Hi MattCray,
You thought the polished black finish was less than perfect and moved on your 800 D3s. Was that due to the finish or onother issue?
Always thought speaker construction went āthin wallā or just the opposite. More mass and less unwanted vibration. A D3 802 or 800 unless they were side by side would be difficult to tell apart.
When the 800 D4 series was launched I noticed there was nothing about nett weight in the published spec. Doubtful if the weight change would be explained by B & W or any dealer.
All back to our ears then.
Hi there - it was imperfect from the start I thought. At the time I lived in a penthouse apartment with huge triple height glass wall on one sideā¦.so totally unforgiving light levelsā¦ The finish always looked a bit ācrinklyā to meā¦
ā¦reading other posts, I should probably have not accepted them. I just thought it was how they were.
Thanks for the info.
804D4 review
1 Like
My local dealer has had a pair of black 802D4s for the past three weeks. Far from run in with other products to demo.
The source was an ND555, 252 pre amp and 500 power.
From the off I was impressed as an 800D3 owner and all 500 system. All the adjectives meaning better came to mind.
My main reason for the visit was to investigate 2 x Fraims before the price increase!
Speakers on the back burner for time being.
1 Like
So you own 800D3 with 500 series system ?
How do you compare the sound between 802D4 with your 800D3 ?
I stand corrected on B & W models and sizes S.L
My system has 802D3 driven by 552/500, DR, with CD555 or LP12. So I went to hear their replacement, 802D4.
Driven by ND555, 252 and 500 at local dealer. From the off I was impressed and they are far from run in. Considerably better but with a big price hike!
The Fraim needs to come first. When the demo D4s are run in I will return for a proper session. Trouble is, any dealer must demo what any possible person might be interested in, so its takes much longer then at home.
1 Like
I am impressed as a 802 d3 owner. If an unrun in 802d4 outperforms the d3 using a Nac 252 compared to your 552 it must be a superb speaker. My dealer said he would let me know when he has the 802 d4 ready for demos although he knows I canāt afford to buy just yet!
The source was an ND555 and my own CDs were ripped to the their machine, so I was familiar with the content from home. The sticking point is the price to change, significantly more than going from D2 to D3.
However my philosophy has always been āif you miss it then its probably worth going forā.
From what I briefly heard my guess is B & W can justify their considerably increased price as its that good. Time will tell.
Either way the 802 D3 is an excellent speaker as we both know. Derek Jenkins of LP12 set up fame had a phrase. Thereās alway more".Hard to deny that in my book.
Thanks yes it is a big increase but if you look at the RPI index since the d3 series was launched 6 years ago the original price of Ā£17k would be about Ā£20.5k now so a real increase of Ā£2k in todayās money so perhaps not unreasonable for the increase in sound quality and even more reasonable compared to the forthcoming increase in price of the 500 amps?
A good point about the RPI and overall costs of a lot of things. We hear about inflation being very low but thats year on year which adds up.
The 552/500 combo will be just under Ā£50K next month.
Any further thoughts on these? ā¦Iām interested in the 801 D4 to possibly replace my Kudos 808ās
I had the 800 D3 for a few years and really liked them - so I know I like the Bowers sound with Naim - all the reviews suggest that the 801 is a leap forward in terms ofā¦wellā¦everything!
Every time I re-read the recent Hi-Fi News review of the 801 D4 my enthusiasm for the current range increases. The February 2002 issue reviews the 805 D4 with equal praise It makes me want to trade my 802 D3s for the D4: and then I see the price to change. If I can get my head round that point then?
My previous post on the non run in 802 D4 was pretty positive. With holidays they are still not up to speed at my dealer.
The only negative from my point of view with the 801 review, they needed pulling into the room to reduce the bass a little. This was a critisism I had with the 802 D2 before my 500 PA had the DR treatment.
So it looks like the D4 generation are a real step forward but at a price. High end hi-fi now rivals luxury cars and watches.
1 Like
It has exactly the same effect on me 
ā¦it was my rereading it this morning for the umpteenth time that made me post šµāš«
I do 100% get the economic argument, however itās always a cost of change conversation and I may be at a slight advantage there in that my current speakers are both in short supply, and also in the same list price ballparkā¦.so Iām thinking a refresh to the 801 D4 may not be as painful as it might have been had I not made the leap into that bracket alreadyā¦.
I had the opportunity to speak to (99% retired) Hamish of York this morning, as they stock both speaker brands and have full 500 to bootā¦they are expecting their demo 801 D4 any day, so Iāll make a trip up to the homeland and reacquaint myself with the Gillygate Gang
2 Likes
I guess most of us know that B&W have just increased all their prices this month? The 802d4 by 9% ish.
Hi Matt, I was somewhat surprised to read your earlier comment that you are keen to hear the new D4s, do you feel you are missing something with the 808s?
Anyway should be a very interesting comparison at SO York, make sure your Yorkshire passport is still currentš and please let us know your findings.
As a user of one of the lesser D3 series (804s) I am somewhat ambivalent about hearing the D4 version, as there would be little prospect of a change and I donāt want to feel unsettled.
I have been intrigued by various comments on this thread regarding the D3series need for power, much of my listening is at modest listening levels due to living in a top floor apartment and I have always felt that the 804s low volume performance was very good.
2 Likes
I didnāt know that - very surprising theyād do that for a model such as the 801 that was launched 4 months ago and has not even hit many dealers yet.
ā¦in the context of many peoples eyes still watering from the jump in price of the new range that feels like a marketing own goalā¦
Yes - Iāve always liked B&Ws, they sound great and the build quality is second to none. My experience is they also hold a really good chunk of their value too - which of course helps with any business case.
The new ones (on paper) scrub out many of the āconā box ticks of the 800 D3 that the Kudos 808s were purchased to address.
What the 808s arenāt great at is something you refer to - low volumes - itās not that they need lots of power, in fact quite the opposite, but they do need the wick turning up to bring them to life, and thatās not always possible. Iām assuming this may be a ālimitationā of the Isobark design, where a certain amount of sound pressure is needed to make the system work as it should.
So my experience is the 808s is thus - when they are good they are amazing, but they can sound a little flat at low volumes. I always felt that my 800 D3 were alive at any volume.
So the demo will be to establish if the things I love about the Kudos are replicated enough in the 801 D4 to still feel the spine tingle regularly, but to be also able to deliver at low volume. I donāt expect them to do everything the Kudos do plus what they do, but itās weather the compromise dial has moved from the red to the green.
Itās ALWAYS a pleasure to go and see the SO boys - I was a customer for many years when domiciled in the homeland, and have kept in touch with Hamish sporadically. One of the legends, and never fails to make me laugh - not least with his on the money impressions of tight Glaswegian Turntable Manufacturers 
3 Likes