[VladimirsHorse]

Hi folks, just started an account here, first post !

A lovely old pair of B&W Matrix 800 have arrived a few weeks ago and they have blown my mind

I assume they are classed as vintage ?

I can't find any spares for them online at all, the tweeters were pushed in but work, and the kevlar 5 inch drivers a couple are a bit tired. and i have a small split in one of the 12 inch woofers

even with the above problems they are the most revealing speakers i have ever lived with and are my daily drivers

any idea about spare parts sources ?

[thorman]

I could be wrong but it is possible that you might be able to use 801 Midranges also ( could be wrong ) ..You may want to keep an eye on Ebay for Drivers.. Maybe E-mail B&W to find out about the 801 drivers...Good luck

[VladimirsHorse]

Thats a good idea, i have asked them about 800 drivers and they said out of support, but perhaps they still support the 801 a bit, cheers

[VladimirsHorse]

Just in case you don't know what the 800 matrix look like

[PMAT]

Wow! Why have I never seen those beauties before??? Don’t forget there are talented people who can repair drivers. It is often the route when speaker systems are so old.

[VladimirsHorse]

Yes, they are rare, not many were made, this pair is serial number 055. possibly 1993-4.

They sound great, and are easy to drive 93dB . I'm using a 50W class D amp and its as loud as you would want without distortion

Yes I have heard there are people that can repair the drivers and i have done a few myself in the past, I am a little suspect as they probably won't use original B&W coils and cones. I think its important to keep them as original as possible. I view myself as a lucky custodian instead of an owner.

I'ts good to just show them to you fellow nerds as I am so excited to have them

[dB Cooper]

any idea about spare parts sources ?

Call Frank Van Alstine (Audio by van Alstine has a forum here). He was a B&W dealer for years and probably knows some people.

[VladimirsHorse]

Great thank you

[Doublej]

Perhaps a call to here: https://reconingspeakers.com/speaker-repair/bw-repairs/bw-matrix-repairs-replacement-parts/

And if you need a copy of the manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/886484/Bowers-And-Wilkins-Matrix-800.html

[aln]

Try Millersound in Pa. 

[VladimirsHorse]

yes i found millersound, sadly they don't do repairs outside of the States, I'm in the UK


thanks for the suggestion !

[charmerci]

Their headquarters is in Worthing, England. Contact them directly. They'll help you out.

[VladimirsHorse]

I tried and their customer support said these speakers were to old to hold spares for. i bet they have a few boxes of drivers sitting around though

[charmerci]

My suggestion is to just take some tape and gently pull out the tweeter covers and ask the technical department to repair the woofer for you.

[Digi-G]

There's a guy on the forum, here that can probably help with the tweeters.

He posted in a thread called something like "most embarrassing audiophile moments".  He worked in an audio shop and there were a pair of demo speakers that had the tweeter(s) pushed in.  He decided he would fix it by gently... sucking on it to get it back in position.  He looked around to make sure no one was nearby said just as he got on his knees and put his mouth on it... (I can barely type because I'm laughing so hard)… that this really hot chick walked in and saw him!!!  Dude, that was classic!  It sounds like something that would happen to me.

Sorry, I know my post doesn't really help, but if it makes anyone laugh like I did, it was worth it.

[illenema]

Just got a Pair of these 800 matrix Serial 550's so a newer pair
The Midrange and woofers are rebuild-able tweeters no way so be carefull
Had the 801#2 and 801#3 never played loud enough but the sound was great
The 800 matrix is in a Different world totally.
Enjoy

[VladimirsHorse]

they are great speakers, if you can play them at fairly high levels they really are special. and i found them to be sensitive enough to use quite small amplifiers