diva 6.1 vs B&W 804
- Status
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
Joined
·
360 Posts
The B&W N804's are 3500.00 is I am correct.........I would STRONGLY recommend you audition the Revel F30's!!! They are the same price and the N804's aren't even CLOSE to sounding as good IMO!! The N804's , to me, are the worst speaker in the Nautilus series..which is too bad because that is a really great line!
If you got a chance to read the Nov.2001 SGHT & Home Theater mag. The Performa series F30 got the 2nd highest review for a speaker system I remember seeing.
Michael
If you got a chance to read the Nov.2001 SGHT & Home Theater mag. The Performa series F30 got the 2nd highest review for a speaker system I remember seeing.
Michael
Michael, could you explain what makes the 804 the worst speaker in the Nautilus series?
As far as the F30's go, are you speaking from personal experience? I.O.W. have you listened to the F30's alongside the 804's under the exact same conditions(IE. positioning, electronics,..source material) with both speakers well broken in?
I have auditioned both the 804 and 803 extensively and based on my judgement(my opinion), the 804's sounded very close.
I used the same speaker placement, electronics, source material etc. Speaker selection is very tough, with so many good speakers to choose from, it really boils down to personal preference.
What you and I may find satisfying might irritate or sound unacceptable to others. Another thing to consider is how they will sound in your room. It is always a good idea to arrange a home audition or 30 day exchange/refund with your dealer, that way you can always return them if they don't work out for you.
Good luck!
As far as the F30's go, are you speaking from personal experience? I.O.W. have you listened to the F30's alongside the 804's under the exact same conditions(IE. positioning, electronics,..source material) with both speakers well broken in?
I have auditioned both the 804 and 803 extensively and based on my judgement(my opinion), the 804's sounded very close.
I used the same speaker placement, electronics, source material etc. Speaker selection is very tough, with so many good speakers to choose from, it really boils down to personal preference.
What you and I may find satisfying might irritate or sound unacceptable to others. Another thing to consider is how they will sound in your room. It is always a good idea to arrange a home audition or 30 day exchange/refund with your dealer, that way you can always return them if they don't work out for you.
Good luck!
Joined
·
360 Posts
Frank,
I guess I should have included that info, Yes I was in the same room and used the same electronics for my audition of both the N804's and F30's. The characteristics I look for in a speaker are based on this. I graduated from a college with a nationally recognized Sound Recording Technology Program and I had several friends in that major and I had the pleasure of attending several sessions with them and got to listen to what THEY were looking for and I carried this over to my preference.
I should be able to close my eyes and hear EVERY aspect of the music...the hi-hat being hit, the drum brush rolling on the snare drum, the pick hitting the guitar strings etc. I want to FEEL the music...Am I "feeling" that bass drum like I was in the same room as the drummer??.....am I getting that "rush" from the guitar players amplifier?? The vocalist singing to me directly..etc. As a former drummer, the percussion (bass) section to me is most critical.
To me the Revel's did a better job at meeting this criteria. Did the F30's execute this perfectly?? NO! But did they do a better job then the N804's? Yes! Now regarding the Nautilus series, I have listened the whole line and they are great speakers except the N804's & their center channels..they just didn't do it for me!
The speaker I LOVE the most that meets all of that criteria is the B&W Matrix 801 (last series)...I LOVE those speakers!!!!! I would love to base a system around them!!!
Again this is my opinion..there are many people who will disagree with me like you, which is fine, it's not going to spoil my dinner!..If everyone had the same taste there would only be 1 speaker out there. I just like to recommend options to people who may not have thought about a different product to research.
I hope this answered your questions.
Michael
p.s. I guess I should add this. I am only 29 years old and my taste of music is probably DRASTICALLY different then most of the members. I have a feeling I am one of the younger members here! I prefer hard rock/progressive heavy metal, Big band, rock bands like Rush,Queensryche, Dream Theater, Metallica, Alice in Chains but I also respect Billy Joel, Elton John, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews for their musicianship. I even get "Jiggy with it" if need be!..lol
I guess I should have included that info, Yes I was in the same room and used the same electronics for my audition of both the N804's and F30's. The characteristics I look for in a speaker are based on this. I graduated from a college with a nationally recognized Sound Recording Technology Program and I had several friends in that major and I had the pleasure of attending several sessions with them and got to listen to what THEY were looking for and I carried this over to my preference.
I should be able to close my eyes and hear EVERY aspect of the music...the hi-hat being hit, the drum brush rolling on the snare drum, the pick hitting the guitar strings etc. I want to FEEL the music...Am I "feeling" that bass drum like I was in the same room as the drummer??.....am I getting that "rush" from the guitar players amplifier?? The vocalist singing to me directly..etc. As a former drummer, the percussion (bass) section to me is most critical.
To me the Revel's did a better job at meeting this criteria. Did the F30's execute this perfectly?? NO! But did they do a better job then the N804's? Yes! Now regarding the Nautilus series, I have listened the whole line and they are great speakers except the N804's & their center channels..they just didn't do it for me!
The speaker I LOVE the most that meets all of that criteria is the B&W Matrix 801 (last series)...I LOVE those speakers!!!!! I would love to base a system around them!!!
Again this is my opinion..there are many people who will disagree with me like you, which is fine, it's not going to spoil my dinner!
..If everyone had the same taste there would only be 1 speaker out there. I just like to recommend options to people who may not have thought about a different product to research.I hope this answered your questions.
Michael
p.s. I guess I should add this. I am only 29 years old and my taste of music is probably DRASTICALLY different then most of the members. I have a feeling I am one of the younger members here!
I prefer hard rock/progressive heavy metal, Big band, rock bands like Rush,Queensryche, Dream Theater, Metallica, Alice in Chains but I also respect Billy Joel, Elton John, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews for their musicianship. I even get "Jiggy with it" if need be!..lolI also had my heart set on the B&W's and was able to listen to them at the dealer. But while saving I came across the Diva thread and decided to give them a try. I am so glad I did. Though I wasn't able to compare the two side by side, etc., I couldn't justify spending twice the money for the 804's. I got the Diva 6.1's, the C3, the R3 surrounds, and a Bryston 4BST amp for the same price as I would've spent on a pair of 804's. My system sounds great to me, and maybe the 804's would make it better, but I'm not sure it would be twice as good. These thoughts are my .02 cents only so take them as one opinion only.
Pride9
Pride9
Joined
·
300 Posts
What's being requested in this thread is a comparison between the Diva 6.1 and the B&W 804. Why doesn't somebody address that instead of hijacking the thread with a comparison between B&W and Revel? There is a significant cost saving to be had with the Diva 6.1 over the B&W (or Revel), so that comparison would be very worthwhile.
Colin
Colin
Joined
·
360 Posts
Colin,
What is asked IN MY OPINION was someone asking about 2 speakers one being 1299.00 a pr and the other being 3500.00 pr. MY comment was if he is willing to spend 3500.00 then the Revel's are ANOTHER option to consider!!!!
My 2nd post was to one specific person who asked for a clarification of my 1st post and NOT to dominate the thread.
Lastly, your reply did NOTHING to answer JRE's original question so who committed the bigger fault here?
What is asked IN MY OPINION was someone asking about 2 speakers one being 1299.00 a pr and the other being 3500.00 pr. MY comment was if he is willing to spend 3500.00 then the Revel's are ANOTHER option to consider!!!!
My 2nd post was to one specific person who asked for a clarification of my 1st post and NOT to dominate the thread.
Lastly, your reply did NOTHING to answer JRE's original question so who committed the bigger fault here?
JRE, I believe it's either Max or Russ who compared the B&W N804 to the Diva 6.1 and decided on the Diva's. You may want to do a search under their names to see if you can e-mail them directly for impression. I did listen to the N802 & also have chance to compare b/w the N801 & 6.1 and can tell you the 6.1 definitely sounds descent enough considering the cost differential.
As for the Revels, I am sure they are great speakers & too bad I didn't have the chance to audition them due to lack of local dealership. That said I believe the original post specifically asks for B&W/Diva comparison hence anything beyond that scope would be more of a confusion than being pertinent irrespective to the individual's credential or personal taste/preference.
Regards.
PF
P.S. JRE, you can also put your question up on the unofficial Diva pt II post to catch some users eyes.
As for the Revels, I am sure they are great speakers & too bad I didn't have the chance to audition them due to lack of local dealership. That said I believe the original post specifically asks for B&W/Diva comparison hence anything beyond that scope would be more of a confusion than being pertinent irrespective to the individual's credential or personal taste/preference.
Regards.
PF
P.S. JRE, you can also put your question up on the unofficial Diva pt II post to catch some users eyes.
JRE,
PMF has a good memory.
The B&W 8xx line was one of the speaker systems I was interested in. However I only auditioned the 803's and 805's, and obviously not side by side with the Diva's. The store had them hooked up to a Rotel pre/pro and amp, but the room was not especially well set up.
I thought the 803's were amazing speakers, and I was prepared to buy them over the Def Techs, Paradigm's, Klipsch's, and NHT's but when I finally auditioned the Diva's (by buying them) I felt that the sonic characteristics were similar enough to me that if I never heard them side by side, I would never have to wonder which was the better speaker. And no way would I consider that the B&W's were worth 5 times the cost of the Diva's. More like a toss up, so I have considered my money well spent. Not only that, but I saved enough to buy the Outlaw gear if it ever comes out.
Good Luck
PMF has a good memory.
The B&W 8xx line was one of the speaker systems I was interested in. However I only auditioned the 803's and 805's, and obviously not side by side with the Diva's. The store had them hooked up to a Rotel pre/pro and amp, but the room was not especially well set up.
I thought the 803's were amazing speakers, and I was prepared to buy them over the Def Techs, Paradigm's, Klipsch's, and NHT's but when I finally auditioned the Diva's (by buying them) I felt that the sonic characteristics were similar enough to me that if I never heard them side by side, I would never have to wonder which was the better speaker. And no way would I consider that the B&W's were worth 5 times the cost of the Diva's. More like a toss up, so I have considered my money well spent. Not only that, but I saved enough to buy the Outlaw gear if it ever comes out.
Good Luck
Just to add to Russ and Pride9, I would like to mention this: At the last CES show, Perpetual Technology did a side by side comparison of the Diva 6.1 with the B&W 801. Here is the exact setup:
System 1: $40,000 approximate system value - P-5A DAC, Classe Omega amplifier, top quality audiophile cabling throughout (not sure exactly which ones, but matched system) and driving a pair of $12,000 B&W 801's. The P-5A was utilizing the speaker correction software specifically written for these particular B&W speakers - $400 upgrade.
System 2: $4,000 approximate system value - P-3A DAC w/P-1A, Outlaw audio HT receiver, radio shack I.C.'s and radio shack speaker wire out to a pair of $1,300 Diva 6.1's. The P-1A was utilizing speaker correction software specifically written for these Diva 6.1's - $400 upgrade.
Most people I asked who was at the show stated that the B&W with the Perp Tech gear off sounded slightly better than the Diva with the Perpe Tech gear off (I would hope so!), but when the gear was turned on, people had to ask which pair of speakers were on. What I am trying to say is that I am sure you will be happy with the Divas and if you ever feel that you want more out of them, you can still add the P1A/P3A or wait for the P5A, and it will still cost less than the B&W 805.
To me this was almost a no brainer, and the best part is that either way you go, Perpetual Tech already has speaker software for both companies. Hope this helps.
System 1: $40,000 approximate system value - P-5A DAC, Classe Omega amplifier, top quality audiophile cabling throughout (not sure exactly which ones, but matched system) and driving a pair of $12,000 B&W 801's. The P-5A was utilizing the speaker correction software specifically written for these particular B&W speakers - $400 upgrade.
System 2: $4,000 approximate system value - P-3A DAC w/P-1A, Outlaw audio HT receiver, radio shack I.C.'s and radio shack speaker wire out to a pair of $1,300 Diva 6.1's. The P-1A was utilizing speaker correction software specifically written for these Diva 6.1's - $400 upgrade.
Most people I asked who was at the show stated that the B&W with the Perp Tech gear off sounded slightly better than the Diva with the Perpe Tech gear off (I would hope so!), but when the gear was turned on, people had to ask which pair of speakers were on. What I am trying to say is that I am sure you will be happy with the Divas and if you ever feel that you want more out of them, you can still add the P1A/P3A or wait for the P5A, and it will still cost less than the B&W 805.
To me this was almost a no brainer, and the best part is that either way you go, Perpetual Tech already has speaker software for both companies. Hope this helps.
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
- Status
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!