Oh and additionally, what is a good resale value for a pair of N804 these days? One has a slight finish damage on the side/top
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Changed room layout - speaker issues
Hello all,
I have a while ago changed my room layout and since then I'm not too happy about how my system sounds anymore (even with room correction)
My setup is as follows:
B&W N804 fronts ("old" nautilus)
B&W N805 rears
B&W HTM2 center
B&W ASW825 (new series)
The 804's always sounded a big brighter, more forward but sound was imaging beautifully as they stood before (short wall of a room)
Now with moving things around, my room has become a lot brighter, a ceramic floor doesn't help things, and a little table in front of my TV is also a reflective area. Speakers are now on the long wall.
No matter what I do, moving them towards the wall, toe-in, I just can't have the same imaging anymore, and it's "tiring" to listen to them, on anything other than really intimate sounding music (like simple piano+voice)
I also have N805 backs, and those image better (smaller/simpler crossover?) and putting them in front, not even on dedicated stands, but just on high chairs, as a test, sound better in this regard - much easier to listen to, faster, snappier, just slightly different color to them (not the midrange that the FST delivers, but the 804's simply don't as they are put down now) - but all in all it's more pleasing to me - 805's really seem more laid-back/relaxed.
So all this got me thinking... would I be insane to do any of the following:
1) Get rid of the 804 floorstanders, get the 805's on stands in front, and have a matching 3 speaker pair there - mind you, music is more important than surround to me - they simply seem to perform better there. Of course I would need to have rears, and I heard good things about the CM1's, which according to a soundstage! review, are pretty close (and a tonal match) to the "old" 805
2) This is really the question... get rid of the 804's and get 805S. I know the 805S is a bloody good speaker, but is it still the same tonality as the N804 were? Or a big improvement on the N805? If they are better than both, they would work perfectly in my room as it is, since the 805's seem to shine there, and are more or less the same "box" - I would in this case consider the N805 or CM1 to remain in the back. Would the HTM2 be a "mismatch" between the 805S? They kinda are now as well, but room correction does a lot of good work on that right now (Audissey) - I'm really just looking to have better, uncorrected stereo sound here.
My last problem is selling the N804 - they are still great value but one has damaged wood on top, which is a problem for many people...
Would love to hear your feedback..
![]()
I have a while ago changed my room layout and since then I'm not too happy about how my system sounds anymore (even with room correction)
My setup is as follows:
B&W N804 fronts ("old" nautilus)
B&W N805 rears
B&W HTM2 center
B&W ASW825 (new series)
The 804's always sounded a big brighter, more forward but sound was imaging beautifully as they stood before (short wall of a room)
Now with moving things around, my room has become a lot brighter, a ceramic floor doesn't help things, and a little table in front of my TV is also a reflective area. Speakers are now on the long wall.
No matter what I do, moving them towards the wall, toe-in, I just can't have the same imaging anymore, and it's "tiring" to listen to them, on anything other than really intimate sounding music (like simple piano+voice)
I also have N805 backs, and those image better (smaller/simpler crossover?) and putting them in front, not even on dedicated stands, but just on high chairs, as a test, sound better in this regard - much easier to listen to, faster, snappier, just slightly different color to them (not the midrange that the FST delivers, but the 804's simply don't as they are put down now) - but all in all it's more pleasing to me - 805's really seem more laid-back/relaxed.
So all this got me thinking... would I be insane to do any of the following:
1) Get rid of the 804 floorstanders, get the 805's on stands in front, and have a matching 3 speaker pair there - mind you, music is more important than surround to me - they simply seem to perform better there. Of course I would need to have rears, and I heard good things about the CM1's, which according to a soundstage! review, are pretty close (and a tonal match) to the "old" 805
2) This is really the question... get rid of the 804's and get 805S. I know the 805S is a bloody good speaker, but is it still the same tonality as the N804 were? Or a big improvement on the N805? If they are better than both, they would work perfectly in my room as it is, since the 805's seem to shine there, and are more or less the same "box" - I would in this case consider the N805 or CM1 to remain in the back. Would the HTM2 be a "mismatch" between the 805S? They kinda are now as well, but room correction does a lot of good work on that right now (Audissey) - I'm really just looking to have better, uncorrected stereo sound here.
My last problem is selling the N804 - they are still great value but one has damaged wood on top, which is a problem for many people...
Would love to hear your feedback..
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Old setup is not possible, and it has nothing to do with a WAF factor in this case
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I just had an offer now, which brings a possible N804 to 805S "upgrade" possible for less than 500$.
I better get listening to a pair of them before I bite this bullet.
![]()
Searching high & low for nautilus vs 800 comparisons, but never found any between different models.
I just had an offer now, which brings a possible N804 to 805S "upgrade" possible for less than 500$.
I better get listening to a pair of them before I bite this bullet.
Searching high & low for nautilus vs 800 comparisons, but never found any between different models.
2
Yes, exactly - that will be an easy fix though (and the smaller N805 were, without changes, already much more forgiving about the placing)
What I really liked about the 805 in front, is the amazing imaging and how the sweet spot is much larger then the 804's. There's just another character in them (very obvious on listening to Tito Beltran's Nessun Dorma) and I have a tough time choosing what is best. Tito sounds larger, more pronounced in the N804 - on the N805 the imaging is so great that, he sounds more to the back, and found his place more between the instruments. Then when going to something contemporary like Katie Melua, the N804 just shines in reproduction of voice, strings & piano. Very very tough choice indeed.
Some nice carpet and covering off/moving the table out of the way will change that first reflection just nicely
![]()
Still, because I had this nice offer, my question remains the same - is the new line substantially better than the Nautilus line.
What I really liked about the 805 in front, is the amazing imaging and how the sweet spot is much larger then the 804's. There's just another character in them (very obvious on listening to Tito Beltran's Nessun Dorma) and I have a tough time choosing what is best. Tito sounds larger, more pronounced in the N804 - on the N805 the imaging is so great that, he sounds more to the back, and found his place more between the instruments. Then when going to something contemporary like Katie Melua, the N804 just shines in reproduction of voice, strings & piano. Very very tough choice indeed.
Some nice carpet and covering off/moving the table out of the way will change that first reflection just nicely
Still, because I had this nice offer, my question remains the same - is the new line substantially better than the Nautilus line.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
