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Opinions and Thoughts for the B&W DM302?

post #1 of 8
1/20/13 at 4:20am
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How good are these? I've seen them around here and there and have grown to be quite interested in them. Searching the Bowers & Wilkins Product Archive, they were part of the 300 series loudspeakers and even won the EISA European Loudspeaker of the Year 1996-1997.

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/Archive/ENG_FP10430_DM302_info_sheet.pdf
Edited by destroysall - 1/20/13 at 4:38am
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post #2 of 8
1/20/13 at 12:09pm
Unless you can find them for a steal I would be inclined to choose the current 600 series.
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post #3 of 8
1/20/13 at 6:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by destroysall View Post

How good are these? I've seen them around here and there and have grown to be quite interested in them. Searching the Bowers & Wilkins Product Archive, they were part of the 300 series loudspeakers and even won the EISA European Loudspeaker of the Year 1996-1997.

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/Archive/ENG_FP10430_DM302_info_sheet.pdf

I remember hearing these at a local shop a long time ago when they were in business, and from what I can vaguely remember, they sounded pretty good; however, if you're thinking about the same set I see on craigslist, I think you'd be overpaying for them.
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post #4 of 8
1/22/13 at 12:10am
I had four DM302s and the matching center with a 12" Velodyne sub for my first HT system. The center was the weak link (the drivers were simply too small) in the system but the DM302s were sweet speakers with good build quality (made in UK) for the price ($250 pr. at the time). Of course there wasn't much low bass from the 5.25" woofer, but the overall sound quality was excellent. I upgraded to Paradigm Mini Monitors and while they played louder and went lower, the DM302s sounded better overall. From what I've heard of the current B&W lineup, other than the 800 series, I frankly like the sound of the older DM302s better.
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post #5 of 8
1/26/13 at 9:34pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlim123 View Post

I remember hearing these at a local shop a long time ago when they were in business, and from what I can vaguely remember, they sounded pretty good; however, if you're thinking about the same set I see on craigslist, I think you'd be overpaying for them.
The one for about $200? The seller was willing to negotiate for roughly $30 less. I haven't heard it yet though.

The other loudspeaker I was considering was the PSB Alpha B1. I considered getting an NAD amplifier if I went with the PSB. I don't really enjoy too much bass in my system. I want my bass to be relevant to my Beyerdynamic DT 990/600Ω headphone. It's not boomy, just tight and controlled. I prefer a more detailed sound stage with a warm sound. I currently use this old stereo system with a PSOne SCPH-1001 as a source. http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/images/models/sc-ak520.jpg

It is isn't as bad as some will come to think. It's three-way loudspeakers are bi-wired and have an impedance rating of 6Ω.
Edited by destroysall - 1/26/13 at 11:16pm
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post #6 of 8
1/27/13 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by destroysall View Post

The one for about $200? The seller was willing to negotiate for roughly $30 less. I haven't heard it yet though.

The other loudspeaker I was considering was the PSB Alpha B1. I considered getting an NAD amplifier if I went with the PSB. I don't really enjoy too much bass in my system. I want my bass to be relevant to my Beyerdynamic DT 990/600Ω headphone. It's not boomy, just tight and controlled. I prefer a more detailed sound stage with a warm sound. I currently use this old stereo system with a PSOne SCPH-1001 as a source. http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/images/models/sc-ak520.jpg

It is isn't as bad as some will come to think. It's three-way loudspeakers are bi-wired and have an impedance rating of 6Ω.

Yeah, that's the one I noticed. Still, I think for even that much, I wouldn't bother, as they're so old and you'd still be getting hardly any discount. Keep in mind, they were $250/pr new. Who knows though? If after you go listen to them and you fall in love with the sound, maybe they would be worth that much to you? I'm in no way judging, but if it were my money, I'd probably look elsewhere to spend that amount on speakers (maybe those PSB's!). I saw some Energy C-1 speakers advertised for the same price as the B&W's...why not check those out?

I don't listen to nice headphones - best I use is a pair of crappy in ear phones (Vsonic GR something?) at work occasionally, so I don't really have a frame of reference with the Beyerdynamics you mention. I do, however, have a couple NAD amps and love them to pieces!
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post #7 of 8
1/27/13 at 11:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlim123 View Post

I do, however, have a couple NAD amps and love them to pieces!
Mind me asking, but what is your setup? If I ended up with PSB loudspeakers, I considered investing into their sister company (NAD) for amplification.
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post #8 of 8
1/28/13 at 8:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by destroysall View Post

Mind me asking, but what is your setup? If I ended up with PSB loudspeakers, I considered investing into their sister company (NAD) for amplification.

I've got an old S250 5 channel for my main room powering Paradigm Studio 60 v2, Studio CC v2 and Mirage Omnisats (for surround) with a Denon receiver as a pre/pro.
My other one is a C-270 powering Mirage OMD-15's in a separate bedroom (again with another Denon as a pre/pro).

Not lacking for power at the moment, until the upgrade-itis hits real bad and the new speakers demand more!
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