B&W Matrix 802 Series 2 - Not too Shabby!

Bostown

Bostown

Low End Audio Enthusiast!
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They haven't found their final home at home yet, so for now the B&W Matrix 802 Series 2 will serve up some tunes in the dungeon while I clean up down there and figure out if it's worth investing in having a partially finished basement.

I'm calling shenanigans on the claims by others that the Matrix 802 S2 is lacking in low end output. - Maybe they just mate better with these itty bitty palladium amplifiers.

Seems that folks with lots of cash have taken to dumping an additional 2K+ into some whiz bang crossovers that are suppose to make you feel like you've died and gone to heaven. That's one of the benefits of not being wealthy, it Means my listening will make me feel like I'm firmly planted here on earth. - Hell , maybe I'm just being super eco conscious and by not letting go of any additional GREEN. besides, I'm quite satisfied with what the engineers at B&W came up with.

Can't wait to do a bit of A/B listening with the 802's vs Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home. anyone else hanging on to these relics which have been upstaged by the uber cool 802 Diamond? I mean sure, Diamonds are forever, but there's nothing wrong with living in the Matrix. :)

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Cubical_Hell said:
I recently got a pair myself. Love them!
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My sentiments exactly. No idea why there is so much chatter about mods and upgrades and tweaks. - Audio opinions seem to go viral with a few people starting the "buzz" followed by a bunch of "Me too" commentary.

are you using that 6th order crossover filter that originally shipped with the Matrix 802? or just running them directly?

Gracias for the Kudos and comments. It's certainly not the best system, setup or even location, but it serves it's purpose quite well for now.
I dont typically hang on to big speakers but the price was right so it was worth taking the gamble and adding them to the hoard.

I will say that the 802's have made me appreciate what the Acoustic Research AR302 and RDL FS-1 can do a whole lot more given the differences in their original retail prices. If you ever happen upon a set of FS-1 or any of the other RDL acoustics line, just grab them.
 
Dr. Morbius said:
Nice amps! :thmbsp:
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I had been lusting after a Pair of Aragon Palladiums since I saw them advertised in an audio magazine when I was a teen. - So I'm scratching "own a pair of Palladiums" off my bucket list :D

I skipped the typical "Audio show High end" presentation of amp stands on the floor, in favor of a more realistic "average joe - non audiophile" ( which describes me well). vertical stack. - Yep, I'm a store brand yellow mustard type of dude through and through. :)
 
the 802 series 2 was sold with a bass extension adapter witch was connected betwen pre main amp connector
it s a active low pass extension
google is u r friend
 
Very nice, would love to hear that system. The B&W DM series I've heard never impressed me but those are what I think of as 'real' B&Ws and it's a whole different ballgame. Not too shabby? They don't suck.
 
junkaudio said:
the 802 series 2 was sold with a bass extension adapter witch was connected betwen pre main amp connector
it s a active low pass extension
google is u r friend
Click to expand...

I mentioned it earlier. it was called a "bass alignment filter" and it was included but to be used at the user's option. ( deemed not necessary by many and now worth a small fortune in our demand for elusive wares ). The price driven up by demand based purely on rarity and user web hype. other manufacturers had similar devices by way of function.

Kef Kube
Allison Electronic Subwoofer

these devices served a similar purpose. They were optional for some models , but in the case with the KEF Reference 102, it was required as it was actually a part of the crossover design.
The Allison unit was pitched for use with the top of the line Allison One speakers - which is a killer sounding pair of speakers without the need for the optional add on hardware for sure.

Apparently that filter wasn't so vital , since B&W stopped production and did away with it in later incarnations of the 802 series. and that probably just makes it even more of Must have for some.

Google is a good friend indeed! :)
 
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I bought my Matrix 802 series 3s new in 1993 if I recall. I still have them...


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You are correct in that the 802s can produce full range, including decent LF. However, I (and others) feel that you lose a little bit of the special MF and its presence if you position the 802s to get maximum LF response. To make them perform their best in the MF (for which they are known for), most place the 802s around 1.5 - 2 feet from the back wall and more than that from the side walls. That will get you very good MF, presence and imaging, but at the expense of weight in the LF. So, I (and several others) use a SW to give just a hint of LF boost to give the overall sound enough weight down low. The SW also helps with HT. :banana:

It is best to use the Sound Anchor stands as well to get them off the ground a bit (Mine in the photo are Arcici's).

No real need to use the Bass Alignment Filter (BAF) to get 6th order Butterworth XO. Krell used to make a much better unit but IMHO not really worth the cost and extra cables in the signal path.

As for the 802Ds, I (and some others) prefer the Matrix series as their HF is not as shrill as on the Diamonds. YMMV.
 
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edwyun said:
Oh, and the right speaker's main grill seems to be upside down - the top beveled edge of the grill should line up with the top beveled edge of the enclosure (like your left speaker). :D
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Finally hahah :) , I thought no one was going to catch that .
Yuup! I know, I had just put the grills back on when I took the photo and didn't bother to retake it after I noticed my fail on the right speaker grill.

good eyes Edwyun.
 
Bostown said:
I'm calling shenanigans on the claims by others that the Matrix 802 S2 is lacking in low end output. - Maybe they just mate better with these itty bitty palladium amplifiers.

Seems that folks with lots of cash have taken to dumping an additional 2K+ into some whiz bang crossovers that are suppose to make you feel like you've died and gone to heaven. That's one of the benefits of not being wealthy, it Means my listening will make me feel like I'm firmly planted here on earth. - Hell , maybe I'm just being super eco conscious and by not letting go of any additional GREEN. besides, I'm quite satisfied with what the engineers at B&W came up with.



_CSC9601.JPG
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You mean these North Creek outboard crossovers?

I'm sorry but you have no idea what your missing.

I essentially did the same thing with my own networks. And I'm not the only one that has doe it! It was so much a revelation, I don't think I could ever live with most speaker manufactures networks.

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Yeah, if you ever open the 802s and look at the XOs, you'll be surprised at the low quality parts used for such a good speaker. Still great sound though. It is also perhaps time to replace the caps given their age.
 
SET12 said:
You mean these North Creek outboard crossovers?

I'm sorry but you have no idea what your missing.

I essentially did the same thing with my own networks. And I'm not the only one that has doe it! It was so much a revelation, I don't think I could ever live with most speaker manufactures networks.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'll probably never know. :D I'm not knocking any of the folks who ante'd up and found value in those upgrades, I'm just not that dude. I'll have to take everyone's word that its the best thing since deep fried twinkies, but mine will stay with the proletariat stock crossovers.

Re-capping isn't totally out of the question as standard maintenance. But there are other items that need to see the bench first. A McIntosh 225 immediately comes to mind, followed by a vintage Accuphase P300/C200/T100 combo. First order of business was to get the Magnum Dynlab MD108 tuner back to spec and back into that system. We'll see what's next after that unit comes back from it's tune up in Canada.

I'm satisfied with the sound of the 802's despite any potential sonic bliss improvements that may exists.
 
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