research program, the composite Continuum Cone – used for both midrange and mid/bass applications – is combined with the...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

For this budget better get some KEF Blade 2 IMO.
 
Matt_Holland said:
B&W do know what they’re doing. They design speakers to win quicker hifi shop demos versus their competition.

Beautifully built and with a great brand reputation.

Every B&W speaker I’ve ever heard over the last 30 years has been horrible. Excessive treble taints everything you play on them.
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I second this. A few years ago I auditioned the 800 D4 at the local dealer in a demo of a hifi mag. The hot treble was unbearable, especially when playing classical piano music.
 
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