There is a shop here that has a couple of the 802 models, including one of the "diamond" ones with very elegant, up-market-looking finishing. I've heard it playing several times, usually powered by a huge Accuphase amp (with big meters!), and it sounds very good. They are asking about US$8,000 for it. {Incidentally, this is the same shop where I recently bought my SX-1980. They have some nice stuff! :yes:}
Compared to what many new speakers cost today, it's probably worth their price, and if the model you are looking at is the same version, I'd say it is well worth it. I personally wouldn't pay the going rate, because I think there are other secondhand speakers that give it close competition --including my RSIIs (in my case free from the trash!
), which seem to have a significantly better soundstage, and the Sequerra Signature speakers, which have a roughly comparably neutral sound with additional "tweakability" to suit a given listening space-- but the big B$Ws are no slouches. (--OOOPS! That was an honest typo, but so appropriate that I'll leave it... I actually meant to type B&Ws. :yes: LOL) There is a reason they have been used for mastering not only at the Skywalker Ranch, but also at the Apple Studios. They are "reference quality" speakers, quite revealing and generally accurate, although not quite perfect.
If I had to criticize them at all, I would say that you can still (JUST BARELY) tell that they are UK products. They still carry a hint of that rolled-off, warmer sound that defines "the British sound" and much of the "East Coast" speakers that resemble them. It is just barely there, though: the 802 "diamond" speakers come closer than ANY other British-made speakers I've ever heard to achieving a truly neutral, well-balanced and full-frequency sound. For most people, they will --rightfully!-- sound darned near "perfect" with the right gear behind them, and I wouldn't mind at all living with a pair myself, even though they aren't quite the "ultimate" sound I am seeking. They come close enough to be ranked among the better speakers out there.
They also carry a certain "cachet" in the marketplace; an excellent reputation that probably ensures that they will retain much of their value. There is a certain degree of "snob factor" to owning them, I think, and they are a "safe" buy if you are ever concerned about what other people think of your gear. If you can get a pair of the later ones like the "diamond" ones in good shape for US$4500, and you can afford the expenditure, I'd say it is definitely worth doing. If you don't like them (which isn't very likely), you will probably make a nice profit on the resale. If they are the earliest models and are all beat up, though, I'm not sure it would be such a great deal. In such a case, I might pass, because I'm not sure how much impact condition would have on their price.
NOTE: The above comments are based on limited listening experiences spaced over a couple of years (including some as recent as within the past two weeks), with gear I'm not that familiar with, in sub-optimal spaces. They might actually sound better than I think, properly set up in an ideal environment, with the right gear behind them. The fact that they sounded as good as they did just "put there" in a showroom and hooked up to the best thing they had sitting nearby, says a lot for them. There is another showroom here (the authorized dealer's) where I have heard them, but the last time was over a year ago, and I don't remember specifics from that well enough. I do know they weren't on my "to get" list, at the original list price, but that might have been as much or more because of the price, than because of the sound!
