Bowers & Wilkins Matrix 801 Series II Vintage Speakers

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General:
Vintage Bowers & Wilkins 801's are favorites for audiophiles and sound engineers due to their accurate and enjoyable sound signature.

There were several iterations of the 801's with the biggest difference being the porting of the massive woofer. The Series II is a ported speaker with vents to the front giving you the most amount of bass while not overloading the corner of the room. If you have a smaller room, best to look for the sealed version.

In my opinion, these sound more natural and more musical than the modern equivalent which tend to be hyper-realistic and a bit fatiguing. I can listen to this model for hours without a hint of fatigue.

Best of all many many studio recordings were mixed using this model which will give you the most honest and accurate representation of what the recording engineer was shooting for.

Included with the speakers will be a new pair of Kimber Kable 4TC series Jumpers ($149, 20cm length), plus the owners manual and various literature as shown in our photos.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
A few scratches on the cabinet, One on the side couple on the back. Overall they present very well.

Shipping:
These speakers are exempt from any Free Shipping promotions.

These speakers will be carefully wrapped and packed to ship via truck freight with full insurance within the lower 48 US States for a flat $450. This amount will automatically be added during your checkout.

We can safely pack these speakers to ship worldwide, just contact us for a quote. Local pickup welcome and we can also arrange a local courier depending on distance. Please contact us for details. 

Brand Background:
Excellence, uncompromised and uncompromising. The world’s most famous recording studios demand Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series loudspeakers, for no other reason than they represent the pinnacle of sonic supremacy.

Ownership:
Single Owner

Connections:
5 way speaker binding posts

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested in our lab and listening room.

Included:
Exactly as pictured and described above.

Shipping:
Please note these speakers are exempt from any SkyFi Free Shipping promotions.
These speakers will ship via truck freight securely wrapped and strapped to a shipping pallet anywhere within the lower 48 states for a flat $700.

We'll use our custom SealedAir Instapak expanding packing foam and shipping boxes that are reusable should you need to move with speakers in the future.

If you're outside of this area simply contact us for a quote as we ship worldwide. Local Courier also available for an additional fee depending on distance.

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Original MSRP:
$5,200.00

Specs:
Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker.

Drive-units: 
1" (26mm) metal-dome tweeter
5" (126mm) Kevlar-cone midrange unit
12" (300mm) high-power polymer-cone woofer

Crossover frequencies:
380 Hz and 3 kHz

Frequency response: 
20 Hz - 20 kHz ±2 dB free-field

Sensitivity:
87 dB/W/m. 

Nominal impedance:
8 ohms (not falling below 4 ohms)

Amplifier requirements:
50 - 600W

Dimensions - Each Speaker:
39 11/16" H by 17" W by 22" D

Weight - Each Speaker:
110 lbs.

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - Speaker Cables - Good

Kimber Kable - Speaker Cables - Better

Kimber Kable - Bi-Wire Speaker Cables - Best

Testing Process:
Our speaker evaluation process starts with a visual inspection of all drivers. We are looking for damaged or deteriorating woofer surrounds, dented tweeter domes, and cone damage. We also inspect the speaker connection points for loose or broken connectors.

After the initial visual inspection we connect the speakers to a reference amplifier with our preferred test tracks. With the speakers placed with proper distance we listen to each driver to make sure that they are producing the intended frequencies with no signs of distortion or rattle.

During listening tests with test tracks we check for proper stereo imaging and bass response at various listening levels. If there are any audible signs of issues, the speakers are taken to the bench where we perform a frequency sweep to isolate the issue so that it can be resolved by component repair or replacement.

Our subwoofer evaluation process starts with a visual inspection of all drivers. We are looking for damaged or deteriorating woofer surrounds, cone damage, or rubbing voice coils. We also inspect the input connections for damage.

After the initial visual inspection we connect the sub at our bench and perform a sine wave sweep from about 200 Hz down to around 10 Hz. During this sweep we are listening for excessive rattle or other signs of improper function.

If the sweep passes we then increase the input level to evaluate how the woofer performs at high output levels. If the woofer has built-in crossover adjustments or multiple connection options these features are tested at this time.

We complete the subwoofer evaluation by feeding the unit with an audio signal in conjunction with our house music system to see how it responds to low frequency content in real world conditions while paired with a full range system.