# B+W Matrix speakers



## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

I was browsing audiogone and I saw these. I don't know anyone who has owned them so I figured I would ask here and see if I could get some feedback. I know they were made btween 87 and 91 but I don't know what they sold for so I am not sure if the price they are asking is fair or not. Any opinions would be appreciated. Here is the link....http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1266183748


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Hello,
That is truly an Audio Classic. They weigh a great deal and I would be reluctant to have them shipped, but for the money, are a fantastic Speaker.

As you see in the listing, they require serious amplification. These are speakers that were actually used by many Professional Studios for Mastering as they were in this listing. I believe the Series 80 were marketed as Studio Monitors.

If you have the amplification, or the funds to purchase a high powered amplifier, I would certainly go and listen to them. The Series 80 is a pre Matrix design and are fairly old. Still an awesome speaker, but I would definitely audition them before purchase. The Series 80 includes Environmental Controls which allows for adjustments.
Again, these were mostly used in Studios. The newer 801's do not have these controls and also feature the Matrix bracing which greatly reduces resonance. The newer models are much, much more expensive.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

I know they are heavy, they are 297lbs so I would have to do a road trip. I have pro amps that I run my system on now so I assume it would be enough power. I have 2 ep2500 behringers and 2 Crown Cts-600's along with a few others so would something like that be enough to power them? Also what should I look for on the speakers,besides the obvious, that would raise a red flag?


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

If all the drivers work and are not physically damaged you are likely fine. A series of pure sine wave signals played at various frequencies can often excite a loose voice coil or separating cone, but these speakers were pretty well made. In the decades that I have worked for dealers that sell them, I can only recall a handful of damaged or bad drivers. Most of those were clearly physical damage or real serious abuse.

Let me be clear on that comment. I am talking about all of the B&W speakers we sold, not just the 801s. IM, their build quality is second to none. You really have to mistreat them to cause a problem.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

OK, Thanks Len, I assume you think that this is a good deal if everything is fine with the speakers? Also if you could give me your opinion on the sound quality of them I would appreciate it.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Hello,
The hallmark of 801's is complete accuracy to the source. This is why they were marketed as Studio Monitors. This means no sweetening of the highs, etc... Just accuracy. 

And again, the Series 80 are not Matrix. This is an important distinction as Matrix technology really reduces resonances. That being said, the Matrix 801's are far more expensive and as you see by their weight, they are amazingly well made.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> The hallmark of 801's is complete accuracy to the source. This is why they were marketed as Studio Monitors. This means no sweetening of the highs, etc... Just accuracy.
> 
> And again, the Series 80 are not Matrix. This is an important distinction as Matrix technology really reduces resonances. That being said, the Matrix 801's are far more expensive and as you see by their weight, they are amazingly well made.
> ...


OK, So have you ever heard them and if so what did you think? If they are speakers that are true to the source then I assume some EQ would be in order which I have. Do you think they would work well for HT?


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Hello,
I think they would work well in any application. Provided they are in good condition. They do have controls on the back to change the sound that they call "Environmental Controls". The more recent 801's do not have this feature. It allows you to adjust the sound somewhat. Truly great speakers.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Well I emailed the guy so I guess I will try to set up an audition. We shall see.... Anyone else with any info or opinions are very welcome....:T


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

They were fine speakers and I can't think of anything that would be better for anywhere near that price new. The problem is the size and weight. Sort of like moving a 40" CRT...


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Well if I get an answer to the email I sent him and it goes well I will be going on a road trip. And since the add said OBO I offered him $750. Just waiting on the answer.


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## hybris (Jan 25, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

A friend of mine owned a pair of Matrix 801 speakers a while back. They were really ugly, required quite a lot of amplification (he used the Electrocompaniet AW250R) and sounded wonderful  

He now owns the B&W 803S, and while they do sound better - you get A LOT of sound quality for your money in the 801 speakers. Great bass response as well. His main reason for upgrading was that 801 was so ugly that his wife threatened to throw them out for him


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Funny, That is one of the reasons I like them. They have their own look that you can't mistake for anything else. I guess it's true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder....


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

B&W has the best midrange drivers in the world period. They are good enough to allow for a proper crossover in a 3-way speaker design. Their Cabinet construction quality is second to none in commercial speakers. Any great reference speaker will be heavy and large. You are talking about 2 layers of wood a matrix of bracing and a lot of dampening. Some reference speakers even use concrete as the inner layer, but oak is another popular choice. Let's just say you are getting probably the best speakers you can buy with your money. There is no brand I know of that's actually better quality than the B&W 800 series. Especially the 802D's. This is to speakers what BMW's are to cars. To build a speaker of similar quality would cost you upwards of 2000 dollars.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



lsiberian said:


> B&W has the best midrange drivers in the world period. They are good enough to allow for a proper crossover in a 3-way speaker design. Their Cabinet construction quality is second to none in commercial speakers. Any great reference speaker will be heavy and large. You are talking about 2 layers of wood a matrix of bracing and a lot of dampening. Some reference speakers even use concrete as the inner layer, but oak is another popular choice. Let's just say you are getting probably the best speakers you can buy with your money. There is no brand I know of that's actually better quality than the B&W 800 series. Especially the 802D's. This is to speakers what BMW's are to cars. To build a speaker of similar quality would cost you upwards of 2000 dollars.


I appreciate the feedback Isiberian, I figured if they are sonically fine then I can always work on the looks if needed. He said they show signs of wear but it's hard to see from the pics how much. Hopefully I will hear back from him soon.


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## JerryLove (Dec 5, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Among the older units the 801 Matrix Series II and Series III are some of the most higly recommended for a neutral powerful sound, and I was hunting down to add to my own collection prior to making arrangements for my custom-builds. 

I don't have experience with the series 80, and I don't know what differences it brings to the table. I do know that $800 for a series II or III would be very low. 

Jerry


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



tcarcio said:


> I appreciate the feedback Isiberian, I figured if they are sonically fine then I can always work on the looks if needed. He said they show signs of wear but it's hard to see from the pics how much. Hopefully I will hear back from him soon.


Remember room. Everyone forgets that when evaluating speakers. Room can change every thing. Many audio stores will make the expensive speakers sound better than the cheap ones by simply putting them in the best position acoustically. Sometimes the audible differences between speakers aren't as distinguishable as we'd like to pretend. If you can run them on a ground plan then you could actually measure the response and avoid room interaction issues, but doing this requires a lot more work than I'd be up for.

Still I think they'd go great in most folks setups.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



JerryLove said:


> Among the older units the 801 Matrix Series II and Series III are some of the most higly recommended for a neutral powerful sound, and I was hunting down to add to my own collection prior to making arrangements for my custom-builds.
> 
> I don't have experience with the series 80, and I don't know what differences it brings to the table. I do know that $800 for a series II or III would be very low.
> 
> Jerry


I think the difference is in the enclosure but I am not sure.:scratch: I know I need to listen to them but I think with most everyone giving the thumbs up on B+W they are worth it. Thanks Jerry.:T


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



lsiberian said:


> Remember room. Everyone forgets that when evaluating speakers. Room can change every thing. Many audio stores will make the expensive speakers sound better than the cheap ones by simply putting them in the best position acoustically. Sometimes the audible differences between speakers aren't as distinguishable as we'd like to pretend. If you can run them on a ground plan then you could actually measure the response and avoid room interaction issues, but doing this requires a lot more work than I'd be up for.
> 
> Still I think they'd go great in most folks setups.


I have my room treated but I know that if I get these speakers they will sound completely different then what I have so I would have to experiment to see what works best. I think I just would like to own a pair of audio history, if you can call it that. Thanks Isiberian....:clap:


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

I knew a guy who owned a set of the 801's and they were just amazing for home audio. He had them in his livingroom with two White Audio monoblocks driving them. But be aware they are very heavy if I remember correctly they were 500lbs each.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

500lbs...:yikes: I think they weigh about 150-200lbs a piece if I remember from my search info. I haven't recieved a response yet from the seller but I hope he will get in touch with me soon. Thanks Tony....:T


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

It may have been 500lbs for the pair Its been a long time.


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## JerryLove (Dec 5, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*



tonyvdb said:


> It may have been 500lbs for the pair Its been a long time.


 Try Infinity RSI's some time.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Hello,
Just to make sure there is no confusion, the Series 80 801's are not Matrix Series. They predate the first Matrix Series and were marketed as Studio Monitors. 

That being said, they are fantastic speakers and given their construction, should be close to resonance free. For the money, nothing can come close provided they are in good shape and sound to your liking.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

*Re: B+W Matrix 801 speakers*

Thanks JJ, I tried to remove that from the thread title but it doesn't allow me to.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Good luck-hope it works out and you can tell us what you think of them (positive experience, us course:T)


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Well I heard back from the gentlemen with the speakers and he is located in N.J. in a place called Sound Lab disc makers. He said that he has another offer for the speakers but that person wants him to ship them and he would rather not. He said to come down and give them a listen but I don't want to drive 4.5 hours to Jersey unless I am coming home with them. He said I could bring a cd with test tones if I would like so is there a complete disc of tones I can download somewhere or should I just go to realm of excursion and download them. Also are there some tones that would show a loose voice coil more then others? Thanks for all your help guy's.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

OK, Well he just called me back and said if I want them he would rather someone pick them up, like I am doing, then to have to ship them to Canada, where the other person is from. He also said he would go down to $750 so if they are what he say's they are it looks like I will have them this saturday. Here comes the road trip.:wave:


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

I'd simply take your favorite music cd. 

Try the knuckle wrap test for resonance.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

I will but I think it would be easier to hear a problem while playing tone's,would it not? Also as far as resonance I think being made as studio monitors they shouldn't have a problem.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I highly doupt that hey were played very loud given they were in a studio They generally take care of things like that.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

I agree, and the guy that runs the studio is the guy I am meeting saturday. He also said that he gaurantee's there are no sonic issues with the speakers and that he wouldn't bother letting me drive 5 hours to his place if there were. Hopefully he is a stand up guy and is being truthfull with me. I am very excited to be getting these.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

tcarcio said:


> I agree, and the guy that runs the studio is the guy I am meeting saturday. He also said that he gaurantee's there are no sonic issues with the speakers and that he wouldn't bother letting me drive 5 hours to his place if there were. Hopefully he is a stand up guy and is being truthfull with me. I am very excited to be getting these.


Just take your time. The initial shock sometimes sells you. :R


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

They are BIG speakers thats for sure. Cant wait to hear your impressions.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Well after 11hrs on the road I have the speakers back to my HT. I am exhausted so I will set them up tomorrow and give my thoughts. I will say that the studio's that Brian has at Sound Labs are fantastic. He has three studios set up for different scenarios from mastering soundtracks to mixing and editing. I was blown away by how the 801's sounded in the studio. They were clean and precise with plenty of low end and clarity. I hope they sound close in my HT but his studio has all hand built custom acoustics set up to take care of the finest details of the sound. Amazing. Well I am going to kick back and watch some football. If I can stay awake....:rubeyes:


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
Congratulations. Given the adventure in these Arctic conditions, these fantastic Speakers will always have added sentimental value. Truly an amazing speaker. Look forward to reading your experience with them.
Cheers,
JJ


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## audiopile (Jan 8, 2010)

hope you enjoy these -am somewhat amazed at how heavy these have gotten ? I have not exactly enjoyed lifting mine - but think 95 pounds each is closer to the truth- this probably includes the head ( which I always remove when turning 'em ,over: .
Really fine loudspeakers.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Well I got them up and running and so far so good. I just did some quick listening with some music and they sound great but they have not been set up for the room correctley as of yet so I know it will be different when I run room correction and dial them in with the subwoofer. I did have to change my crossover from 80hz to 50hz because the bass freq's were overpowering the room. I did just realize that all my acoustic treatment was set up with my other speakers so I will need to check reflection points and either go with speaker placement or moving some treatments. I will tweak away and then give my impressions of the sound once that is done. I will say that there is a big difference in the midrange compared to my other speakers but that didn't surprise me at all seeing that they were much less quality of speaker. I will post a few pic's and hopefully have it all done tomorrow or the next day.


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

Definitely post pictures of the speakers when you get a chance! I really like the unique look of the B&W 801's!


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

OK, I got everything set up with room correction amd sub intergration and I ended up useing 80hz as a crossover with less eq then I had to use with my B52's. I decided to do a little listening and went with an old favorite of mine, Cream, Deserted cities of the heart. I will say one thing right now, these speakers are precise and clear so much so that I was wondering what some of the sounds that I was hearing were. If that makes sense? The bass line of Jack Bruce was right in my face and I could hear him pluck the strings much clearer then before. The effects he used on his guitar were very defined. Claptons guitar was right there with the same clarity and power. I also noticed that Bakers snare drum had much more snap and punch then I have heard with my other speakers and it wasn't long before I was playing right along with him. Oh, You didn't know I am quite an accomplished air drummer?:bigsmile: So far I love the sound of these and I haven't found that they sound too natural, as some have mentioned, or if that is the way natural is supposed to sound, I like it. I will ofcourse keep playing around and tweeking some things but I have to say I am very happy that I went ahead and got these. I also will say I played them at some very high levels and although for the most part they handled it easily when I started to really push hard the woofer in the right speaker got a little cranky so I backed off. I don't listen at those volumes as a rule so I am not too worried. At normal and a good bit above they were fine. I took a few pics, check them out......:bigsmile:


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Very Nice! Your really scored a great deal there. I highly doubt that you can find a better sounding speaker out there for what you payed, after all they are B&Ws.

Enjoy


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## Jon Liu (May 21, 2007)

Congrats! Those things are beauties!


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

tonyvdb said:


> Very Nice! Your really scored a great deal there. I highly doubt that you can find a better sounding speaker out there for what you payed, after all they are B&Ws.
> 
> Enjoy


I agree. For what I paid, $325 a piece, I couldn't do better. I just listened to some Beatles and it sounded awesome. I will have alot of fun going through my music collection all over again.:clap:


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Jon Liu said:


> Congrats! Those things are beauties!


Thanks, Jon. I hope I can get some good years out of them.


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## Ricci (May 23, 2007)

Way to go TC. That's a score at that price. I can't think of much of anything that will compete in that price range. Enjoy.


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## audiopile (Jan 8, 2010)

I'm envious - you've even got the lenses over the LED's!. What about the batteries for the protection circuit? You'll probably have to wait a long time to get a better deal on audio gear than this one!
Enjoy


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
They are beautiful. Congratulations again. May they bring you many years of Audio Bliss.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Thanks guy's. As far as the batteries go they must be dead because the light does not come on but Brian at Sound labs said he was not sure if the circuit had been bypassed or not. I don't know what if anything it does to the sound but seeing as how they sound fantastic I am not going to worry about it.


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## audiopile (Jan 8, 2010)

Here's the thing- whatever audio evils may possibly be laid to the protection circuit- the relay is still there even if the batteries are dead or missing. If you don't have a real live battery installed - the protection circuit doesn't work.
Parts for 30 year old speakers are not really a given - these batteries are cheap - the drivers irreplaceable.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

So is it better with or without? Also where is the battery located? I should probably call B+W and talk to someone about it.


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## Alex2507 (May 10, 2008)

Nice score, tcarcio. That's an incredible find. :T


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Thanks Alex I think so to. Just FWIW I just got of the phone with a gentleman named Alex from B+W and as far as the batteries for the protection circuit go he said no need to replace them if I didn't want to as long as I don't get stupid and overdrive them. He said not haveing the circuit working has no effect on the sound, good or bad, so that is good new's. He did also say that replacement drivers for these are no longer available and if I need to replace one it would need to be used or I could replace them with newer model drivers but would need to change crossovers. He said I could change tweeters without messing with the crossovers but would have to replace both not just one. Any other of the drivers would need crossover changes. I guess I need to keep my eye's open for these things used so if I need one I would have a spare. Oh well back to Dark side of the moon........:T


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## Verna (Feb 1, 2010)

Hi my name is Verna..I am new to this forum and admittedly, I am not an audiophile myself, but my father-in law was and when he passed away a couple of years ago, we inherited all his collections in music, including a set of B&W 801 Matrix Series 2 speakers among others. It is in our living room and sadly, none in my family inherited his keen interest in music. After much thinking, I think it is time to let go. 
While browsing and finding info about the speakers, i chanced upon this thread, and if anyone out there is interested in the said speakers, pls post a reply here..one downside I can see is that I live in Asia, Philippines, to be exact. 
I also have pictures of my Father-in-lw's collections but I understand that I am not yet allowed to post pics here until I post at least 5 messages.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Hi Verna, Welcome to the forum. I know that there are quite a few people on these boards from all over the world so you should go to our post padding thread and do 5 quick posts and then you can go to the for sale forum and post your pictures with all the info including price. I look forward to seeing them and good luck. Also I am sorry to hear about your loss, God bless.


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## WmAx (Jan 26, 2008)

tcarcio said:


> I agree. For what I paid, $325 a piece, I couldn't do better. I just listened to some Beatles and it sounded awesome. I will have alot of fun going through my music collection all over again.:clap:


Are you kidding? $325 each????? The current market value is around $2000-$3500 a pair, depending on condition.

The 801 Series II/III is comparable to the modern 802D in all respects. It has an absolute audibly inert cabinet system, linear xover/driver response and high dynamic capabilities. You have to spend AT LEAST $15k to get a comparable speaker today, and most speakers that cost far more, will not give the performance you get from the B&W reference units you have.

-Chris


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## WmAx (Jan 26, 2008)

Verna said:


> Hi my name is Verna..I am new to this forum and admittedly, I am not an audiophile myself, but my father-in law was and when he passed away a couple of years ago, we inherited all his collections in music, including a set of B&W 801 Matrix Series 2 speakers among others. It is in our living room and sadly, none in my family inherited his keen interest in music. After much thinking, I think it is time to let go.
> While browsing and finding info about the speakers, i chanced upon this thread, and if anyone out there is interested in the said speakers, pls post a reply here..one downside I can see is that I live in Asia, Philippines, to be exact.
> I also have pictures of my Father-in-lw's collections but I understand that I am not yet allowed to post pics here until I post at least 5 messages.


I know a fellow that lives in Manilo, that may be interested in your speakers. If you still have them available, let me know and I will let him know about the deal.

-Chris


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

WmAx said:


> Are you kidding? $325 each????? The current market value is around $2000-$3500 a pair, depending on condition.
> 
> The 801 Series II/III is comparable to the modern 802D in all respects. It has an absolute audibly inert cabinet system, linear xover/driver response and high dynamic capabilities. You have to spend AT LEAST $15k to get a comparable speaker today, and most speakers that cost far more, will not give the performance you get from the B&W reference units you have.
> 
> -Chris


 I have had them for a couple of weeks now and they are great, especially for the price. I am very happy with them.:bigsmile:


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## Verna (Feb 1, 2010)

WmAx said:


> I know a fellow that lives in Manilo, that may be interested in your speakers. If you still have them available, let me know and I will let him know about the deal.
> 
> -Chris


Hi I'm so sorry for my very late response...
Yes, I still have the speakers...let me know what should I do..thanks and my apologies again for not responding right away..


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## Verna (Feb 1, 2010)

tcarcio said:


> Hi Verna, Welcome to the forum. I know that there are quite a few people on these boards from all over the world so you should go to our post padding thread and do 5 quick posts and then you can go to the for sale forum and post your pictures with all the info including price. I look forward to seeing them and good luck. Also I am sorry to hear about your loss, God bless.


Hi there tcarcio, thank you for welcoming me to this forum and sorry too for the late acknowledgement.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Verna said:


> Hi there tcarcio, thank you for welcoming me to this forum and sorry too for the late acknowledgement.


Your welcome Verna, I would love to see some pics of the speakers and I am sure you will find some interest in them. If I didn't live so far away I would grab them. If you post some pics so people can see their condition that alway's is a plus. :T


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## Verna (Feb 1, 2010)

Sure, will post some pics later. Thanks again


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