BOWERS and WILKINS 805 D4 Take it to the Limit 

Blimey!

Correct 👍

The US had a letter shortage once. They've never recovered.

Is that kind of material available in the UK at this time?

🙄

Sound United speakers now...

@@streettails8045 The 800 series are made in England . All the other speakers made in china

Do you know the what company manufacturers the accoustic treatment disperspersion panels behind those speakers? I'm wondering if dispersion panels would be a worthwhile tweak for my vintage B&W CDM-1NT bookshelf speakers. I don't believe they cost that much. I have no need for bass traps. The low frequency output is fast, tight & very musical sounding...well articulated. TX

Listening to Blue Elephant right now. Here Come the Warm Jets was the first Eno album I purchased back in the day if you don’t count For Your Pleasure...

I usually stick around for these reviews that are prohibitively expensive because i am curious as to what Steve's listening to. He's hipped me to some truly incredible stuff.

Lol, I stick around to hear what tracks Steve Uses to review….then I look it up on Apple Music and add it to my Steve G playlist to listen 😉

I would love a test using Supertramp's Live in Paris cd. That is some spectacular sound. Saludos desde el otro lado del charco!

the 805 eat by ease the kef ls50 meta and paradigm founder by 1000000 times... its like comparing apple vs gold

@@simonspeaker for +$6,500 more...they better

Just ordered some Tektons and can’t wait to find some movie and musical bliss as well!

...i have Tektons too. They never seem to do comparisons against the Tektons

Which Tektons do you guys have, I really like the idea of them but have never heard them in person?

@@markucla I have the lore reference and the Electron se...

@@markucla they are awesome

What about Wilson Benesch p1 or Borresen z1 for a little more moneybthan these

@@toneswinger yes they are good speakers too

@@toneswinger but more expensive don't always equal better. I have compared my Audiovector r1 arrete speakers to Focal Sopra 1, and Kef Referance 1, both much more expensive than the Audiovector, but the Audiovector held it's own, i actually prefer the Audiovector speakers

Correct. The mid base driver of the 805 probably has too much displacement for that.

Well, Sound United needs to recoup the acquisition cost when they acquired what remained of B&W.

Yes.... Ridiculous high price for a small box 2 way ..... Elac at $600 is just as good

That is a lot of money for the book shelf speakers. Even if with the stands, $8K is way to much. Please tell me that price includes the stands. Does it?

$1600 in 1995 is now at least $5000 with inflation.

@@LiuMav True, F@….ing COVID crisis

Thanks for your kind words. Well yes, I heard the 805‘s in a store. With all of its limitations, true. But as I said I could not get the speakers at home due to supply chain shortages. Thing is, I have urged viewers to whenever possible to listen before they buy any audio products, in stores. Yes, in-home auditions are the best, but not always possible, especially with high-end, expensive, products.

That's a good point. There are plenty of reviewers or presenters on YT who perform speaker reviews or presentations with other speakers in the room, sometimes even large (even though powered off) subwoofers in the background. E/g 'Sound Sommelier' or 'Pursuit Perfect System' just to name two out of many. There is no doubt all these driver membranes and cabinets are activated by external sound pressure - and do colorize the sound perceived.

@@streettails8045 have you been atthe factory?in china?

@@streettails8045 ok,ive been at the factory in Brighton England two times and the 800 series are made there in house.the nautilus are custom painted in the brighton factory too.

What I ended up purchasing in 1972 after listening to a pair of B & W speakers. The ‘phones cost me $AU23.50 IIRC!

I have the HD424, the deluxe version of the 414. I've had them since the mid 70s

Different sound but for around the same price I prefer Harbeth HL5 xd

Holy crud, Eight Thousand dollars !!! I LOVE B&W... have owned 3 pairs over the years. I had a pair of 805s back in 2000... which cost me $1200. The 606s2 are great at 900 pair. I have considered saving my pennies to buy pair of 705s2 at 3K pair. But i feel a little betrayed... new 805s are 7 times more expensive than they were in 20 years ago.

There's a sub in the pic of the system too.

@Philly B Yes they virtually think outside the box and avoid costly to manufacture cabinets like we see in here. Agreed!

Audiovector R1 arrete 👍

I doubt anybody buying $8000 speakers is going to use this video based on one listening session as their sole research.

It’s a good question, I think they’re comparable speakers. But I reviewed the heritage in February, and I’m not one of those reviewers that can compare things seven months apart! I have no idea how those guys can do that.

Thanks, didn’t try the Luxman, I guess I should have

Personally I enjoyed Luxman AB amps more paring with my 805D3, I am using a L-509AXII right now. And the combination sounds fantastic!

@@GlaciaDay Luxman: So many choices in amplifier topology all made with artisanal quality! I would love to hear the combination of the 509 and the D3’s. My dealer had the 590 to audition with the D3’s, not the 509, but it worked for me. Congratulations on your purchase!

@@streettails8045 not the 800 series, they are made in UK. And I doubt they don't care... That's woundnt be good for the health of the business mate. I know the 6 and 7s are overpriced so I agree sort of.

@@streettails8045 well that's an eye opener.

@@streettails8045 you are talking BS and not bit but a lot !

You should also consider the Audiovector r1 arrete. I have compared the contour 20i and the Audiovector. The Audiovector's is a much better speaker.

@@henriksrensen3220 in which part is the audiovector beter?

@@theomindschrddr7983 it's more open and free sounding, with deep and big soundstage. Also more detail. But the Contour 20i has more bass output, it goes deeper too. 20i has more (not better) bass. It depends on synergy with amplifier of course, I use a gryphon diablo 120 amplifier, it's a perfect match for the Audiovector.

@@henriksrensen3220 oke thank you

@@theomindschrddr7983 👍🙂

As the one or the other crossover "refiner" on YT may say: "Not too much of cheesy parts in it."😊

@@pickyaudiophile9898 This could be the best grade Cap on the tweeter in a speaker under 20000usd....

Is it the silver in oil or silver & gold in oil

When it comes to vertical product differentiation, 700 series was upgraded with these two "signature" models 705 and 702 which may attract the ones unable to afford the 80x D4. I think they will closely evaluate their sales figures after the latest price increase. It's finally a matter of business administration (financial controlling and marketing) what to do best. Never underestimate sales which are made in areas beyond North America, Europe, the UK and Australia. On RU-vid you may be tempted to think it's only North America, Europe, the UK and Australia which exist and where the "music plays" - as virtually no comments are coming in from other areas. But there are plenty of wealthy buyers located in the Near Eastern Gulf states, P. R. China (in particular), Japan, Russia, and more, too.

@@pickyaudiophile9898 my point was not that they can't sell the new 800s. It was that there could be an opportunity to bridge the gap between the 700 and 800 series. There is a $4k difference (2x). I'm sure they did their homework and concluded otherwise. I don't care where people live.

@@reynolds8532 I see your point. Speaker companies will always tell us about "increasing costs" leading us to believe their business purpose is to recover costs only. So B&W did. But c'mon, you know the thing™, an alternative tweeter within a range? That's quite uncommon...

Sorry, no BT speakers on the horizon!

Well, since I didn’t actually compare one against the other I can’t say for sure. But if you like what you have stick with it!

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac What the hell kind of salesman are you? Newer is always better. People like you are killing the economy. Of course it's better. Why else would they come out with a new "improved" model? Buy the new ones. I'll give you ten dollars for the old ones. They were good in their day.

I very much doubt it though. I own a pair of D3 as well and I am now hesitating on if I should upgrade it to D4. I don't think the difference in sound quality is gonna justify the huge price gap. 25% more is harsh.

There was no doubt Elton was going to be a big deal. I saw him a few times in those early days. I think he was best for the first three or four records.

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I agree great through Madman and I do like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and some of Honky Chateau. Not so much after that, but what a great pairing with Elton and Bernie. Love watching your reviews and have bought several pieces of equipment based off of them.

@@neumeisteranimalhospital2627 Thanks for watching.

Hi. The premium speakers if used with good amplifier, would have no issues, if not played at extreme volume etc. The drivers would be perfect and cross over of this quality at its best, they can last you many years if taken care of.👍

Why is that?

@@Feliciano12v ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-boAkTRHcZ8I.html

Ah i see. I also follow Hans. Seen that already. Mad respect for him.

Sorry no, I think it’s on RU-vid

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac ok thanks Steve! I will check it out

That is just not true. I own the 805 D3s and all I do is stream (Amazon HD). High quality streaming sounds fantastic. I would imagine the experience would be the same/very close with the 805 D4s.

@@mtkreger Thanks for the reply. I do some vinyl but mostly streaming with a Lumin T2. I want to upgrade my Sonus Faber Sonetto II's to some amazing bookshelf speakers. It's either the Dynaudio Heritage Specials or the new B&W 805 D4's.

I own a pair they are great with streaming

And 'Toast of London' and 'Year of the Rabbit'. He's definitely one of my favourite comedians.

What we Do in the Shadows also. Such a great actor, I also really enjoy his music. Toast of London is probably my favourite.

Best sounding trash can on the planet!! LOL 😂

Daleks, actually, both come from England

@@craigtomlinson2075 I like it better in the all black vs. that picture makes it look less trash canny.

Jl audio, it wasn’t turned on during the listening session

Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac awesome subs. Simply awesome.

Same, bought the 607 signature because of his review. I used them for about 20 days and they just felt wrong. They sounded muffled to my 19000hz capable young ears. I then proceeded to testing the 707 and they sounded better but still felt wrong. Ended up getting the Kef ls50 Meta when I was blown away by the clarity and soundstage at another store.

I’ve heard the 800/3 a few times in different rooms. They had a strange behavior, that the sound sometimes seems to come from the ceiling. I don’t think the artists were jumping up and down when recording..

@@hopje01 I have concluded that bowers and Wilkins are fun speakers but that does not necessarily mean good speakers.

well i'm using 1100 what mono blocks and have good bass from my 805 D4's.....they are power hungry...don't let their small size fool you!!! They need Lots of power!!!

I prefer the La Scalas, but neither would work well in my tiny one room 300 sq. ft. apartment

Not everyone wants to party while the music is on.......or have it cranked to the moon........!!!!! Different strokes for different folks.

I agree, but then again I am kinda strange. ;-)

@@laurencerothman931 No worries......everyone is strange !!!

@@DougMen1 two gigantic garbage cans that sound like someone dumping a dump truck full of broken glass into your ears

Seems a lot of people enjoy abasive sound judging by B&W market share.

The 800 series has never had the sucked out mids and screechy highs that plague the 600 series

I did. But the divorce was EXPENSIVE 😆

@@daniannaci3258 So I hear the louse who was your spouse no longer lives inside your house.

@@markfischer3626 My laugh for the day. Thanks!

@@daniannaci3258 There's two sides to every divorce, yours and $hi+head's

Beat me to it... I was going to post the same question since they're similarly priced. Know you didn't compare them side by side but thought you'd still have a feeling for how they differ in character. Great review and TIA!

I had the opportunity to compare the Dynaudio Heritage Specials with the 805 D3 late this past winter. At the store I heard both pairs, side by side, on a new top-of-the-line do-it-all integrated amplifier from NAD whose model number now escapes me. The difference at that demo was obvious. I found the bass on the Dynaudio to be bloated and indistinct while the D3 was balanced and clear. The D3 tweeter, too, totally outclassed the one on the Dyna. No brightness, just clarity. I did not at all expect the vastly different presentations. The salesperson insisted the speakers were set up with care, as indicated with the tape on the floor.

@@daniannaci3258 Thanks for sharing your experience! I believe the NAD model you're referring to would be their M33 Masters Series.

I’m sorry you see it that way but that’s OK. Plenty of other RU-vid channels doing reviews, as always you should shop around and find what works best for you.

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Yes, I am sorry to. It is not about you or other YT channels. I follow you all for years and been on this journey. I have also bought stuff when you all had some consensus that is great or some say the hype train. 😉 I even upgraded components within to higher qualities ones now it is collecting dust when I found better sounding (!) gear while you still use them and praise it..🤔 (Were does it leave me? When I use the same gear in my dedicated listening space and found it to be outperformed of something that sounds vastly better. I can't be deaf otherwise I could not hear any difference.😍) Then we have the measurements guys I tested and swapped between 3 different power amplifiers. And scratched my head: "Hmm I could not get any meaningful content for a 10 min video about their difference in sound." I went so far that deliberate bought the by far WORST measuring power amplifier out there. Just to be able to hear the difference between something bad and something else that is better. How could I fail that? Same thing again. Were is the difference sonically to fill a video! This review just pointed out that there is just a smidge of difference between a good amp and another good amplifier. Otherwise this review is impossible if each component in the system has a great impact/coloring that it add. As many times is highlighted and enlarged to a point that I highly suspect that very few would be able to pass a blind test (but do not go there). It is only a way to say that the difference is so much smaller than the big words that is spoken in my opinion and experience from trying to hear and experience what you all guys is talking about..🤔 Anyway I feel that there is still some information between the lines and the record recommendations and so on that is inspirational. Keep up the good work and thanks.👍💖🎶🎵 Either I am deaf

@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac would you consider the 805 D4 10-13% better than the 805 D3 just looking at my options if it’s a huge difference and worth the upgrade your feedback is welcomed

Matt Berry. He is an accomplished comedic actor too...

@@optimalforager thank you...when Steve compared him to Robyn Hitchcock I knew I had to explore

Excellent point, however, we can fully trust Steve when he tells us what he hears, regardless of the room 👍 😉

Sure! SVS' price-quality ratio is second to none. May fit your smart purchase of the D3's very well if the room is not toooo big.

Have you come across the KEF sub 62?