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These are legendary loudspeakers, arguably among the best available back in 1987 when they were new. I've owned this pair since 1997, nearly 30 years! They are in great condition for their age. Only minor scuffs in the wood, barely noticeable. The grills and top covers are in great condition with NO holes or snags. You won't find many 40 year old speakers in this good condition! Over the years I have made several upgrades to the crossovers. I have not changed the design, but upgraded the capacitors and resistors. The (4) Sonicaps on the tweeters alone cost $160. I replaced the bi-wire connectors in favor of single higher quality binding posts. Bi-wiring never sounded good with these speakers anyway. The 801's were used in studios back in the day, like Abbey Road, mostly for classical & orchestral monitoring. Well recorded music sounds amazing on them. Poorly recorded music is revealed for what it is. These are truly full range speakers, and with good amplification they do not require a subwoofer. I will be sad to see these speakers go, but it's time for me to downsize a bit and let someone else enjoy them. They still have the original casters and they still roll smoothly!! Someone asked me if the tweeters were dimpled. No, the tweeters are perfect and were reconed by B&W back around 2000 with Series 3 domes. The tweeter grilles are captive and the domes have never been touched. Sorry, i'm not prepared to ship these, so local pickup only, in Long Beach, CA.
Verdict: Fair to slightly ambitious. The Matrix 801 S2 is a respected three-way floorstanding speaker from the late 1980s with solid engineering—CAD-optimized bass alignment, Kevlar midrange, and B&W's tweeter-on-top design. Used pairs typically fetch USD $1,800–$2,800 depending on condition and finish, so USD $2,500 sits in the middle-to-upper range. Walnut finish commands a premium, and "great condition" justifies asking price if the cabinets are genuinely clean and the drivers undamaged. However, verify the year: 1987 predates the S2 production run (1988–1993), so confirm this is actually a Series 2 and not an earlier model.
Before committing, inspect the 300mm woofer cone for tears, delamination, or dust-cap deterioration—common wear points after 35+ years. Check that the tweeter dome is intact and free of corrosion. Confirm the outboard bass-alignment equalizer is included; it's essential for the speaker's claimed low-end extension and often gets lost. Test both channels at moderate volume to catch any crackling or driver rattle. Verify the XLR connector between the bass cabinet and midrange head is clean and secure, since corrosion there can kill the midrange entirely.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
Bowers & Wilkins, the esteemed British hi-fi brand, traces its origins to 1966 in Worthing, West Sussex, when John Bowers founded the company with a £10,000 bequest from a satisfied customer, Miss Knight, who admired his hobby-crafted loudspeakers. Previously, Bowers and Roy Wilkins had run an electronics rental shop after meeting in the British Army during World War II. This fortuitous legacy fueled Bowers' obsession with acoustic perfection, launching the P1 as their inaugural product and establishing a foundation of relentless innovation in speaker design.
The brand excels in premium loudspeakers across categories like floorstanders, bookshelves, and studio monitors, with iconic lines such as the 600 Series for accessible excellence and the legendary 801, adopted as Abbey Road Studios' reference in 1979. They also produce high-end headphones like the P5 and Zeppelin, formation audio systems, and select electronics, prioritizing driver technology, cabinetry, and precise engineering over amplifiers, turntables, or cables.
Positioned firmly in the high-end market, Bowers & Wilkins commands reverence among discerning audiophiles and professionals for its clarity, musical truth, and uncompromised fidelity. A staple in both consumer and studio environments, it embodies British precision engineering, blending heritage with cutting-edge research to sustain its status as a benchmark for premium audio excellence.
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