B&W 801 vs 803s

Palermo,

The 801 has a more open midrange (much less box coloration) and a lot more bass. Your room size is fine but they will need to be off the front walls a good bit. The down porting of the 801 can really over load the front corners...

Anyway I like B&W speakers (still own a pair of 703s) and have auditions both the 801, 802D, and 803D at length. But there are better and worse speakers out there.

In their price range I find the Thiel 3.7 out classed the 802D in all most all aspects for the same money. They are more coherent, dynamic, with a more natural midrange with AMAZING sound-stage (time alined...). They also look very good too. They can be had for 9,000 here on audiogon.

For me the down side of the larger B&Ws is they lose the punch and jump factor over the smaller B&Ws. They were hit or miss, some days I loved them and some days I wanted more bass punch and more midrange energy.

All in all if you likes B&Ws and can get a good deal buy them. I like them much better than the JM Lab line of speaker but not as much as Wilson's sophia... with the Thiels coming out as the clear winner for me.

As always use your own ears!

I went from the B&W's to Vandersteen 5A's...a huge step up. Personally, I think Vandersteen Quattros are excellent too. In my opinion, Vandersteen is the top of the heap at each price point. I also like Dynaudio, Magnepan and Thiels. They all sound different from each other, however, I think they all play sounds that sound like music in live space. I am a professional violinist, and am around real music every day. The thing for you to do is not strictly follow these suggestions, but to at least listen to them and allow your own tastes dictate your preference. There is no true right or wrong...my violin sounds different in Carnegie Hall, in Symphony Hall, in Avery Fischer Hall, and in my practice room at home. Although different at each venue, they all sound like a real violin playing in real space.

once agian thank you for the input, i will take all your opinions into consideration..

I'm not sure if you have a large enough room, honestly. I've auditioned the 801Ds (not Nautilus) in a room bigger than yours, and I thought the bass was overwhelming and the mid-range slightly muddled, no doubt because of the room size. For your room size, I think the 802s would be perfect and definitely an upgrade to your current 803s.

Abbey Road studios uses B&W 801 with Bryston 7B - they need power, power, POWER- he gives a cruel chuckle!

B&W are a popular design that fits many people's tastes. Purists can critique their tendency towards laid back midrange and hefty bass (for sure there are more accurate speakers out there) but this is perhaps the reason B&W are so popular with consumers and this makes them a useful tool in mastering. Go for it!