I don't know, but what's the name of Brazil's bigger progressive rock bands? I heard a band about 12 or 15 years ago that was awesome, but only available on import and I can't remember the name!

The big PSBs, NHT Xd, Paradigm's new top end models might fit the bill if you can get them.

PSB would be my choice to meet your criteria.

I like psb speakers and even own a pair, but if you know you like the B&W sound then I would first listen to some of their less expensive models to see if they offer a speaker that gets close enough to the 801 before looking at other brands.

Most manufacturers tend to have a certain priority in sound preference that often times extends up and down the price range, at least to a degree.

You might want to give the 802D a listen @ 6K or the 803D @4K. Here is a link for specs, prices and pics...though I'm not in any way familiar with this particular retailer.

Scroll down the page

Quote:
You might want to give the 802D a listen @ 6K or the 803D @4K.

That's per speaker, not per pair, btw.

Kal

When I sold PSB, the B&W M801 fans LOVED the Stratus Gold. The T8 (?), I believe would be the obvious closest one, but it's a little higher than your budget. I'm assuming you want big, deep bass. A lot of speakers totally give that up these days. NHT T6s have superb bass with the powered, dual 12" woofers per speaker and are well under $5500. Then even managed Stereophile Class A. How they got "restricted LF" category, I have NO idea, since only a few Class A full range speakers can even come close in depth/output.

Another option - Aerial Acoustics 10T. A little dated, maybe, but they seemed to be patterned right after the M801 and should have a similar sound, something between the M801 and the 801D.

Quote:

Quote:
You might want to give the 802D a listen @ 6K or the 803D @4K.

That's per speaker, not per pair, btw.

Kal

I suppose somewhere on the planet there is an audiophile wife able to lift one speaker and toss it out the upstairs window.

Quote:
John, even for only rock music listening, do you still recommend
the NHT T6s?

Absolutely! They rock. Just forgiving enough to handle older stuff. There are ways in which they are not better than the 801D, but there are ways in which they are better - the bass will be more precise, more accurate, more adjustable. The midrange is smooth, but detailed. And the treble is surprisingly great. Better than the Nautilus tweeter, not quite as good as the diamond tweeter. They also handle high volumes more gracefully with less listener fatigue. They don't image as precisely, perhaps, but they hold their own in just about every other way. Here is a review that directly compares the T6 to the N801. There is an interesting passage that points to two flaws in the 801 sound (with which the reviewer doesn't seem to agree), and he points out the T6 are different in these areas. Which is right? I think the T6, but it's subjective, I suppose. He thinks the 801.

http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/nht_evolution_t6.htm

My personal opinion is to pass. I think the far less expensive way of achieving high performance and that "801 sound" is to get two affordable, but high-end acoustic suspension monitors such as Triad or NHT (others?) and mate them with two high performance powered subs. You can do that here for as little as $2K and get superior performance to most tower speakers. The key is the acoustic suspension design for the mids which is rare.

To be honest, the B&W 801 sound always reminded me, in flavor, of the NHT SuperZeros when run with their stereo 10" subwoofers. But the latter cost about $1000 US back when the 801 was $5500. The problem with 801s is that the lower midrange/upper bass is very poor on the 801s. The bass is peaky in the midbass and lacks resolution in the low bass. The midrange gets wonky at higher volumes, just like most very small drivers.

But, even if you spent big $bucks and got a pair of $2500 Triads and two of their 12" powered subs, which I think are around $1200, you'd have $1000 left for shipping. And I guarantee they'll outperform the 801s. At the lower price points, you'd still get something that is designed 15 years later and has much higher parts quality. You can do NHT's new Three with a pair of matching powered subs and external crossover for ~$2500 (importing? shipping?!?) and they'll just flat out [progressively] rock

Hi Dario,
Sorry, I've been busy. Well, in order to get high output and good midrange, you're likely going to need multiple midranges, multiple bass drivers. I like those new PSBs, they rock. I think they're a little more expensive than what you'd thought, but they're a big upgrade over an M801 III. If you have to import something, wouldn't going with high-end sub/sats be easier to get over? A tower speaker is just a big sub/sat speaker.

If I were you I'd look into some VMPS offerings. I wouldn't say they have a similar quality to the 801D's, but they are a great speaker in their own right. For 5 grand you could get into their RM30's or 40's (30's image sharper at the cost of low bass).
-->grub

Interesting... the Stratus is still listed on the PSB website. Perhaps this is because their website does not receive the latest updates in the most timely manner...

www.psbspeakers.com

The Alpha-series is an excellent line of entry level priced ($549USD retail for the Alpha T floorstander, the top model in this line). The Image-series is their mid-level range ($1099USD retail for the T65 floorstander). The Stratus was their high end line prior to the introduction of the Platinum-series. $1099USD for their Stratus Mini standmount up to $2699USD for the Stratus Goldi floorstander. Many of their models throughout their various lines have received a fair share of favorable press.

Being very familiar with the PSB line, I would say if this is true, perhaps you can find Stratus models at clearance prices. These are very good loudspeakers and even at retail price, represent a solid value, imo.

The new Focal/Jmlab Electra 1027 Be sounds promising at 5500 $