B&W 802 Matrix Series 1 Sound

Huh, good to know, there are/were some 802 Series 80's available...have not heard them yet...went to hear some ML Quest Z's - IMpressed :) (different thread) so not I'm tending towards un-box' speakers...thx for the info...

I've got a set of B&W 803 S2 and Vandys 3A in a 16' by 15' room. The B&W's are much easier to place in the room and sound clear. The vandys are sensitive to placement and have a tendency to sound muddy.

Some observations:

Piano sounds better on the Vandy's (more bass)
Vocals sound better on the B&W's, bass is tighter but less of it.
Sound stage on the Vandy's is bigger, but not as focused.

I've had several people do blind listenings and most go for the B&W's, but then again, its probably more about speaker placement than anything else. I think the B&W's are more forgiving in my room.

For me, they are overpriced and not very good.

I agree that the nautilus might be overpriced, but the matrix are relative bargains.

Does anyone think that replacing the caps in the 802 crossover with better quality caps will improve the sound? Im having it done to my pair . There was a problem with the Xover so I figured go for an upgrade, not just a fix. Cheaper than upgrading to the Nautilus 802's. Although I like the N802 looks and they would look great next to a new Panasonic 65" Plasma hanging on the wall between them.