B&W Owner's Thread - Page 435

ap1 thanks for your advice. i think i'll stick with the 683s and forget about the cm 5:)

Hello. I have a question.

What is the best B&W bookshelf pair of speakers for under approx $1000?

Does it have a matching center? Or can you buy a third of the same speaker to use as a center?

I am only look sub $1000 for the pair. Where is the best place to buy B&W for a bargain?

Thank you!

I would set the XO @ 80Hz & set the speakers to Small, which is how I set my 802D2, Salon2, Linkwitz Orion3, and Phil3.

The 685 IMO. I only consider the 685 and CM5 worth purchasing as fronts. $650 US vs $1500 MSRP respectively.

HTM1 and CMC2. I have only seen BW Bookshelves sold in pairs.

No idea, varies by area.

Probably good idea. There may be a bigger SQ gap between the B&W 600s & 800s, but I just don't think there is a big enough SQ gap between the 600s & the CM to justify the price.

Thank you. Have you heard both speakers. How much better do the CM5's sound vs. the 685?

Does anyone know when they would release them and do you think theyll be around the same price as cm9 if so im going to wait and buy the cm10

They are close. CM may have a little rolled off highs.

Yes, I have heard both. To me.... the 685s are incredible value for price tag. SQ is subject to opinion and mine is as follows. CM series sounds more detailed and accurate with a larger sound stage. 3 times as much as 600 series? (comparing price tags)... No. However it is obvious you are partially paying for looks. I was completely fine with that and rolled with the CM series. If you have a budget, the 600 series are no slouch and have great resale value. So you can upgrade painlessly if you feel the urge.

The same analogy applies to the 683 vs CM9.

In price range of CM9 and possible future CM10 there are better speakers from other brands. So buying B&W won't make much sense.

I can find no information on a CM10 speaker, just sub. So how can one make judgements, just based on the CM9? Having said that, one would hope they would create a PM line between the CM and 800. PM9, PM10?

Thanks!

What about the 684? Is it a good value for a tower at $1100 for a pair?

Recommend the 683 over the 684 based on all the feedback I have seen. The 685 and 683 are the recommended 600 choices.

Then are the 683s a good value at $1500 per pair in comparison to other towers? Thanks!

They are competitive enough to be considered.

You should be able to 10-20% (maybe closer to 10 on these) if you find the right dealer and are ready to buy. I got a good deal on my three 685s.

Does BB give discounts like that? What dealer did you use?

Hello,

 

Interesting so many speaker do you collect them?  

 

I am guilty as well, 800Diamond2, 802D1, KEF LS50, Paradigm Signature S1Be V3.......

 

Would love to add Focal Stella Utopia EM and Sonus Faber Elipsa SE

 

http://www.focal.com/fr/utopia-iii/228-stella-utopia-em-3544050698048.html

 

http://www.sumikoaudio.net/sonus/prod_elipsa_special_edition.htm

i know this is a speaker thread but a question about powering some puppies.

I am close to getting my hands on a pair of 802diamonds, and wondering if powering with the emotiva 500W monoblocks would be absurd or should I suck it up and pony up for classe or mac or even anthem like my dealer thinks? Anyone have experience with an A/B comp emotiva +802D2 vs classe +802D2 or other high priced amp?

Hopefully thrang will chime in as he used to have Emotiva amps. As for power 500 watts is more than enough. I used to have an Anthem MCA-50 in my system. It performed great but my heart was set on Bryston so I switched. The Anthem had a very similar sound to the Bryston, I bet I couldn't tell them apart in a blind test on sonics. The Anthem did however induce a hiss in my speakers at the time (Paradigm Studio v2 series) which I could never figure out why. The Bryston's were dead quite even though the specs suggested the Anthem had the lower noise floor so go figure.

I am sure the 802Ds will sound great with the XPA-1 or XPR-1s, speakers being most important and either will have adequate current for sure. I do believe amps can make a difference assuming the rest of the system is revealing enough and 802Ds are certainly in that category. So what is the upper side of the budget and what are your plans for the front end, pre and source? I think that is also very important.

Oh, and congrats on getting some amazing speakers.

While I agree there is a steep price difference between the two, the CM5 is a much better sounding speaker. Both are "polite" sounding speakers but I would say the 685 highs are rolled off more so than the CM5. The soundstage and imaging of the CM5 easily outclass the 685. The bass response of the 685 is noticeably better (and that's evident in the specs and speaker measurements). For $650 the 685 is a pretty good deal though.

Congratulation, I have Classe and love them just so much money but then again they are a great match to B&W800D2 and look really nice! If you try emotiva please do tell, I have been thinking to sell my Classe to get Emotiva

I went to BB Magnolia. Now I want the 683s. They sounded really nice. BB refused to negotiate price, said they can lose their official dealer status if they cut price, but they do have a 60 day return policy for premier silver and a 2 year no interest deal. But I don't want to pay more if they can be gotten for less.

Thank you. you have the most amazing set up i have seen. are your 802s diamond or d1? Im hoping (like you) someone out there has tried this setup already so they can save us some time

Yes, do tell - I am interested in your review as well.

I'm really surprised you set the crossover on those speakers that high. Have you experimented and you've found 80 to be better than 60 or 40?

Although I've only heard these at Best Buy, I concur. The 800 series is the only current B&W I'd consider.

I can't imagine anyone with 802s doing this. Comparing Classe' to Emotiva is like comparing an S-Class Mercedes to a Hyundai Azera. The average person may think they're almost the same, but anyone who knows anything about them knows they aren't. Outlaw amps embarrass Emotiva, to say nothing of Classe'.

I think people have reported mixed results from BB, some no discount but others 10%. My dealer stopped doing retail a while back but I would never call anyone out because of B&Ws pricing policies but other B&M dealers usually will deal, just don't publicize them. The 600 series likely has the smallest margin so 10% would be good, I think I got just under 14% which was very good but I also purchased more than the 685s from them (including two sets of B&W ceiling speakers). I know of some folks who got 20% on 800 series which is great. Do you have other options besides BB? You can also try another BB.

I was tempted to reply a while back when you posted but I thought you were just messing (still do, actually) so I resisted. Can you tell on your front soundstage, very likely especially if you have the 600 mono's. Now this is where it is tougher, surrounds and surround backs. I realize they are 802D1s but even so, it may be difficult to pick it out (unless possibly straight 5 channel music). Why not try the XPR-2 for the surrounds, that way you are only out shipping for one piece on the return.
Edited by jima4a - 3/9/13 at 12:03am

I believe the balanced versions of Outlaw are made by ATI and I would concur with above for similar ratings, e.g. XPA-5 vs 7500. Perhaps an ATI AT3004 (300x4) from ClassicAudioParts for the four 802Ds as surrounds. Of course none of the options will look as awesome as the Classe'.