"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...
802Ds.

Was that a treat? If so, you are easily amused.


Max, if you own the 11, 500 dollar pair of 802Ds (and have them in
every room in the house!) and also own the 7-10K in electronics
required to make them sound good, I owe you an apology. They are VERY
fine speakers and I heard a pair with Krell amps and CJ front end
recently.
Still, I find it hard to believe that you own these so perhaps you'll
post a pic of your setup...or I'll do it for you if you send. I'm very
interested in such exotics, which I'm unable to own until Thom's older.

The 802s, acquired last year, are in the family room, on either side of the
fireplace. My electronics are older and need upgrading, but aren't bad.
Since I've acknowledged that and see no reason to begin another pointless
debate, we'll leave it at that, rather than elaborate on my electronics.

The other B&Ws aren't quite so "exotic". I have 701s in the living room and
a pair of DM601 S3s in the bedroom, which are fine for the type of listening
we do there. I also have a B&W sub in with the 802s, but can't recall the
model offhand. It is a 12" unit, chosen for musicality, not movie rumble.

What do you think of McIntosh gear?

Max

What do you think of McIntosh gear?



It's very well made, but I find the upper midrange and highes lacking
in detail and refinement compared to other gear in it's pricerange. I
often think that the dull upper ends are mistook for smoothness in
recordings by older folks who really want more forgiving gear, even if
their speakers are very revealing. It all comes down to what you want
to listen to. Older recordings may be more listenable with McIntosh as
the 802's can sound forward and bright with some electronics.
Those are GREAT speakers, Maxi!!!! I'm happy to hear you have them.
They are worth the money, especially when properly set up. You don't
have to be an audiophile to appreciate them either...just a lover of
music.

(this is my "he sounds like a reasonable fella" post of the day)

RB
35s5
NY

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...
What do you think of McIntosh gear?



It's very well made, but I find the upper midrange and highes lacking
in detail and refinement compared to other gear in it's pricerange. I
often think that the dull upper ends are mistook for smoothness in
recordings by older folks who really want more forgiving gear, even if
their speakers are very revealing. It all comes down to what you want
to listen to. Older recordings may be more listenable with McIntosh as
the 802's can sound forward and bright with some electronics.

They never sound overly "bright," and I think you were referring to
"presence" with your term "forward." Yes, they have presence, but
restrained. That's why I bought them. Something else--my lesser expensive
B&W 701s sound almost as good as the 802s, hard as that may be to believe,
considering the price difference. The 601s are quite a bit farther behind,
but still fine speakers. As I mentioned before, lots of people don't like
B&Ws, because they don't have that overt brightness and slap-you-in-the-face
midrange presence that some speakers have. They have balanced, uncolored
sound, and to some ears that's boring and uninteresting. To me it's
perfection. I listened to many speakers before buying the three sets I
have, and always went back to the B&Ws. I even did some blind tests and
still picked the Bowers and Wilkins loudspeakers every time.

Those are GREAT speakers, Maxi!!!! I'm happy to hear you have them.
They are worth the money, especially when properly set up. You don't
have to be an audiophile to appreciate them either...just a lover of
music.

I couldn't tell *any* difference in sound quality between them and the
Prestige. Maybe it's just my aging ears, but they were sonically
indistinguishable. Further my wife was not about to have a pair of those in
the house. The Prestige costs about the same as a decent car, so it was an
easy decision.


(this is my "he sounds like a reasonable fella" post of the day)

Which is why you got a reasonable-sounding answer. See how that works?

Max

They never sound overly "bright," and I think you were referring to
"presence" with your term "forward." Yes, they have presence, but
restrained.



You probably can't hear the brightness anymore, nor could I. But all of
the high end B&Ws are designed with a bright high end for detail
extention. It's up to the user to either preverve that or kick it down
via "softer" electronics. B&W wisely chose this route, but it can cause
trouble in some rooms. Much like a large studio monitor, the 802 is a
forward sounding speaker, more so than flagships from Thiel or Martin
Logan. This is NOT a bad thing, just a style presentation B&W prefers.


RB
35s5
NY

I also have a B&W sub in with the 802s, but can't recall the
model offhand. It is a 12" unit, chosen for musicality, not movie
rumble.


BTW, there are quite a few subs that can do both and prices are much
lower these days. SVS is one company that is well regarded. My Paradigm
sub was rated down to 17 hz, but was more musical than the twin Snell
subs which were supposed to be quicker and more detailed. All of my
good gear has been sold off. The Revel's are in storage. I have Onkyo
speakers hanging now, out of the toddlers reach. Sweet sound is a few
year off I'm afraid. While the home theatre in a box is "okay" I sure
do miss the good stuff. The good side is that Thomas, in killing our
16X9 HD set, led us to the projector which is far and away more fun
than any conventional TV.

RB
35s5
NY

"Capt. Rob" wrote in message
oups.com...
I also have a B&W sub in with the 802s, but can't recall the
model offhand. It is a 12" unit, chosen for musicality, not movie
rumble.


BTW, there are quite a few subs that can do both and prices are much
lower these days. SVS is one company that is well regarded. My Paradigm
sub was rated down to 17 hz, but was more musical than the twin Snell
subs which were supposed to be quicker and more detailed. All of my
good gear has been sold off. The Revel's are in storage. I have Onkyo
speakers hanging now, out of the toddlers reach. Sweet sound is a few
year off I'm afraid. While the home theatre in a box is "okay" I sure
do miss the good stuff. The good side is that Thomas, in killing our
16X9 HD set, led us to the projector which is far and away more fun
than any conventional TV.

Have you tried *instructing* him to stay away from those things?

Max