800 series and bass
 

I just had the opportunity to go to a fellow audiophiles house and listen to a very nice setup. Table was a Dr. Feickert and he had 802 D B&W's.
This is my second experience with the 800 series, the other time was a McIntosh rig.

I love the sound of these speakers but always find myself craving some bass. I understand these are a reference speaker, which I currently am listening on a reference monitor but can't help feel like there is no bass.

Is this part of the B&W sound?
Not trying to be rude just navigating the minefield of choosing the right speaker for my own stereo and taste

Thanks!

The generation D3 have excellent bass and the 800D3 are bass champs with 2 10” woofers and a bass port they go to 15 Hz at -3dB (lots of reviews online). Not sure what generation you listened to but as you wrote it (802D) that sounds like 1st generation (D1). You should listen to the 800D3 in a proper setup.

I have the signature 800’s. I was disappointed they didn’t have the bass I wanted.

I added a pair of JL fathoms.

I have heard that they are very current hungry, so who knows.

I also thing that “accurate” sound is perhaps leaner than I like, so I color my sound as desired.

I have 800D3s. Casually powered off an MC303. Ultimately I’m eyeing up some MC1.25KWs with a dedicated 20amp outlet per mono.

Until then, SVS PC4000 behind each 800 does wonders..

Add a B&W DB subwoofer--tons of bass, easy and seamless integration with anything in 800 line

If you do some reading about the older B&W D series online, you'll find that comments about loose bass or lack of deep bass altogether is a common complaint. As Adam above said, this was addressed with the 800 D3 series which have much better specifications (and real world results). As always, adding a very fast, musical subwoofer such as a REL or JL Audio can always remedy a lack of low deep bass.

- Buck

Properly set up and powered, they have sufficient bass.

I agree with Joey, but I still want a sub...(or two!)

I agree with Mike! The word "sufficient" in these discussions always makes me smile at our collective ridiculousness. We've dropped tens of thousands of dollars to play a few records, and NOW we're just looking for "sufficient"? haha

I had a pair of 800D2 powered by a MC452. Bass was good. Better bass was to be had after the addition of a JL F113. My experience... most tower speakers benefit from the addition of quality subs.