|
Review 2 of 4
Price Paid:
$4500.00
from Northside Hifi Summary:
When looking for my first real pair of speakers, like my amplifier it was a long and painful learning process. Coming from a background with just headphones and no bias towards a specific company gives me the perfect excuse to write a review on the speakers I eventually bought after trialling for only 5 minutes.
When I review equipment I try to objectively reveal all its flaws in its price range, in a battle against the speaker I try to strip it of all its value. In the case of the B&W Nautilus 805 I failed miserably. I can only conclude that B&W Signature 805 aside this is probably the best bookshelf speaker ever made.
Initially I was looking for something big something that can wow my friends, scare my neighbours, and above all produce the finest music possible. Long searches in my local area through massive floor standing speakers to a wide variety of bookshelfs from various manufacturers led me to B&W. Initially looking at the 601s, then the 603s, and then back at bookshelf speakers to the 705s, there was always something missing, each speaker lacked something in some way. When I finally took the 705s for a final audition and asked if I could hear them with a subwoofer to boost their mediocre bass I was informed it would be cheaper to simply buy 805s. Being a poor student about to spend 2 years worth of savings I also searched for the best sound I could afford.
The Nautilus 805s sound immaculate although ever so slightly on the bright side (great for my warm, dark amplifier). Treble comes through with unprecedented smoothness beaten only buy the 803Ds diamond tweeters. The midrange is equally smooth reproducing voices with pure perfection.
But perhaps the most astonishing thing about this speaker is the bass.
This is the only bookshelf speaker I will ever consider without a subwoofer. The 6.5" long-through kevlar driver moves incredible amounts of air, and its size makes its presentation punchy, precise, and fast giving music amazing visceral impact. Furthermore the design of the driver which prevents the cone from hitting the backplate means that this is one speaker where I am not worried about canon volleys in the Telarc recording of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
The detail produce by these speakers is near perfect where each individual cymbal hit can be heard rolling off behind a mishmash of other music, and it is even possible to tell if you favourite singer is thirsty or wearing lipstick.
Finally the staging of this speaker is perfect, which is its greatest short coming. It makes speaker positioning incredibly difficult and frustrating in certain rooms. While the curved cabinet surface reducing resonance means the speaker will not loose depth when close to rear walls, they still preform better given lots of room to breathe. The treble especially disperses very widely and bounces easily across an unbroken wall. If incorrectly positioned the speaker simply sound anemic and constipated. However if setup properly these speakers sound much larger then they really are.
My parent’s friends frequently ask about my setup at the end of dinner parties. They look, and laugh. They hear, and gasp. Then they become incredibly difficult to get out of my listening room. If you are looking to impress this is your speaker. If you are looking for the best value for money, or simply one of the best bookshelf speakers ever made, then this is still your speaker. Bass-heads look elsewhere.
A very detailed and technical review is available by searching stereophile's website. Strengths:
- Smooth and detailed highs.
- Warm and beautiful mids.
- Strong and punchy bass.
- If setup correctly will not need a subwoofer for all but the most demanding pieces.
- Can play a very wide variety of music perfectly. Forte is defintly vocal jazz and classical.
- Incredible speed and visceral impact.
- Not fussy about placement in relation to rear wall.
- Perfect staging.
- Design makes speaker very resistant to damage via overdriving.
- Well deserving of its position on stereophile's recomended components (Class A bass restricted) Weaknesses:
- Perfect staging makes placement difficult.
- Wide dispersion means speakers need lots of space to perform at their best.
- While bass is incredible very challenging pieces such as pieces with deep pipe organs may require a subwoofer.
- May not satisfy the pop-generation's desire for bass.
- B&W stand is ludicrously expensive. Opt instead for a cheaper chinese replica, fill with sand, and bolt speakers to the stands. Similar Products Used:
B&W Signature 802 are the only other speaker to compare in this class.
Outclassed:
B&W 601, 705,
Quad 11L, 12L
AudioVector M3 Signature
| 
5 of 5
5 of 5
4 of 5
