Andy Kotsatos of Boston Acoustics fame once stated years ago that any reputable speaker designer could make great sounding expensive speakers. That in fact may be true to some extent but the B&W Nautilus 802 seems to be the benchmark for most companies flagship model.

Now I am going to tell you up front that my particular favorite reference model is none other than the Bose 901 Series VI and is likely to remain so. But do not think for one second that I do not know what else is out there like the snotty high end store proprietor from a neighboring town stated to me as I explained this to him! He simply felt that since I owned such a system that I could not possibly be familiar with brands like B&W, Martin Logan, Marantz, Krell, Mark Levinson, Belles, Creek Audio, Rega, Benz Micro, Koetsu, Dynaudio, Linn, Jolida, Musical Fidelity, Mordaunt Short, Legacy, Audio Research, Carver, Spendor, etc. etc.

Little did he know that I knew of these wonderful companies as he was in diapers! I just simply smiled and told him that he might be surprised. After explaining that I had not been to this particular high end shop in about ten years and that I used to know the former proprietor and that I simply wanted to hear a Marantz CD player so I could share my opinion with people on the internet he simply felt that I was wasting his time! There were no customers in the store and I only wanted about fifteen minutes of his time. The darn fool didn't even realize that had he complied he might have had a sale. I calmly walked out.

If I wanted that kind of high pressure salesman, I could easily have gone to the local highway store! Too bad because he also carried the B&W line that I wanted to review. Sadly, all too many high end stores will treat us lowlife commoners as such but fortunately not all!

John Rutan, the famed proprietor of the best high end store in the world...The Audio Connection of Verona, New Jersey happens to be a good friend of mine who I really do not get to chat with half as much as I would like. John and his staff simply spend much of their day with folks of all stature satisfying many a golden ear without having us break the bank.

John knows my preferences and I explained to him that I needed to audition some stuff for the kind people on EPINIONS and he welcomed the challenge and myself with open arms and a big warm smile!! He offered me a nice cup of drink from the water cooler and sat me down in his best chair!! Armed with both John's CD preferences and my own, The two of us were like kids in a candy shop ready to dig into the sweets!!

The B&W Nautilus 802 is a handsomely crafted substantial transducer that stands a bit over three feet tall and about one foot wide. Although somewhat pricey it indeed is not B&W's Top-of-the-line model! The co. makes even more expensive reference speaker systems but the 801's and 802's are perhaps the most famous of the line.

The depth of the Nautilus 802 is similar to its width but slopes into a somewhat different measurement. I did not get to see the attractive grills as John removed them for the auditioning but I understand that they are beautiful! The two exposed front baffles revealed two 8" low frequency drivers with a slightly smaller upper midrange unit mounted toward the top and a free standing baffled dome tweeter that resembled a microphone and boom. The enclosure is vented.

The cabinets were finished in absolutely gorgeous rosenut as John calls it or rosewood as I would call it. Behind our demos were two other 802's finished in piano black gloss. I'm not sure of the weight [they are extremely heavy!] but the speakers are very substantial indeed!!

The drivers appeared to have a form of butyl rubber surround which quite simply means that they'll never rot! Bravo, B&W!! The manufacturer's Power Rating is 500 watts and I feel that the B&W's can handle any decent amplifier on the face of this good earth so long as clipping is avoided. They are very efficient but still require a substantial amp for proper clean driving.

The crossovers are of the highest caliber and so was the listening experience itself! To say that it was memorable would be such a gross understatement!

Needless to say this was a most emotionally involving and completely satisfying listening experience similar to my many 901 encounters. With a wide range of music the speakers were simply flawless in every sense of the word and easily beat my experiences with the ML's!

Mids and highs were effortlessly reproduced with all the power dynamics and emotion that envelope one in a rapturous moment of sheer musical ecstasy!! Transient attack was superb as one might expect! On Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" all 30 instruments were played to perfection from the lowest bass notes on up to the highest highs.

Though admittedly at first I felt that really deep bass was somewhat lacking, John reminded me that the speakers were indeed considerably out from the walls and we too had positioned ourselves somewhat in the center of his 15' x 20' listening room. Remember...The room and the speakers are inseparable!

When I got up from the very comfortable chair I was in I moved to the rear of the room where the bass could easily be felt. It was quite defined and extremely tight also! Rock and Jazz were wonderful to say the least and subtle nuances easily heard and more importantly...felt. I should also tell you that the associated equipment was of the highest quality and the substancial 100 watt p/ch $5000 Plinius power amp was exemplary!

Imaging was such that believers of the "forward radiator school" have never had a better example to boast their view. Though non bi-polar in design the height width and depth of the soundstage was awesome! Certainly this British influenced speaker system outperforms Tannoy, Spendor, KEF or any Celestion!

Thanks, John for a memorable audition. One can easily experience his wonderful store by visiting his website at www.audioconnect.com or using the provided link for Audio Connection on my profile page.

Music is emotional! I simply cannot overstate this fact. When a sound system envelopes you into the performance words are simply not sufficient! The 802's predecessor...the 801 was similarly nice but substancially deficient in low frequency reproduction in the sense that it was fat sounding {but not boomy} and a bit overwhelming although of higher output and efficiency for sure. Just remember...louder does not necessarily equate to superiority and in fact all too often in loudspeaker evaluation results in the exact opposite situation. The B&W 802 will have none of that and certainly is of flagship quality despite its substancially lower price and regardless of one's musical preferences.

Indeed I find it most satisfying when a reproducer of sound can not only touch my emotions with its effortless character but also is able to strike every chord without adding any phony weight to it resulting in over amplified performance. It is this very lack of amplified colored sound that separates great speakers like the 802's from the rest of the rather endless pack!

I highly recommend you cancel any inclination to subwoofer the system as it is just fine by itself! Don't guild the lily!

I highly recommend these 802's to anyone who does not care for my reference system [and there are plenty of you!] or to those that simply believe that bi-polars tradeoff clarity for spaciousness. Also, not everyone can accommodate their room by removing unwanted drapes and non-reflecting surfaces.

For the demanding audiophile in that particular circumstance the B&W Nautilus 802 is the ultimate answer! At any rate the beautifully curved and contoured enclosure bespeaks of the highest quality in furniture and undoubtedly augments the B&W's smooth and powerful performance.

If you have the bankroll...then go for it! Believe it or not...there's a plethora of speakers costing more than $10,000/Pr that do not surpass this one! Though somewhat costly at $7000 for the pair, the B&W 802 certainly beats all others out there except for one...but that is only my opinion and not to be perceived as anything else!




UPDATE 3/24/2012:

As my tastes and ears have changed since this report over the past few years as also my listening room...I now consider the Bowers & Wilkins Nautillus 802 to be the ultimate speaker beating out far more costlier models.  This beautifully crafted model offers the most natural presentation I can ever recall hearing!  It is a stunning piece of furniture craftsmanship that simply cannot be matched at any price point in my humbled EPINION.  I prefer it to the costlier big brother 801.   The Bose 901 cannot even come close to the refined sound of the 802.

 

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): N/A