Calling B&W 801 S2 owners

[wormhead]

Hello there
Just a shot in the dark...
I was wondering whether there are any members who own a pair of these, live in the surrey/middlesex/south west london area, and who wouldn't mind letting me pop round to listen to them..?
I'd love to check out what the fuss is all about, and whether I should be considering a pair..
Perhaps a slightly unusual request, and I hope no one is offended by such a question
Cheers!

[nat8808]

Do you mean the 802 Matrix S2?

I had some pre-matrix ones once, the Series 80 but with the Matrix tweeters and thought they were great however they were before I started comparing and was in a shared house smallish bedroom (they overloaded the room a little bit).

I love the Matrix tweeters - seem to go on sweetly all the way into the stratosphere.

Apart from the Matrix tweeter, I think the main differences between the older sealed cabinet Series 80s and the Matrix series is mostly in the bass. Certainly the Matrix cabinet bracing only effects the bass units as the mid range head is the same as the 802F Series 80 head. Some say it is more detailed and tighter in the bass but others don't like the ported response..

I seem to remember though that the S3 were the ones to go for, people complaining about the S2 loosing something (to do with cross-over layout or something).

[wormhead]

Hi Nat

Thanks for your response

It is 801 S2 though... They're from late 80's I think, and are supposed to be amazing, and ruthlessly revealing.

They garnered this review in Stereophile, from a classical musician, who amongst other things could tell what type of head the percussionist was using on their drumstick..

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/506/index.html

Anyway, thanks again

Cheers

[nat8808]

Yes that's right, the Matrix 801 Series 2 as per the review..

We're talking about the same thing.

Search through the newsletters at this link for references to the model, their predecessors and views on them:

http://www.avahifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=181

[nat8808]

Am having to do short posts as safari on this proxy iPad keeps crashing and loosing the post...

As I say, the tweeters on the Matrix range I think are really good. The Mid-range pods on the Matrix 801s are the same as the older 80s model, the Series 80 801F. The bass drivers in the Matrix 801s are supposed to be better but then the Matrix range are all ported which can mean that the bass rolls of sharply and then booms around the port resonance frequency and then drops off again - obviously they should be well designed so that it is smooth as can be - so therefore some people prefer sealed bass cabinets of the older Series 80 801F which roll off more slowly and evenly.

There was no Series 1 and the Series 3 was brought out to correct some problems with Series 2 . The link I gave above is a news letter written by a US dealer at the time these were made. They criticised the Stereophile review quite severely because they thought B&W had made some big errors with the design which they felt weren't as good in some areas compared to the older Series 80 801FS. They thought it was all about the crossover design and B&W brought out the Series 3 to correct them.

Have to take single reviews with a pinch of salt and take advice from many sources if possible - you have no way of knowing if the magazine or reviewer is being told they can keep the speakers if they say good things etc etc.

[nat8808]

Having said that about taking reviews with a pinch of salt, I remember now that it was exactly that review that first got me into wanting the 801s that I had in the first place! :lol:

[malvai]

I have lived with my 801 Matrix S3 for years... Every time the upgrade madness comes, all it takes is one audition and the madness fades. Even the newer B&W's don't match up.... Amps, carts- everything changes in my rig except for my S3's and my nighthawk phono.... Offlate, my recently acquired Accuphase E460 integrated seems to be joining the elite club!

[wormhead]

Thanks for those helpful replies, very interesting.. How did/do you find them at low levels out of interest?

Happy listening