B&W 802 Nautilus Rosenut (Great condition)

Description

MSRP on these were $8000,

This is becoming VERY scarce now!

Full Spike and rubber feet kit also included (R15k)

Located in JHB 

Magical and accurate are the best words to sum these speakers up. I have spent a lot of time with lots of different speakers, I am not wealthy so all have been used, older models. Kappa 9, KEF 105/3, Magnepan 1.7, Martin Logan SL to name a few. None were slouches, yet none come close to the performance of the Nautilus 802’s. I have only owned for about 2 months now, and they still impress the hell out of me. Low end response is very good, very tight and plenty deep for most music. No harshness, just airy highs, and a midrange that is very accurate and smooth. Imaging is outstanding. These speakers grab you and make you want to sit down and really “listen” to the music. These will rock out when you want, and still sound as smooth and detailed as they do at lower levels.
I am running these with Balanced Audio gear, VK-40 preamp and VK-500 amp, which has turned out to be a match made in heaven.Interconnects are all Audioquest Red River, along with older Audioquest Hyperlitz Crystal speaker cables.

Ignore the B&W bashers, they are on every thread on the internet. If someone heard this speaker and didn’t think it was spectacular, then they have a terrible room and / or terribly matched amplification. On my system it is NEVER harsh and I am very sensitive to harshness. The Matrix 801 was a bit too harsh for my taste. The 802 definitely does not match the sheer power of the 801’s bass but other than that, the Nautilus beats it handily.

I have heard top of the line Von Schweikerts VR-33, VR-35, VR-4 HSE and VR-5 , Quad ESLs, Klipschhorns, Kappa 9, Dahlquist DQ-20, Thiels (several different ones), Dynaudio… etc etc. and Nautilus holds up to anything out there IMO.

Purchased these from Audio One in Ontario, Canada, I got a really great deal on these as they were on the look out for a nice pair for me for about 4 Months.

These Babies are very heavy, had a bit of trouble getting them in to my ” Theatre of dreams” , they were hooked up with a Levinson 332 and an Anthem D2 Pre/Pro, for movies this combination and a Rotel RMB 1075 for the surround speakers were great, however for music something was missing, not the sound I wanted.

I changed the Anthem Pre/pro and replaced it with a VAC Standard LE Pre with Phono, now these Babies sing all night long with very little effort, the music comes alive and fills the “Theatre of Dreams” with life like concert sound,now I am only 2 Channel.

I know this is a review for the B&W 802 N, but I just have to mention the VAC and the beauty of this piece, hands down a great Preamplifier.

I love these Speakers.

Love reading some of the reviews trashing these speakers. They must be listening with mis-matched components or in a poor room, or both. And they definitely can’t spell.
I’ve had my N802s for a couple of months now and originally had them connected to a mid-fi Denon receiver just to test, and was shocked at how good the combination sounded- in the RIGHT room. They’ve since been paired with a McIntosh amp and pre, MC352 and MX132 respectively. Using Oppo BDP-83SE for source. I’d say the 802s are a little bright and revealing, which I prefer, and I can see how pairing them with similar components would leave you turning the volume down on certain recordings. All’s good with the Mac components though. Very dynamic speakers that make horns sound right. Mids and highs are very detailed, vocals are superb. Though bass extension is good and tight, they’re not the last word in deep bass, which is my only critique.
Given what these can be had for on the used market, there aren’t many options- new or used- that can better them. I’ve listened to 802 and 803 Diamonds, and to 803Ds, and personally can’t justify the difference in price. I’ve owned 805Ns, 805Ss and 804Ns and they’re all great speakers. I think the Nautilus line is a great value.

Love reading some of the reviews trashing these speakers. They must be listening with mis-matched components or in a poor room, or both. And they definitely can’t spell.
I’ve had my N802s for a couple of months now and originally had them connected to a mid-fi Denon receiver just to test, and was shocked at how good the combination sounded- in the RIGHT room. They’ve since been paired with a McIntosh amp and pre, MC352 and MX132 respectively. Using Oppo BDP-83SE for source. I’d say the 802s are a little bright and revealing, which I prefer, and I can see how pairing them with similar components would leave you turning the volume down on certain recordings. All’s good with the Mac components though. Very dynamic speakers that make horns sound right. Mids and highs are very detailed, vocals are superb. Though bass extension is good and tight, they’re not the last word in deep bass, which is my only critique.
Given what these can be had for on the used market, there aren’t many options- new or used- that can better them. I’ve listened to 802 and 803 Diamonds, and to 803Ds, and personally can’t justify the difference in price. I’ve owned 805Ns, 805Ss and 804Ns and they’re all great speakers. I think the Nautilus line is a great value.