B&W 802, Dahlquist DQ-20i speakers
Kurt Strain
there would be no comparison since the B&W is twice the price, but I don't
know. The B&W is not without problems. And before I plunk down $4K for
a pair of speakers, I don't want problems. Also, if it weren't perfect, I
would at least have to look at other speakers. Well, I was about ready
to go for it since I wasn't 100% thrilled with the under $3000 field, all
pretty good, all having some fault or other. I was getting to the point
where I did't want trade-offs, but indeed at $4K there are still some.
Well, I don't think I'll keep the 802's, dang it. The head assemby which
produces the midrange and highs is dynamite, but the bass leaves something to
be desired. The bass is powerful and extended, but the upper bass, right
in the region of lower acoustic guitar notes, sounds unexceptably distorted.
It turns "blang" into "blung", and on drums it turns "thump" into "thumpth",
so to speak. I hope the stereo dealer keeps trying to make me happy, otherwise
they may not try to sell me anything pretty soon. I must be their toughest
customer.
At this point, a decision must be made to buy what fixes the problems in
$4K speakers (that'll cost $5.5K for an 801), or just come back to
reality. I think I'll be settling for reality.
In the reality price range, I listened for a long time to the Dahlquist
DQ-20i. These surpised me pleasantly. They had high resolution in the
upper octaves and good imaging. They didn't seem to be colored through
the midrange much, and I heard no booms or distortion in the bass, mainly
because there was not much bass. It resembled a Vandersteen 2Ci in design,
but with a brighter tone. It seemed to reveal more music than the 2Ci,
but I can't help feel like I'm being fooled by a treble roll-up.
Anyway, it was pretty decent at $2000/pr. I may take them home for a
home demo this weekend, that is, if the salesman can keep his patience.
I had some "netter" tell me to try these out. They seem excellent so far.
My wife said she heard some "twangs" at loud levels in the midrange-tweeter
crossover region, but very fleeting. It's okay to have a few infrequent
bumps and grinds, but not consistently in common music notes.
I feel the B&W 802 doesn't quite come up to snuff for their
price. Sorry if I offended anyone there, just an opinion.
Kurt Strain
B&W's and asked him if he has ever known of a problem with the upper
bass distortion, or congestion, with these. He said no, but he is also
a good liar, the way he talks. Anyway, it's very possible that the B&W's
weren't at their best. I cannot see how these well-reviewed speakers
could have such a problem, espeacially in the bass, owing to it's "Matrix
Revolution". It could be that spiking them properly has everything to
do with it, or that this speaker requires an amp with unusually high
current, which I doubt. I could not get the spikes to properly come
in contact with the concrete without much of the support coming from the
wood cabinet. My carpet and pad was much too thick. I cheated by unscrewing
them until it was long enough to do so, and even then there was carpet
contact. The salesman was willing to perform another in-home demo with
his personal assistance to make sure everything works out. I don't think
he has the hardware to make proper spiking, though. I don't know why
a product of this price doesn't have adjustability to carpet pad thought
out. In fact, the spikes aren't even level adjustable. So how can you
compensate to allow 4 spikes to each get firm contact? Someone must
have a simple mechanical fix for this. I don't see how it can be
overlooked. They tell me bi-wire them, use a good cd player, use a
player isolation bass, use green edges, sound rings, and Armor-all.
But you can't anchor the damn speaker to the floor properly which
will make all the difference in the world!
If anyone knows something about this problem, please respond. I don't
want to try another demo if it flat out won't work.
Brian Boutel
[...]
> It could be that spiking them properly has everything to
> do with it, or that this speaker requires an amp with unusually high
> current, which I doubt. I could not get the spikes to properly come
> in contact with the concrete without much of the support coming from the
> wood cabinet. My carpet and pad was much too thick. I cheated by unscrewing
> them until it was long enough to do so, and even then there was carpet
> contact.
[...]
> compensate to allow 4 spikes to each get firm contact? Someone must
> have a simple mechanical fix for this. I don't see how it can be
> overlooked. They tell me bi-wire them, use a good cd player, use a
> player isolation bass, use green edges, sound rings, and Armor-all.
> But you can't anchor the damn speaker to the floor properly which
> will make all the difference in the world!
>
> If anyone knows something about this problem, please respond. I don't
> want to try another demo if it flat out won't work.
I have a friend with B&W 801s. He uses low spiked stands. So, if the
supplied spikes are inadequate for your floor, dispense with them and
find a suitable separate stand. His power amps are Plinius (local NZ
manufacturer) 100w class A monoblocs, which drive them very well. I've
seen lesser amps (with higher power rating) clip badly on this load.
Alternatively, listen to some Magneplanars, or Apogee or Martin-Logan,
and you may never want to bother with box speakers again :-)
--brian
Internet: br...@comp.vuw.ac.nz
Postal: Brian Boutel, Computer Science Dept, Victoria University of Wellington,
PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 721000
Fax: +64 4 712070
Kurt Strain
>bad? It seems like the direct opposite from anchoring them to the
>floor!
I would say this is the wrong thing to do. Wires under tension is a method
used to produce sound, like in harp strings, pianos, etc. Coupling to the
floor via spiked stands has generally served to deaden box vibrations since
it works against an essentially immovable object (concrete floors are best).
Remember when something is suspended in air or space: for every action there
is an equal and opposite reaction.
Kurt Strain
>Alternatively, listen to some Magneplanars, or Apogee or Martin-Logan,
>and you may never want to bother with box speakers again :-)
I know what you mean, the sound from these are good. But I often listen
to dynamic music with some healthy bass, and these don't sound that good
under such stress. I thought the Apogee Stage and Magneplanar MGIIIa were
both excellent in their range. Maybe you can tell me how the Tympani IV
and the Duetta sound. I may have to back and check these out. The major
drawbacks I can imagine are placement and narrow sweet spot. Also, I hear
the loads put quite a stress on amplifiers, which I'm not thrilled to have
to purchase a high-current amp as well.