N-804s: Better than my electronics
Written: Apr 24 '02
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Pros: crisp, clean highs & midrange; B&W actually specs distortion
Cons: high center of gravity, not full bass response
The Bottom Line: These are best sounding speakers in this price range. Clarity of the highs beats others hands down. Use with a subwoofer.
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| chocolate_rick's Full Review: B&W Nautilus 804 |
I am looking forward to "phase 2" of my audio upgrade, when I can drive these babies with a really good amplifier, etc. In the mean time, they still sound better than anything I've owned before. I love them. Unfortunately, I currently have them hooked to a $400 Sony A/V Receiver/Amp and they don't deliver quite the sound I heard in the store.
I have them as the front L/R speakers in a home theater system, with SCM-1 surrounds, HTM-1 center channel, and an ASW-2500 subwoofer. I knew I'd need a subwoofer for 5.1 channel movie soundtracks, so it didn't bother me too much that the N-804s don't have strength in the deep bass octave. With the subwoofer on, they sound nearly as good as the N-802s I auditioned (but couldn't afford).
They really shine when reproducing instruments with fast attack on high notes (harpsichord is a good example). All other speakers I auditioned smear out the attack, leaving the music sounding much more dull and lifeless. The midrange is equally clean.
I have a problem with flatness in the bottom two or three octaves which I have not been able to solve by positioning of the speakers in my room, nor by adjusting the subwoofer knobs and location. I'm hoping this will improve when I upgrade my electronics -- but I fear it's a property of my room geometry. I really doubt it's the N-804s themselves because they would be out of spec if so.
In addition to sounding good, the N-804 is a beautiful piece of furniture. The tweeter-on-top design makes them a conversation piece whenever guests see them, and keeps my wife and kids from piling junk on top of the speakers. Unfortunately, it also gives guests an uncontrollable urge to touch the tweeter housing and test whether it's fastened down. So far it has stood up to this treatment. They are fairly tall compared to their width, making stability a concern. I gave the kids a good lecture about it when I installed the 804s, and they haven't been knocked over yet.
My family likes old movies which tend to have monaural soundtracks even on DVDs. This ends up coming mostly out of the center channel speaker (in surround mode on my amp). So I'm glad I bought the matching HTM-1 (it's the same drivers in a horizontal cabinet with shielding so it can sit directly on the TV).
For audio listening (as opposed to theater) applications, I use just the N-804s and the subwoofer. It sounds great for a wide variety of music styles from classical to rock and jazz.
Are they worth the money? In my opinion, yes. But you have to realize that you can get 90% of the sound quality for 1/4 the price. These speakers are well into the realm of diminishing returns on the price/performance curve. (That's not to say that you can't spend even more and get even smaller additional benefits!) Anyone with undamaged ears can hear the difference if they pay attention -- and once you have learned to listen for it, you won't be happy with anything less. I'm a bit more sensitive to low quality audio systems when I hear them now -- I notice the imperfections. You can never go back!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3150/pair
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Epinions.com ID:
chocolate_rick
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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