802D2 vs 802D3... a lucky comparo

[Pio]

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

Having now heard the 802D3 I'm of the view that 50% of the improvement in the mids (at least) is due to factor other than the continuum driver.

The bass is definitely cleaner and it sounds to me as though there's less harmonic distortion, so there's less veiling of the mids from the woofers themselves. In my view, the d2 series suffers from a very slight thickness in the lower mids which reduces the mid band resolution slightly.

The mid - treble balance is also better in the D3's, and the end effect is to allow the mids to be more expressive in the overall presentation.

The bass is definitely slightly cleaner than what I hear from my 800D2's too, although there's slightly less authority as you would expect with the smaller drivers and enclosure.

Just occurred to me, and let me know if you agree, the new 802 is a $22k speaker, so comparisons to the 802d2 is a bit unfair. At this price range they really should be better than the previous 800D2!!. And, from what I heard the 2 8"s in the 802D3 sound much stronger than what 2 8's should ever sound like. So Art Vandelays thoughts on this are very valuable since he has the 800d2. I can only imagine what the 800D3 will sound like, but I'm sure it will compete nicely with the 50k Wilsons and Magico's etc..

[rghanbari]

Originally Posted by Pio

I can only imagine what the 800D3 will sound like, but I'm sure it will compete nicely with the 50k Wilsons and Magico's etc..

Which is exactly why I'm tickled pink to have bought my 802d3s now...I figured I saved $30k by avoiding the temptation

[pedro 2929]

hi there from switzerland
i just checked in new into this forum. i am selling my 802 diamonds but i'm not sure if i should go for the d3 or the focal utopia maestro. i have a sound problem at my sweet spot (no bass, but 2 meters left and 2 meters right there was!), therefore i had to get a paradigm studio sub. now it's fine. i'm running mcintosh c220 preamp, mcd 550and 601's.
is the focal maestro a step up? i would hope to get rid of the sub with them.
thank you very much for your input
pedro

[Pio]

Originally Posted by rghanbari

Which is exactly why I'm tickled pink to have bought my 802d3s now...I figured I saved $30k by avoiding the temptation

LOL!!!! Preventive temptation therapy!

[Masterlu]

pedro 2929... Welcome to AA!

[Pio]

Originally Posted by pedro 2929

hi there from switzerland
i just checked in new into this forum. i am selling my 802 diamonds but i'm not sure if i should go for the d3 or the focal utopia maestro. i have a sound problem at my sweet spot (no bass, but 2 meters left and 2 meters right there was!), therefore i had to get a paradigm studio sub. now it's fine. i'm running mcintosh c220 preamp, mcd 550and 601's.
is the focal maestro a step up? i would hope to get rid of the sub with them.
thank you very much for your input
pedro

Bass is dependent on your room and speaker placement. Subwoofers (I used to run 2 with great results with my 802D2) smooth out the bass response nicely.

The new D3 version of the 802 has pretty killer bass. But, you have to nail down speaker placement. Going from memory from a book Robert Harley put out - avoid placing your speaker with the woofer at the same distance from the side and front wall. If the woofer in your speaker is 3 feet from the side wall and 3 feet from the front wall, you will have more issues with nulls.

The Cardas room set up is worth a try, check it out:

Cardas Room Setup Guide

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by pedro 2929

hi there from switzerland
i just checked in new into this forum. i am selling my 802 diamonds but i'm not sure if i should go for the d3 or the focal utopia maestro. i have a sound problem at my sweet spot (no bass, but 2 meters left and 2 meters right there was!), therefore i had to get a paradigm studio sub. now it's fine. i'm running mcintosh c220 preamp, mcd 550and 601's.
is the focal maestro a step up? i would hope to get rid of the sub with them.
thank you very much for your input
pedro

What you've described in the bass is a room / placement issue, so changing speakers won't fix it. You'll need to change speaker or listening positions, or both, but that doesn't guarantee a fix if the room dimensions are non-optimal.

Re the question, I was talking to the prime B&W salesman at our local dealer yesterday and he confided that he preferred the Focal's over the 8002D2's but now prefers the 802D3 over the Focal's - Scala and Maestro.

My only reservation with the 802D3 is the slight lack of absolute bass authority, but it's only because I'm so used to the 800D2's that it's apparent to me. Bass quality is outstanding.

[pedro 2929]

thanks gents for the replies
my dealer (he sells b&w and focal) means, that the maestro's are playing in another league, even compare to the d3's. he say's that with the mds system (to finetune with bridges) on the maestros there is a good chance to eliminate the subwoofer.
interesting thing he mentioned: changing my c220 preamp (even with much better tubes i fitted) with the c2500, will create another dimension. i know, he is a salesman...
pedro

[droberson2]

Joey,

I found a thread from last year in which you stated you were so impressed with the 802D3 that you stopped looking at Sasha 2 (and Rockports). Still feel that way?

[joey_v]

Originally Posted by droberson2

Joey,

I found a thread from last year in which you stated you were so impressed with the 802D3 that you stopped looking at Sasha 2 (and Rockports). Still feel that way?

Yes.

Which is why I didn't pull the trigger on a mint pair of 17k Aviors or a 25k Sasha 2 from an AD. I put prices up so you'd know that I find the D3 worth it