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Old 01-09-2016, 12:13 AM
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SMC23 SMC23 is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 425
Default B&W 802D3 Owners Club

Just got my speakers unpacked and breaking them in. Now that I had over 20hrs break-in, I can already conclude I am loving every bit of this new generation over my former 802D2. They have been worth every penny despite the huge upgrade costs!

Unpacking & Setup - simply straightforward and very pleased by the new D3 packaging. Once the boxes are placed in the same listening room, literally one person could set them up by rolling them into place. Koodoos to b&w for this!! I thought I needed a second hand with unpacking them, despite +200lb weight of each speaker, but I was able to roll them out of the boxes and into my listening room by myself.


Looks - they are stunning in real life! Bottom line...pics don't do these speakers justice at all. I really recommend seeing them in person. I love the modern clean look of the speakers over the D2 series. I initially had reservations about the new Turbine head's smaller proportion over the main cabinet, but now after staring at the speakers from afar and in my listening seat, they look well suited. Oh and the new continuum's silvery FST adds a nice contemporary touch to my decor. I prefer them to the yellow cones. The speakers appear to be less bulky than the 802D2 too. If I had to make one change, they do look slightly too long by an inch or two, but this doesn't bother me as I don't see the side profile as much. Importantly the front profile looks gorgeous. They are truly works of art!!


Sound - who needs a sub?! I have the speakers on full range for break-in and I can immediately tell the Aerofoil bass drivers are leagues ahead of the prior series. The impact, detail, and depth is certainly there in spades. I was playing scenes from my favourite action movies and could swear both my F113s were on but they were completely off. I was skeptical about the new frequency response but the 802D3s surely do reach down very low, much more so than the prior series.

The new continuum midrange and tweeter is extremely open. I couldn't stop grinning at the size of the soundstage. The speakers disperse so far too the sides and even somewhat to the back it's incredible! I have a preference to multichannel and movies and the new speakers perform so well. They disappear into the room more so than the 802d2. I'm still going through break-in so hoping these blossom even further...


To be honest I took a big hit selling my 802d2's to upgrade to the new D3, and I can certainly say they are a worthwhile upgrade. With the limited time I had with them I can already sense they are going to be very special. These will be the last speakers I get in a very very long time.

Looking forward to hearing any other new owners impressions...please share them!

Last edited by SMC23; 06-01-2016 at 11:32 AM. Reason: links removed
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