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angelmb · Feb 25, 2006, 10:05 AM

Someone asked me but I have no idea… so here I am looking for advice since there are for sure people with good taste over here

The Nautilus from Bowers & Wilkins…

Goldfinger · Feb 25, 2006, 11:30 AM

+50.000 euros IIRC.

His Dudeness · Feb 25, 2006, 01:33 PM

Something that looks like that makes me wonder if you're paying for design quality or audio quality.

Y3a · Feb 25, 2006, 02:01 PM

or the slimey trail across the carpet...

tooki · Feb 27, 2006, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by His Dudeness

Something that looks like that makes me wonder if you're paying for design quality or audio quality.

Both, but mostly the latter.

But since I assume you don't know of B&W: it's a legitimate high-end speaker company that makes superb speakers, the vast majority of them rather normal looking. The freakish shape of that speaker is basically taking B&W's signature technology and curling it up, since laid out straight it wouldn't fit in a normal room.

tooki

rickey939 · Feb 27, 2006, 07:26 AM

I picked one of those up at the beach one day...

Dark Helmet · Feb 27, 2006, 08:00 AM

I think the name is making you think of it in higher regard, the damn thing looks like it is from a Wal-mart from the late 80s.

His Dudeness · Feb 27, 2006, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

Both, but mostly the latter.

But since I assume you don't know of B&W: it's a legitimate high-end speaker company that makes superb speakers, the vast majority of them rather normal looking. The freakish shape of that speaker is basically taking B&W's signature technology and curling it up, since laid out straight it wouldn't fit in a normal room.

tooki

I've heard of B&W before. Pretty good speakers, but those are pretty hideous to look at.

I heard a home theater setup built around Definitive Technology's BP3000. Now that's a damn fine pair of speakers.

Goldfinger · Feb 27, 2006, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

I think the name is making you think of it in higher regard, the damn thing looks like it is from a Wal-mart from the late 80s.

Oh no. B&W really is GOOD. The big Nautilus is fugly but oh sooo good. The normal looking Nautilus' are incredible as well.
It's not just a name. They deliver on quality.

cjrivera · Feb 27, 2006, 12:26 PM

$40,000

http://www.exoticaudio.org/PAGE27.html
quote
"The B&W Nautilus speaker, shaped like a snails shell, the cabnet makes it posible to shrink and deminish sound vibration in a small package. About $40,000. Not bad for what some people consider the most accurate speaker made. Need tons of power, each driver can be amplified. OK?"

Dark Helmet · Feb 27, 2006, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Goldfinger

Oh no. B&W really is GOOD. The big Nautilus is fugly but oh sooo good. The normal looking Nautilus' are incredible as well.
It's not just a name. They deliver on quality.

I know they are good speakers, what I am saying is that they are horridly ugly.

NYCFarmboy · Feb 27, 2006, 06:36 PM

those speakers are proof that a fool and his money are soon parted.

Goldfinger · Feb 28, 2006, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

what I am saying is that they are horridly ugly.

True dat.

MacNStein · Feb 28, 2006, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by NYCFarmboy

those speakers are proof that a fool and his money are soon parted.

For some, $45K is nothing and they want the best sound possible. However, you can't just drop speakers like that into a average room (at least not without some serious EQ). The space is just as important as, if not more than, the equipment when you get to that level.

I've heard these in a well designed listening room, and they're really special (if not attractive), but require some very special electronics behind them to bring it all out. I think my Krells would make them sing, but I wouldn't try a run-of-the-mill consumer amp with them (probably damage the amp and maybe the speakers).

Used to own some B&Ws, and can attest to their quality (I owned a set of 803s), though I've since switched to Wilson and never looked back.

jebjeb · Feb 28, 2006, 05:08 PM

I own 6 pairs of B&W's. One could say that I am very happy with the B&W sound. I am looking at building myself a nice two channel system and I am probably either going for something in the B&W Nautilus range (803's maybe) or Martin Logan (Probably the Clarity).

The major point of a speaker like the original Nautilus is to showcase a companies technology and for it to trickle down to the more realistic products in the range. The Nautilus range is basically a case study for that concept.

MacNStein - What Wilsons you got? Watt Puppys?