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Heard the B&W N804d3s ...

I've owned the original iteration of the N804s since I bought them new in '01. After 15 years, I thought perhaps it was time to upgrade to a newer model. So, I auditioned the new N804d3s at a local retailer. They sounded great, and are an improvement over the originals in the areas of bass slam and airiness. However, that step up to my ears is equivalent to about 10-15%. Not sure that that sort of improvement justifies the price ($9K for the d3s vs. $3,500 for the original N804s), although "upgradeitis" tempts me to pull the plug. Is it just me, or does the law of diminishing returns apply in this case? Your thoughts on this or the qualitiative differences between the old and new Nautilus lines would be most appreciated.

rlb61
spankedmonkey's avatar
spankedmonkey
16 posts
 
Would like to hear your results after adding the subwoofer.
rlb61 OP
362 posts
 
Will do. It should arrive early next week.
mb1audio
151 posts
 
" Given that the B&Ws have aluminum tweeters, I wanted to compensate for that by a different type of material. Hopefully, it will be fine."

It doesn't really work like that. Unless you somehow over power your main speakers with bass, you should hear little to no change in the highs. If you have an issue with your tweeters, deal with that directly.  
mb1audio
151 posts
 
" You should have spend more money on a subwoofer if I were you. I would buy a subwoofer with a ceramic/aluminium coating."

What sub did you have in mind? Not many speakers have drivers like that. I think Monitor Audio and possibly Avalon. 
bo1972's avatar
bo1972
2,626 posts
 
The old aluminium tweeters of the Nautilus line you own can sound harsh. This is based on the older technique and limited frequency range.

For a subwoofer there are other rules that counts compared to a loadspeaker. In the past I have sold many Rel subwoofers. But to be honest they are rather slow.

In 2015 we compared a few new Rel subwoofers with Monitor Audio subwoofers. These outperformed the Rel subwoofers with ease.

The problem is that Rel spends more money on paid reviews. So people think they are the best. In real they are not the best anymore.

In the last 4 years I sold many Monitor Audio subwoofers which I could use till 120hz because I can set them in phase with S.A.P.- measurement.

When you use a subwoofer who is a lot faster in response you can use it till a much higher frequency. This sets the influence of a subwoofer to a much higher level. This is only possible based on the lighter material they use.

Rel subwoofers can be used till about 80hz, when you would like to use till 120hz, you will hear that they are too slow in response. The control and grip will be gone.

Audio is not based on what you read in paid magazines, but is based on the results you get during shootouts and tests. They give you the real and True information you want and need.
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