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So I tried to score today...Any B&W and Rotel guys?

John in MA

John in MA

Respect the gamba tuba
I came home today and found a fellow in town listing a bunch of audio gear on Craigslist. Seemed like the sort of stuff I could replace my second/backup system with. Just got home with the goods. This age gear and these brands aren't ones I'm deeply familiar with, so I'm hoping some of the crew here can fill me in on the basics/what I should expect/problems/etc.

B&W Matrix 804 speakers, black cabinets and grills. Average wear overall. Tweeter housings are both loose, one tweeter is pushed in and without its little grill. All drivers work.

Rotel RB-990BX power amp. 200x2. Very good shape, passed basic sound test

Rotel RB-960BX power amp. 60x2. As above, condition-wise.

Rotel RTC-950AX tuner/preamp. Dusty but basic functions work.

Another RTC-950AX. Preamp works but tuner section doesn't show any life.

This is all certainly a step up from most of the gear I've been using as backups. Figured it was a good deal for $350. I'm hoping I can get some spare parts to restore the B&Ws.

Pics to follow
 
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I used to have the B&W 804s, nice speakers if you can get them restored. Very smooth, but somewhat full-sounding in the mid-bass, which can make setup challenging. Try them on 6-8" stands if you can. No experience with those particular Rotel units, but I've owned some Rotel stuff over the years and been impressed by it - I still use a Rotel processor in my HT setup. Sounds like you got a good deal.
 
B&W 804 Matrix

I have a pair of 804 Matrix speakers. Excellent performance. Do a google search for several reviews.

Originally sold for $2400. Usually go for $800 to $1100 on that auction site if in excellent condition.

Speaker housing problems are common. Pretty cheesy design for an expensive speaker.

Ron
 
You just got a 990BX too? Kewl! I just scored my fourth a few hours ago. I guess that's saying something about the amp. Very good piece of gear I think. Have to agree with what the dealer told me who sold me my 981. Your getting 90% of the Krell at 10% the cost.

And that was a screaming deal at $350.
 
Well, my batteries died as soon as I started with the photos. Here are the speakers. They're in better shape than I thought. Very little cabinet or grill damage. Just the tweeter business.

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Recharged. Here's the underside of the tweeter housing. Both of them are missing some kind of mounting tab that's broken off. There's nothing holding them to the base at the moment. They also might be missing a bit of felt--I'm not sure.

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Rotel in the house:
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Not bad for a Sunday afternoon:
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Wow, that was a good deal. Those Matrix speakers are nice, and worth plenty more than you paid for the whole pile. As Mike said, contact B&W for replacement parts. What are your mains, that those will be your backup speaks?
 
I would KILL to get Matrix 804s for $350, let alone a whole setup! Since I noticed you are a Polk guy, and I am in Albany, NY, I would trade you my Polk SDA II for the 804s in a HEART BEAT!
 
Nice score!.... I've always liked B&W speakers. I thought my DM602 S3's were great for their size and price range. I'd love to hear the 804's. Good luck with the restore. I've dealt with B&W customer service once and they were very helpful.
 
804's

John in MA

My tweeter housings have the same problem. There’s supposed to be a small plastic tab in front of the screw that holds the tweeter. This tab is meant to engage the slot in the lower housing. Unfortunately the tab is only about a mm thick. Any pressure on the tweeter housing & it breaks. Think I’ll email B&W and see what replacements cost.

I got my 804’s in a package deal as well. $100 for the speakers with a Nakamichi CD player, and a complete set of Adcom electronics. A 545 II amp, a GTP-500 II preamp/tuner, and a power conditioner. Not a bad deal…..

Ron
 
Is that a Phase Linear I spy? Try the Rotel. It's a very smooth amp. With scary grunt too.
 
devoid said:
Is that a Phase Linear I spy? Try the Rotel. It's a very smooth amp. With scary grunt too.
Click to expand...

Good eye. It's an early PL 400. I actually stopped using it shortly after that photo was taken last year. A big Adcom GFA-5800 was supposed to replace it, but the cooling system isn't working correctly so right now I'm using a Bryston 3B.

I'll try out the Rotel and see how she sounds.
 
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