Speakers from other manufacturers

[linnrd]

(2012-05-05 16:20)Rufus McDufus Wrote:  B&W 804 Diamond: Much better! Much more bright like my 212s except even more detailed & less harsh in the upper frequencies. The staging is excellent. They sounded lovely and laid-back to me, easy to listen to. I really like these.

B&W 805 Diamond: Surprised how good these were. Very similar to the 804s except maybe a little less details, slightly less easy to distinguish harmonies in vocals but also not lacking in the bass department. Impressive considering the size and lack of drivers compared with the 804s.


I wish I tried some 803 Diamonds now but ran out of time. Nearly tried some Focal Electra 1028 or 1038 Be but these were physically just a little on the large side so didn't give them a go.

The 805 sounds surprisingly good and similar to the others in the series, but long-term, it will be found a tad wanting. The main reason for that, imho, is that it lacks the FST midrange that contributes so much to the vocal range. For that reason alone, the 804 is a better bet. The 803s are a problem in that they sound much nicer than the 804s and, of course, cost a lot more...which...then has one thinking...heck...why not just blow the budget totally and get the 802s. Someone I have known all my life ended up doing precisely that.