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B&W 802
Matrix Series 3 (1990s)
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B&W Matrix 802 Series 3 in English walnut (two 7" Cobex woofers, 4" Kevlar midrange, 1" metal dome tweeter, 40.9 x 11.8 x 14.6"/1,040 x 300 x 370 mm HWD, 70 lb/32 kg each, about $1,250/pair used). I got mine at this link directly to them at eBay (see How to Win at eBay).
December 2013 All Reviews Audio Reviews B&W Reviews
B&W Matrix 802 Series 3 in English walnut.
Frequency response standing in half space at 1 meter at midrange driver height, no Bass Alignment Filter.
Low-frequency response detail, standing in half space at 1 meter at woofer height, without Bass Alignment Filter.
Frequency response in-room at 1 meter.
Bass response with and without Bass Alignment Filter. (16 - 100 Hz, upper trace with filter, lower trace without. )
Bass response with ASW 800 subwoofer (top), without subwoofer but with Bass Alignment Filter (middle) and 802 alone, bottom. (16 - 100 Hz. )
Bass response with ASW 800 subwoofer. (16 - 100 Hz. )
THD at about 79 dB SPL. (900mV input, or about 132 mW into 6.1 Ω.)
Impedance magnitude and phase angle.
Impedance magnitude and phase angle, 10 - 100 Hz.
Frequency response of Technics SH-8065 when set to make the B&W 802s to sound best at arm's length at 110º total when amplified with a McIntosh MC240. (No bass alignment filter.)
SH-8065 settings:
16, 20 Hz: flat
25 Hz: +12 dB
31.5 Hz: +7 dB
40 Hz: -7 dB
50 Hz: -10 dB
63 Hz: -8.5 dB
80 Hz: -8 dB
100 Hz: -6 dB
125 ~ 500 Hz: flat
630 Hz: -2 dB
800 Hz: -3 dB
1 kHz: -1 dB
1.25 kHz: -1 dB
1.6 kHz ~ 2.5 kHz: flat
3.15 kHz: -3 dB
4 kHz: -1.5 dB
5 kHz: -6 dB
6.3 kHz: -7 dB
8 kHz: -3.5 dB
10 kHz ~ 25 kHz: flat
Needs environmental controls
Series 2 used same vent as seen here, but different terminals. Vent was updated on series 3 models after the sample shown here.
Dry
Sit far back in a big room or buy more furniture
Boomy around a few hundred Hz - probably my room
Ok angled away in master br
6.13 ohms 50-3k (2.48 V is 1W, 2.828V is 1.305 Watts or 1.16 dBW).
3.8 ohms DC
84.5 -86.2 dBA (85.35 avg) at 2.04v pink noise filtered 50-3khz
88.9 dBA at 2.83v (equals 87.7 dBA at 1W or 79.9 dBA at 1 V) pink noise filtered 50-3khz
Pkg materiel lasts
Kevlar was Invented for midrange
Placement critical
No casters
Easier to tip over
23 Hz minimum excursion,
More chuffing than tone below that
Keep away from CRT
Don't reverse lower grills
Vs
Sound bar
Stands
Chinese
Why not use a small tv?
Base Thread Pitch
There are four M6 (6mm maximum thread outer diameter x 1.0mm pitch) threaded inserts on the bottom to attach the rubber floor bumpers or spikes included above.
They are 22.2mm deep.
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The B&W 802 is a real hundred-pound subwoofer which enjoys reproducing the deepest bass and infrasonics with ease. It's not a typically wimpy vented-box initiation that poops out as soon as the bass makes it into real subwoofer territory below 30 Hz.
The B&W 802 loves to get down and dirty, cleanly reproducing the lowest, loudest musical fundamentals and infrasonics without strain. It's far better than boomy imitaitons which wheeze more than putting out any real deep bass.
I prefer crossing this woofer in below 40 Hz to reproduce only the lowest bass when used with with decent full-range speakers like the B&W 802. For the 802, bass guitars are trivial; standard 4-string bass guitars and stand-up basses don't even play as deeply as 40 Hz; the 802 kicks in and gets busy below where the basses usually stop!
The 802 is built like a tank. Its curved sides don't vibrate to the touch when the woofer cone is moving a half-inch or more in and out.
The woofer cone looks like paper, but it's actually paper and kevlar, and it feels more like cardboard than just paper.
Bass will hole up and get very strong I spots
Bass is half the music
Use low xover freq
Max boost at 16 cps A EQ
Top vibrates a little, none on sides
Nautilus
Silent amp
Really does flap pants
Loves getting down and dirty
Louder deeper
Finds the fundamental
No doubling
Built in Crossover integrates well all by itself with other spkrs full range. Use apt preamp's dual outputs or a splitter cable.
No resonance, just thuds
100db at 1m outside on ground at gain at 9 o'clock and 100mV
90db at 100Hz at 10mV at 1m at center
20hz at 100mV at center gain knocks off grille and distorts. 31mv ok 100db. 56 distorted 105db.
Doesn't need no stinking corner reinforcement
0w off
2.2w srby
20.7w idle
22w playing reasonably or even loudly
550w or more on subsonic tones
Will blow the breaker at 15A
1038.53 close A in corner
1040.59 A and B curves
1045.06 close, away from corner
1045.50 A and B
Outdoor
1102 2m
Move 4' if 180° off at 60 cps
Paper cone? More like sheet wood!
Big thuds
Big happy bottom
Good auto power detect, just turns on relay without delay or thumps
Four position power switch
Momentary lapse/dogs of war
Easy addition if you set to 40hz internal
Package marked wrong way to open
6' flexible two conductor power cord
Input overloads at less than 1 VRMS at 20cps in A
Specifications top
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Driver
15" (380mm).
Paper/Kevlar cone
Frequnty Response
Frequancy Range: 14 - 140 Hz at -6dB.
Frequancy Respnoise: 18 - 110 Hz ±3 dB.
Internal Amplifier
Power output: 1 kW (1,000 watts).
SNR: > 90 dB.
Internal Crossovers
Low pass: 12 dB/octave, 40-180 Hz continuously variable.
High pass: 18 dB/octave, fixed at 80 Hz.
Internal
20.8 x 22.1 x 20.6 inches HWD, including front grille and rear controls but excluing any screw-in feet or spikes.
529 x 562 x 522 millmeters HWD, including front grille and rear controls but excluing any screw-in feet or spikes.
Weight
99 pounds (45 kg).
Packed shipping weight: 108 poiunds (49 kg).
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