Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: B&W Nautilus 801 Speakers by TAFKA Steve

This is my first product review for the Asylum, so constructive criticism is welcome. The Nautilus 801 is the current iteration of a model which first entered the market some twenty years ago. The truly hideous-looking 801, 801F, 801 Matrix I-III versions were well-regarded as speakers for classical music reproduction and became a studio monitor standard for such purposes, but I preferred a sharper, more direct and dynamic sound for pop, rock, and jazz. In the meantime, B&W gave its engineers carte blanche to eliminate resonances and internal reflections, the latter by exponentially tapering rear tubes, resulting in the striking $40k Nautilus. The next challenge was to trickle some of the Nautilus technology down to their cheaper models and increase the output and dynamic envelope of their studio monitor to suit additional music genres. In designing the Nautilus 801, their engineers carried out extensive listening tests to complement and enhance their measurements, as many design changes resulted in audible changes which could not be detected through instrumentation. Their design goals with the Nautilus 801 were to lower driver distortion and coloration, maximize resolution, increase maximum output and bass transient performance, and refine soundstage performance. Based on what I've heard during my first three months of ownership, I'd say they've succeeded. However, I'm not sure I have a solid handle on what these speakers sound like at their best, as I suspect that my source material is a limiting factor in their performance.

A description: Starting with a 15" woofer in a matrix-braced cabinet with a 35 mm multilayered curved exterior to increase rigidity, the enclosure is vented through the bottom via a dimpled and tapered vent, supported above a massive aluminum base plate that serves as a ball-caster or spike platform, and as a heat sink for the crossover. The crossover is mounted on the underside of the aluminum plate and is a 3rd-order design with extensive use of polypropylene caps, air cored inductors, and Vishay thick film resistors. B&W have finally accepted the sonic weaknesses of their previous crossover's cheap components and have acted accordingly (and passed the costs on to us, of course). Two pairs of WBT binding posts permit biwiring. The 15" woofer was chosen over a pair of 12" woofers based on the superior dynamic bass impact of the former (an audible difference which evaded their engineers' measurements) and although the bass alignment is supposedly identical to the Matrix Series III, it sure doesn't sound like it--and I mean that in a good way. The midrange driver is a surroundless Kevlar unit with an unusual frame and motor system. A combination sphere and inverse horn enclosure cast from Marlan synthetic resin was chosen as a reasonable compromise to the much longer tapered exponential pipe required of the Nautilus technology. I'd always thought a sphere was an ideal enclosure geometry, but B&W point out that it supports strong internal modes which must be damped out and that the additional inverse horn proved superior by listening tests. This enclosure attaches to the top of the bass enclosure via a bolt, but is vibration decoupled using an elastomer gasket. The tweeter uses a true Nautilus tapered exponential pipe and is also gasket-isolated when mounted on the midrange. A compromise for aesthetics and to facilitate driver replacement is the lack of tweeter and midrange hard-wiring to the crossover. The midrange and tweeter signals are connected to the bass enclosure via sockets at the bottom of the midrange enclosure, and the tweeter signal also has an additional socket at the bottom where it mates with the top of the midrange enclosure. One can wonder how much more transparent this speaker could be with complete hard-wiring, but if I blew up drivers in a studio, I'd want something I could replace without a soldering iron. Perhaps a good tweak would be to clean and condition the contacts on these socket connectors at regular intervals.

Concerning suitable amplification: this is where these speakers are a bitch to set up, although they are moderately efficient at 91 dB/W/m. The 15" woofer generates a lot of back EMF and the only way to sink this is with a low output impedance amp with a massive output stage. I heard these driven with an ARC VT200 at my dealer's showroom and although the midrange and treble were seamlessly integrated, the bass was a step or two behind and didn't blend all that well. I use a Krell FPB600 and the bass and midrange blend seamlessly, but the treble is less well-integrated (more about this concerning source material below) than the VT200. B&W's American distributors recommend a quartet of Krell FPB350M's (!!!), but I find it a bit absurd to design a $11k speaker that requires $30k in amplification to sound great. Philip O'Hanlon has reported at this Asylum that vertical biamping with a pair of Spectron's Musicians is an outstanding combination, and merely $6k to boot. As for room placement, these proved to be somewhat less problematic than my Thiel CS3.6's, as the bass on the B&W's is much tighter and better controlled, but their wide dispersion means side wall reflections require nulling.

So how do they sound? With 16/44.1 CD sources, the most striking feature is the dynamic authority, particularly in the bass range. You have to hear what this speaker can do with the drums on Clarity's CD of the Rite of Spring (about the most dynamic classical CD I've heard). I've only heard bass dynamics like this out of the Wilson X-1; it is that good! It is also uncommonly tight bass and the speakers can sound bass-deficient on some material (quite a change from the previous 801's) Midrange has a very low distortion character, e.g., like the electrostatic midrange of the Innersound Eros, but midrange transparency is better than the electrostatic Eros, probably SOTA for a dynamic driver. It also shares a slightly polite character with the Eros (whose midrange is more polite and somewhat "swallowed-sounding" compared to say, a Martin-Logan reQuest); this is somewhat complemented by the relative forwardness of the Krell FPB600 in this region. Treble quality is not as good as the midrange, lacking the ease of natural extension and low distortion audible from Maggie's ribbon or the Eros e'stat panels on axis. This is the sound I get from my Theta Data III/Pro Gen Va combo on CDs with passive attenuators and no preamp, which although not SOTA for 16/44.1, ain't exactly chopped liver.

But when I switch to vinyl playback, the treble clicks in place and these speakers sound spectacularly good. Try the L.A. Four's "Pavane..." on East Wind D2D, the bells and guitar are so direct, immediate, and live-sounding. M&K's spectacular For Duke D2D puts the brass right in your room, while imaging problems due to the multimiking are unmasked. Sheffield's Firebird D2D never impressed me until now, the coincident miking reveals an unusually natural-sounding orchestral recording, much better than their Prokofiev and Wagner releases. Jack DeJohnette's New Directions In Europe starts with a spectacular drum solo captured exceptionally well in a live recording. Dire Straits' Love Over Gold shows greater intensity due to the superior dynamic fidelity of the N801's, as does John Cougar's "Cherry Bomb" on The Lonesome Jubilee. Michael Hedges "Face Yourself" from Watching My Life Go By (and it did go by, too soon) sounds quite realistic and immediate. The Q sound-like holographic effects on Steve Winwood's "Freedom Overspill" swirl around the listener in dizzying fashion. Even studio pop like Anita Baker's "Sweet Love" gains conviction with a larger-than-life vocal presentation. And as the coup de grace, I recommend the 12" dance single of the Human League's "Human" as my atom bomb test record; it seems like the whole room is pulsing with energy.

I envy those studio engineers who get to hear these speakers with live mike feeds and high-resolution digital formats. I think these speakers are probably too revealing for 16/44.1 CD playback, given how they blossomed with vinyl playback.

So what are the competition like? I live in Central Ohio and therefore my audition choices are limited. Nevertheless, I carried around my CD's (yuck) to three stores and listened to Wilson WP6's (even more dynamic than the N801 except in the bass, not as smooth, too expensive), Avalon Eidolon (spectacular soundstaging, superior resolution, better warmth of tone, dynamically limited, too expensive), Thiel CS7.2 (snore, lack of emotional involvement), Revel Salon (probably the smoothest and flattest-sounding, large soundstage, somewhat less bass dynamics, strangely sterile presentation--maybe it was the room), and Magnepan MG20's (huge soundstage, best treble, dynamically impaired). There are no Dunlavy dealers in Ohio (I heard a V at a show; talk about an ugly-looking speaker!), and the $10-20K price range is loaded with other competition compare to what was available ten years ago.

This is probably not a good speaker for those who just want to set it and forget it. As for my choice, I like the idea of a speaker which can grow with me as I experience the better source material promised in the next Millenium. It is fun to listen to and tweak with because the resolution and immediacy are so high. And if you don't need the deepest bass, consider the N802 at $8K a pair and much better looking IMO.

REVIEW: B&W Nautilus 801 Speakers Review by TAFKA Steve at Audio Asylum