Description

The above system is great for all types of music. I spent a lot of time and research in choosing these components for my system. I am happy so far with the decisions I have made thus far. The 801s provide me with a clear look into the recording. I get detail but not to the point of irritation. These speakers should not sound bright. They will however tell you what your upstream components sound like. Also,I get absolute full range reproduction. Soundstage is huge with good placement of instruments and voices. The Wadia adds the detail I was looking for. This player will scrape every last bit of detail from the cd. This has been good for me. I want to hear it all. I feared I would not like this player because I heard it was ruthless. It is not imo. My system seems to be balanced enough that I hardly ever hear a recording that I truly cannot listen to. (No, I'm not tone deaf :) ) The BAT monoblocs are incredible for me. No etched sound here. Not even solid state sounding, nor are they mechanical sounding. They are very smooth and possibly a little warm but they are extremely clear and focused. These amps are only 350 watts into 8 ohms and 650 into 4. These amps simply handle my 801s with ease. My cords are stock for now. The Tara Labs cabling added warmth and threw the soundstage back a few feet. The sound was enriched greatly by adding texture to voices and smoothness to the overall presentation. This effect I felt was positive because it seemed to balance out the sound of the Wadia and make it more liquid sounding. Lastly, The King Cobra. This power cord on the Wadia completely redifined the sonic signature of my system. I swear. The transformation was incredible. I can listen in the daytime again. Now the system produces a sweet sexy analogue type sound that is not too buttery or overly romantic but it is just right for me. My jazz vocal recordings are now clear, detailed and warm. I did seem to lose a little detail though with this cord. But that is ok for now. Thanks for lookin!`
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Components Toggle details

    • WADIA 861
    CD PLAYER
    • BALANCED AUDIO VK-1000 MONOBLOCS
    MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS
    • B & W Loudspeakers Nautilus 801
    LOUDSPEAKERS
    • WIREWORLD GOLD ECLIPSE 3+
    SILVER INTERCONNECTS
    • PS AUDIO STATEMENT
    PS AUDIO'S TOP LINE POWER CABLE

Comments 2

Owner
I am currently having a lot of fun with these speakers and have owned them for a few years now. I have gone through many component changes with them during my time with them.

I am still learning about their sound characteristics. I think B&W built this one way beyond what a typical home user might get out of them. They sound better with each component or cable upgrade. Everything continues to improve. These speakers are very, very difficult to set up for truly special sound. The tube preamp has helped to make the speaker sound more liquid and convincing. The bass output can be tweeked also with a little trial and error.

For $11k new and $5500 used they are an absolute steal. I am convinced that anything close to what this true full range speaker gives you would cost at least $30k or more. I heard the Maxxes at CES and was extremely impressed at what that speaker can do. Needless to say, I thought I knew what FULL SCALE meant until I heard those babies. For now though, the 801's are great for ME.

avnut

I noticed you have the newer 801's after I sent my email and B&W did a great job on that speaker. I am not sure the Wilson MAXX will be that significantly better especially when you consider the additional price. But hey, it's fun to audition stuff and see. I would enjoy auditioning your amps.

hifimaniac

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