B&W Matrix 801 Series II

No worries mate...good luck...still a fair sum...

How about the price? Does $2k seem about right for these speakers?

Wemfan - There are three - Series 2 and one Series 3 available on Audiogon right now.

801 Matrix for sale on Audiogon

Based on the sellers pics only - imo just one of these sellers shows any real knowledge for proper setup of these speakers.
They need room to breathe. If you were planning on putting them into a shared living space I would not recommend them at all as they will cause problems with your spouse and neighbors. Since they are being considered for a dedicated space/studio I look forward to your impressions, if you decide to bring them home.

They cost $500 to ship. So in a case like this the original boxes are worth $200 to me. A full ten percent. Which is why I made the previous comment about local ones.

the current going rate IMO is around $2500 for clean, fully functional versions. Give or take a couple hundred either way based on owner history and condition.

fwiw
This is half what they cost new and anyone who knows what these speakers are about; knows they were well under priced for the "audiophile" market when new, based on what they were and still are capable of when set up right.
B&W finally realized the business error of their ways after John Bowers passing (RIP), and came out with new versions at double the price after the S3.

With that this is a serious buyers market as we all know and I have tremendous respect for those that are trying to make a living in this audio business.

Cheers

the current going rate IMO is around $2500 for clean, fully functional versions. Give or take a couple hundred either way based on owner history and condition.

just to add proper stands add value for me. The Sound Anchors stands if I recall are $600 to buy new today.

http://soundanchors.com/products/2072/matrix

I would therefore see an extra $250 value if anyone was selling 801 matrix that came with them. Of those for sale in the previous link two come with proper stands. I prefer the SA to the Arcici.

I own a pair of 801 S3. Had lots of speakers, picked mine up 2 years ago because I wanted to know if they were so great. The last time I heard a pair prior was in the 80's. So I needed to know.
I loved em. I think better than most speakers I heard before. In fact, I loved em so much I shelled out for the northcreeks 3 months ago. They are were worth every penny I spent on them. I was worried about wasting the bucks. I felt the improvement worth it. I drove em first with pass xa60.5 and then Cary slm200. Great on both. Currently running on my final amps before I retire arc ref250's. Traded the pass. The pass was something special but the ref 250 tubes are more real and satisfying to my ears. These are special amps and I enjoy the combination. I could have lived with either combination. Each is great in their own way. The pass was plenty of power, the needles never moved out of class a. Based on my observation of the power needles on my 250 and my experience with the Cary's in triode, I don't think less tube watts would have worked so well.
I don't think you will regret. They really are sound microscopes. I run em at 8 ohms, haven't tried 4 yet. Great sound.

So which is he better version? Series II or III? I don't believe there's a definite consensus. From what I remember, I believe there's more in favor of Series II. I'm not sure why, though.