B&W 802D3 received same score from HiFI news as new Alexia Series 2...
 

The March issue of HiFI News just published a review of the new Wilson Alexia 2 and scored a 90 which is the same score the 802D3 received. The Alexia sells for almost $58,000 versus $22,000 for the 802.

Of course the Wilson Alexia is highly respected by the audio press and has always received strong ratings and the new 2 even stronger. This is really a testament to the value for money of the 802D3.

What is also interesting is if you look at measured response the Alexia 2 does not go as deep in the bass, has higher distortion measurements in the midrange and treble and has a significant dip in the midrange frequencies. Of course measurements do not tell the whole story.

I have now lived with my 802D3's for over a year and am continuously amazed with the sound quality coming from the speakers. I can listen to them for hours with no fatigue even at very high volumes.

When several reviewers said the 802D3's can compete with speakers two to three times their price I can believe it and apparently the reviewers do too.

good to 'hear' ........ I love it when the underdog can swim with the big fish !

By all accounts the new D3’s are terrific, and an improvement on the D2’s which I owned for a couple years. I’m glad you’re enjoying yours and I’m not surprised.

my experience exactly.....

Sometimes these “points” are arbitrary. I can’t say for certain that the 802d3 is equal to, worse than, or equal to the Alexia 2 as I am not as familiar with the Alexia nor have I played with t as much as the 802d3.

I will say the 802d3 is a fantastic transducer.

I don't know how they arrive at these points, but perhaps value is a factor. Both speakers are fantastic at their respective price points. They are certainly not equal.

HFN tends to favour their home grown products I've noticed. Having heard both I would give the nod to the Alexia, though not necessarily in all areas. But it gets more interesting if you compare Alexia V2 with 800D3. The 800D3 is still much cheaper but I think it's Alexia's equal, though sounds very different. It comes down to what areas of performance you value most, and to some extent that's a function of musical tastes.

Hi Art

Can you elaborate on the differences you have heard between the 800's and Alexia 2's? I am looking at a speaker replacement soon and the 800's are much closer to my price point than the Alexia's

Sometimes?

I was being nice