The amazing North Creek crossover modification makes these 802 Matrix speakers sound nearly as good as B&W's current $15,000 802 Diamonds. Scoff away but when I recently listened to a pair of 802D's powered by McIntosh electronics I was impressed how favorably my "old" 802 Matrix's compared.Speakers are in excellent condition and are currently stored in closet under a dust protecting sheet. They function perfectly and have years of enjoyment left in them. Original owner. Original shipping boxes in great condition. Owner’s manual, floor spikes, I even have the original B&W supplied grill brush. Black ash color. Smoke, child and pet free home. Both tweeters were reconed and tested by B&W. Both midranges have been replaced. Prefer local pickup but will consider shipping. Shipping will be expensive as each speaker weighs approximately 80-85 pounds boxed. Each crossover weighs 40 pounds unboxed. Please add 3% for PayPal. Specs:
Drive Units:
Two 7-inch high-power polymer cone bass
One 5-inch Kevlar cone midrange
One 1-inch metal dome tweeter
Power Handling: 50W to 600W
Impedance: 4 ohm
Dimensions:
Height: 41 in
Width: 11 3/4 in
Depth: 14 1/2 in
Weight: 70 lbs each North Creek crossovers (2):
Each cabinet measures 6" x 11” x 21", has over 2500 feet of copper and weighs 40 pounds. Shipping info pertains only to the 802s. The crossovers would ship separately. The North Creek crossover upgrade: The North Creek Music Systems Complete Passive Crossovers are complete replacements of the factory units. Every detail of the original designs have been analyzed and re-evaluated from the audiophile's point of view, and the resulting replacement networks, manufactured in our own facilities, are no-compromise products that bring these loudspeakers into an entirely new performance envelope. The North Creek Crossovers consists of three physically and electrically independent networks per channel, one for each driver. These networks are constructed from 1% hand matched components where the matching is done on a component level before the subassemblies are constructed. Matching is also verified during final testing. The maximum variation in left/right networks is less than ±1%, five times tighter than original production. The North Creek Networks are completely hard wired. No circuit board and foil conduction paths are used; rather, solid copper bus bar or inductor leads make main connections. This construction method results in a minimum of connections both in and out of the signal path, maintaining signal integrity. Global star grounding is also used throughout the networks. Each element tied to ground has a unique signal path directly to the negative binding post. As the networks must also be bi-wired, this approach results in separate low and mid/high ground paths all the way to the amplifier terminals. This topology completely eliminates ground crosstalk between low and mid/high portions of the network. In the case of the B&W 801, the North Creek Crossover may also be ordered with the woofer impedance compensation circuitry provided in the Series 2 and Anniversary Edition, but eliminated in the Series 3. This circuitry allows for 2dB of adjustment in mid-bass level. Those who bi-amp or have mid-sized listening rooms may find this level of adjustment invaluable. The circuitry may be added at a later date and can also be added to existing Series III's (please note, the impedance compensation circuitry is compatible only with the external “Ultimate” networks). North Creek Crossovers are built on two seperate boards, physically separating the woofers and midrange-tweeter sections. The Junior Crossovers were designed to be mounted inside the existing loudspeaker cabinets, replacing the original networks. Installation consists only of directly replacing the originals and splicing our color-matched wiring to the existing wiring. The Ultimate Crossovers come in their own cabinets are are externally mounted. The majority of raw materials used throughout the networks are from our regular inventory or that we had custom made specifically for these crossovers. For the Junior networks, this includes custom wound, geometrically optimized 12 AWG and 15 AWG Music Coiltm air core inductors (made in-house), all high frequency metallized polypropylene film capacitors and US Mil-Spec Ohmite and Vishay power resistors. OFHC wiring is used throughout and every electrical connection us made with our crimp-then-solder cold weld technique. These are beautifully made networks and the attention to detail comes through with greatly improved dynamics, clarity and detail, a much larger sound stage and far better imaging. The Ultimate networks are far larger and heavier and are housed in the own externally mounted dedicated cabinets. Each cabinet measures 6" x 11” x 21", one per channel. Eliminating the size constraint allowed us to use components that would normally be found only in high-five-figure loudspeakers. They are constructed with 12 and 10 AWG Music Coiltm air core inductors, high frequency metallized polypropylene film capacitors liberally bypassed with custom made ultra-high voltage film-and-foil capacitors manufactured for us by Sprague-Dearborn, and mil-spec Ohmite and Vishay power resistors. All components are hand matched to ±1% tolerance. OFHC wiring is and our crimp-then-solder technique is employed throughout. The cabinets are handsomely finished in brushed matte black (the optional solid 3/4" hardwood edge panels shown in the photo are no longer available). Each network requires over 2500 feet of copper and weighs an average of 40 pounds per cabinet. Each Ultimate enclosure is provided with a dedicated cable to link the crossover to the driver cabinet. The cable is terminated with high quality, gold-plated spades. These are connected to a replacement back cup fitted with the mating mil-spec, gold-plated binding posts. Color-coded wiring is also provided to connect to the 801 internal wiring inside of the cabinet base. All North Creek components have been selected purely by subjective evaluation for their enduring quality and sonic excellence. In many cases these components were developed for U.S. Military applications and are Mil-Spec rated. Lastly, the crossovers are 100% made in the USA and all components are sourced from Europe and North America. The North Creek Music Systems Complete Passive Crossover Replacements for the B&W 801 and 802 are not redesigns of the original crossovers. The circuit topology and component values are identical to the original Series III specifications, and the essential character of the loudspeakers remain unchanged. The North Creek Crossovers are completely new crossovers, manufactured with the finest passive components and representing a no-compromise approach to passive crossover design and manufacture. These are the ultimate upgrades for the B&W 801 and 802. Performance Improvements Detail: North Creek Crossover Components are as free of parasitics as modern technology allows. Consequently, the amount of information passed through the North Creek crossovers and to the drivers is far greater than through the original crossovers. This does not change the tonality of the loudspeaker, nor does it alter its overall character. There is simply more "there" there. Texture: Because of the increased level of information, every nuance of each instrument is clearly revealed. The amount of rosin on the bow, the endless shimmer of a cymbal, the snap of a drum head; subtleties that when absent limit the illusion. Our networks are far more revealing, and far more convincing. Sound stage: The subtle ambiance and dimensional cues that recreate a believable sense of space tend to be absorbed by parasitics within the stock crossover components, resulting in a sound stage that is locked in the plane of the loudspeakers and bordered by the driver positions. Elimination of these parasitics moves the sound stage behind the loudspeakers and recreates a tremendous sense of volume from those recordings where the information is present. Sound stage width, height, and depth are greatly improved. Focus: Although there is no mathematical basis to define image focus, correct sizing and stability of specific images is at least partially a product of driver matching and intercomponent variation in the crossover network. B&W matches the raw drivers at their factory to within 1 dB, which is excellent. Component variations within the factory networks are ±5%, which also can amount to ±1 dB of variation. The result is possible variation of up to 4 dB within left/right pairs. Believe it or not, this is considered quite good for a production loudspeaker. The North Creek Networks are constructed of raw components hand matched to ±1%, 500% better than the stock network. The resulting maximum left/right pair variation is dominated by driver variation and limited to 2.2 dB. Our level of pair matching, the clarity of our crossover components, and the excellence of the original design gives the updated loudspeaker extraordinary focus. On properly recorded performances, the precision, correct sizing and placement of individual performers is unprecedented. Dynamics: Loosely defined as the difference between the loudest and quietest sound of a passage, the dynamics of the stock loudspeaker are constrained by the dynamic instability of the components in the original network. This is called dynamic compression, and can be detected as a lack of impact in the low end, hardness and a lack of clarity in the midrange, and in the upper frequency range as a masking of detail. Dynamic compression occurs both with transient information that is much louder than the average playback level, and with continuous mid-level playback. One source of dynamic compression in the stock networks is sand cast resistors, which have a temperature coefficient (Tc) of about 400ppm/°C; that is, their resistance increases substantially when they operate at higher temperatures. Because they heat up instantaneously as current passes through them, they have a higher resistance to loud sounds than they do to quiet sounds - so they let proportionally less of the loud sounds through. North Creek Resistors have a Tc of less than 50ppm/°C, 800% better than sand cast resistors, and are not a source of dynamic compression. The stock 801 and 802 crossover networks also use ferrite cored inductors throughout. Ferrite cored inductors suffer from dynamic compression through a phenomenon known as hysteresis, where energy is wasted through switching the magnetic direction of the ferrite. So much energy is lost in this manner that if one were to put their ear against the inductor during a musical passage, one would hear the core "humm along," acting precisely like a solenoid. The North Creek Crossovers use strictly air-cored inductors, and absolutely do not suffer from hysteresis distortion. So when a bass drum goes "boom" through the stock crossover, it goes "WHAM!" through the North Creek version. Harmonic Integrity: The most endearing quality of the stock 801 and 802 is their natural overall presentation of the musical event. This can at least be partially attributed to their ruler-flat frequency response, excellent dispersion, and extremely broad bandwidth. Because the North Creek Crossovers are not redesigns of the original units, they do not change any of these characteristics. However, because they let so much more information through, the harmonic integrity of the loudspeakers is improved. Musicality: This is the one true measure of a loudspeaker, and in this aspect, beyond all others, the North Creek Crossovers excel. The modified 801 and 802 become much more involving, much more convincing, and much more enjoyable. In short, they are much more musical loudspeakers. Everything that the originals do so well, they will now do better.
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