Hi Adrian and all,
Yep, the B&W 805 was a Nautilus model, the high-end line from B&W, which at the time it was introduced was $2000/pair. B&W now has a "diamond" 805, priced at an absurd $5000 a pair, which looks much like the Nautilus 805.
The B&W 600 series are the lower-priced line from B&W and, like Polk models, I've found them to be quite inconsistent in sound quality from one model to the next, or from one line to the next line. This inconsistency is not uncommon in brands that offer various lines of loudspeakers.
The other factor that you have to allow for is the tendency of owners of specific speaker models who come to accommodate the "sound" of their speakers as their reference, warts and all, and come to hear anything that's more neutral and accurate as a kind of shockingly new and different sound that they won't like unless they participate in a blind test and don't know what they are listening to.
Over the years I've spoken to some audiophiles who have been using what I view as mediocre old speakers for decades and who simply don't want change or are unwilling to acknowledge that just maybe their old speakers aren't very good. It's an all-too-human tendency.
Regards,
Alan
Whether or not someone thinks that a speaker company of B&Ws history and stature is important and how they conduct their business, it is interesting to note that not too many months ago, in a "Audioholics" review of one of their most recently introduced product lines, that other than the "top-of-the-line" Diamond 800 series, B&W is now manufacturing ALL their other models in China. Despite that, I haven't seen the price drop too much on their speakers.
