B&W 802D3 Owners Club

[krustycat]

Originally Posted by GrubTheHedgehog

Rosenut.

Excellent, enjoy.

[GrubTheHedgehog]

If I am using single wires to the speakers and jumpers, does it matter which terminals on the 802D3 get the cable and which one gets the jumper?

[krustycat]

Not that I have ever noticed when I ran the wires like that with jumpers.

[GrubTheHedgehog]

These 802D3 are just otherworldly good with the Ayre AX-5 Twenty integrated and QX-5 Twenty Dac. I had previously heard the 803D3 with this setup only, and was impressed, but this is something else entirely. Setup is key to getting the right tonal balance but the extent to which you can hear the room musicians are playing in, the reeds of wind instruments, the detail from top to bottom, and the sheer purity of the sound was just utterly shocking to me. I expected the AX-5 to be lackluster based on reports about insufficient bass with the 803D3 and needing more power, and while a more powerful amp (VX-R/MX-R) would probably take it to another level, the level of articulation and control in the lower frequencies was almost uncanny. On almost every recording, I had a sense I was listening to an actual performance rather than a speaker. They just utterly disappear. Astonishing! They are also gorgeous and that midrange driver in particular looks like it came straight out of the future. I am blown away!

[Titanium]

First post, so hello everyone. What is the minimum power my amp would need for the 803 d3?

i currently have a T+A PA 1520 R with 170 watts per channel at 8 ohm and massive monoblocks are simply not going to happen in the livingroom. Not listening at very high volume though.

Many thanks.

[BrianT]

I have run them very well with 75 wpc tube amp and they perform.

Brian

[Titanium]

Originally Posted by BrianT

I have run them very well with 75 wpc tube amp and they perform.

Brian

Much appreciated, Brian, thank you.

[GrubTheHedgehog]

Like I said, I run them with astounding results with 125 watts @ 8ohm with my Ayre AX-5 Twenty. Would more power be better...yes of course! But I am finding them an easier load to drive than I expected. It isn’t that they won’t perform with less power, it is just a question of having room to grow into them with more powerful components down the road.

[GrubTheHedgehog]

How much toe in do you guys use with the 802D3? I am finding almost no toe on sound best and as i toe in more the sound intensifies but gets more fatiguing. The room is 15 wide by 28 long with 8.5 foot ceilings, opening to the rest of house.

[Levitator]

I have my 800D3’s firing about half a metre behind my ears and to me, along with other room placement, this brings the best balance of focus and sound staging to my ears for my set up. I’m not sure what toe in angle but at a guess I’d say about 20 degrees - also keep in mind the raking angle depending on your ear listening height relative to tweeter...its worth playing around with as slight adjustments often do make a difference...