B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) Matrix 801 s2 Speakers, Classic Reference, Fully Tested

**Please be sure and check out our newly launched website with additional items for sale** www.skyfiaudio.com/collections/all

B&W 801 Matrix Series II

Back in the 80’s and 90’s if you walked into a recording studio you were more likely to find these 801s than any other speaker.  No wonder, they are incredibly transparent and are able to reproduce every audible frequency possible.  They have great authority and are capable of keeping up with anything your throw at them from classical to hip hop. 

While the series I had some sound shortcomings, the magical engineering department at Bowers was able to sort it all out by series II and many believe this is the sweet spot for this speaker. 

This pair came to us from the original owner.  They are in perfect working condition and all drivers work as they should.  I ran them through a frequency generator down to 17 HZ without a rattle or hiccup.   I also listened to them in my main listening room with all types of music and was very impressed.  Most speaker of this era can be disappointing but not these.  No wonder they sold so many pairs. 

The surrounds on the driver are intact and do not show any sighs of aging.  Im guessing these are good to go for another 30 years.  

The cabinets do not have any deep scratches or dents but there are a few imperfections here are there.  Some were touched up carefully and have disappeared.  Overall they are in fine conditions and would not disappoint.  

The top cabinet and midrange grills are in very good condition and almost look new.  The woofer grill fabrics are not to my liking so I did not include them in the pictures.  I think they look great without them.  

This model has the bi-wire input terminals and the reviewers insist you must bi-wire them for best results.  Includes the original manual and casters which are installed.  

Available for audition and pickup in NJ and pickup in NYC. 

Call if you have any questions.  646 852 2073

From Stereophile

Technical Highlights 

The Matrix 801 Monitor is a large loudspeaker, employing a massive, front-vented cabinet housing the low-frequency driver and crossover network, with a separate fibercrete head housing the midrange driver (the tweeter is mounted in free field above) placed directly above the bass cabinet. The midrange/tweeter head is electrically connected with the lower cabinet via a short umbilical and an XLR connector, and is secured b y a very long bolt that runs completely through the head, down into the bass enclosure. There are two sets of speaker terminal connectors on the bottom rear of the bass cabinet, in order to allow the listener to bi- wire the speakers (these connectors are normally internally bridged, so in order to bi-wire, the bottom cover under the bass cabinet must be removed, and two very short jumpers removed...a less-than-ideal setup).

The cabinet construction is excellent, showing a great deal of attention to assembly and aesthetic detail, except for the quality of the speaker terminal connectors. Rather than utilizing standard five-way binding posts (as B&W does with their less expensive 802 speakers), they have opted. for some rather poor-quality, screw-type terminals that just don't belong on a product of this quality. Except for the round port vented on the front of the bass cabinet directly below the woofer, the new Matrix 801 is visibly similar to its predecessor. The casters mounted on the bottom are nice to have when moving these behemoths around the house or studio. But since the speakers really need to be placed on stands in order to operate at full potential, this otherwise practical addition is somewhat useless.

The internal design and components represent a clear departure from the earlier 801. By using their effective Matrix technology of incorporating an internal system of honeycombs within the bass cabinet, the engineers at B&W claim to have reduced low-frequency enclosure resonances and colorations to a significant degree (I agree). Additionally, but using a sixth-order Butterworth alignment through the addition of an outboard equalizer, they have been able to achieve extraordinary low-frequency response (-6dB at 17.5Hz) without compromising bass attack and clarity. Although the speaker can operate without this optional equalizer (thereby effectively representing a fourth-order Bessel filter with a -9dB point at 19Hz), the addition of this device clearly enhances its overall musical accuracy.

The midrange fibercrete head assembly and Kevlar-coned driver remain basically unchanged from the earlier 801. The high-frequency driver (the TS26 tweeter), on the other hand, represents an entirely new design, incorporating a metal-domed diaphragm. This design was arrived at partially through B&W's computer-aided design (CAD), and is a modified version of the metal-dome tweeter used in the less costly Concept 90 series of loudspeakers. B&W claims that this new tweeter "exhibits perfect piston-like behavior to frequencies well beyond audibility." The newly redesigned bass driver has a cone of specially formulated plastic compound, is heavily damped to remove sonic colorations, and employs a 13lb, 13,000 Gauss magnet.

In order to protect the drivers from over load, B&W has upgraded the already existing Audio-Powered Overload Circuit (APOC) by incorporating two such units: one operates on the bass section, the other on the midrange! tweeter, allowing complete protection even when the system is bi-wired.

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This item will be professionally packaged and insured for safe transit to your home.   

If we don’t have the original manufacture's packaging, we use heavy duty double ply corrugated boxes with Instapak expanding foam custom inserts.  In many cases this has proven to be better than the original packaging.  We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages.  Lightweight items will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a high-quality box. 

This item is available for pickup in Ridgewood, NJ or Union Square, NYC (with convenient parking in the building).

NJ Residents or anyone picking up without a resale certificate will need to pay NJ Sales Tax.

Use the Buy It Now button and we will cover the PayPal fees.

Thanks for looking and be sure to call or text 646.852.2073 with any questions. 

Please also be sure and visit our Audiogon e-store to see the rest of the items we have for sale www.audiogon.com/stores/skyfi

**And be sure to check out our newly launched website with additional items for sale** www.skyfiaudio.com/collections/all

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WHO WE ARE 

Skyfi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of select high end audio equipment.  We only buy equipment the we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, and no junk. 

Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold.  We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units.

Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Project, and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts, service, and support.  If you are local and are looking for any new equipment for the above-mentioned manufacturers, please drop us a line as we can arrange both sales and professional installation in the tri-state area

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We accept trade-ins of equal or lesser value under certain conditions.  Simply ask and let us know the exact model, condition, and the accessories that are included.  Such as the original box, remote, manual, etc.  We will only consider high-end equipment from mainstream manufacturers such as McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, etc. and will typically pass on displays, projectors, receivers, dated processors, and mid-fi equipment of any type.  We will offer a fair value for your equipment, but keep in mind we are running a business and will need to be able to resell the equipment at a profit after investing a great deal of time and resources in testing, certifying, repairing, cleaning, and packaging the incoming equipment.  If you are looking for top dollar we suggest attempting to sell it directly to an end user on your own.

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We are currently operating from a residence in Ridgewood, NJ.  You are welcome to make an appointment if there is a piece of equipment you would like to see in operation before or after purchase.  We have a well-equipped, dedicated listening room with tons of equipment of all makes and models.  We are not a store, so please don’t make an appointment if you are just curious as to how a speaker or piece of equipment sounds.  In essence, no tire kickers please.

If you are in NYC and cannot make it out to Ridgewood, we can arrange pickup in Union Square (14th Street) after the purchase.   You can call or text 646.852.2073 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.  We can also arrange to install, calibrate, and tune the gear in your listening room if you are local to the area.  This is super useful when purchasing large speakers or heavy amplifiers.  It is also great for ensuring your new turntable is setup correctly in its final resting place.  

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