B&W Owner's Thread - Page 49

Good to see all the B&W love around here!! I have a pair of 601 S1 speakers driven by a Rotel RA-972 integrated and a Velodyne HGS-12. This setup got me through college really well. Now that I am making the big bucks, its time to expand the system to full blown 5.1 for my new apartment. I found out my dealer went the way of the dodo a few years ago and I am currently trying to find a new one. Most places won't give me the time of day when I walk in, unfortunately.

Anyway, at the dealer on Saturday, I saw the new 68 series and they look really nice. I was thinking of getting some 683 or 684 for the fronts, with an HTM62 for the center. What kind of power am I gonna need to drive these right? Can I use a Yamaha RX-V661 (or another recommendation?) until I can afford a proper Rotel Amp? Which Rotel should I look at saving for, the 1095 or the 1075?

Dont over-look the 803D they are beautifull speakers that are crystal clear with a ton of LF.

Hi, I have XT-4 mains, DS7 surrounds, XT-2 rears and a PV-1 subwoofer.

I don't see many folks talking about the XT range. Where does it sit in the spectrum of B+W speakers? What would be a logical upgrade in the line?

I am a former pro musician with lots of experience in the recording studio, and I prefer highly accurate speakers. In other words, I want to hear a recording of my Larrivee acoustic guitar sound like a Larrivee, not a Martin or a Taylor (fine instruments, but inaccurate reproduction).

I am using my speakers for 50% two channel listening and 50% home theater.

I currently power the speakers with a Rotel 1077. I would like to upgrade the mains to either a Rotel 1072 or two 1071 monoblocks.

I would be interested in any thoughts. Thanks.

Well, my wife keeps throwing more curveballs than Burt Blyleven. She now is tellingme that we don't have room to accomodate an 18" receiver...I was going to get the Onkyo 875. I bought the CM1's and the CMC, and the CWM 650 for my rears...what receiver or separates should I buy to adequately drive these speakers, as well as make my new 1080p plasma shine? Can I get good equipment in the 15" depth range?

Warpdrive....Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright, the Onkyo TX-SR705 is less than 15" deep so the wife is happy; it is thx certified, and I think it does 100 watt-8 ohms 2 channels. My question is if I have a 5:1 setup, with CM1's, CMC, and CWM 650, will the Onkyo 705 suffice, or do I need to buy an amp or something to go with this receiver to make the CM1's sound good. Also, I may add a couple of ceiling speakers in a separate room, so the receiver may at times be driving 7 speakers, in 2 rooms.

Again, Warpdrive, I value your opinion. Thanks in advance.

Hey guys, I'm likely going to get a pair of 684's and center channel for now, and add a sub and surrounds in the near future.

I have not considered B&W just until recently. I have read quite a few things on how "particular" B&W speakers are to Rotel amps/receivers. Which I don't have any problem, it's just I need the video up-converting the HK-247 does, which the Rotel and many don't.



So, I'm asking how do HK receivers pair/match with B&W speakers? I DO plan on adding possibly a hybrid amp (Jolida) or near-top of the line external amp (Emotiva, Rotel, Parasound etc.) in a year or so.


Thanks,

-Nick

For me --works BEAUTIFULLLLLLLY with my HK-7200 and my 604s [front L/R] & 600cntr. But that is a decision you have to make.
..Mark

Well I'm pretty set on the 247 because it does have the features I want & need, and it looks pretty cool too, not that looks are important.


But like I said, it has the DCDi video upconversion which I need, and HK sound is some of the cleanest around.. So to me, this looks like a winner.

When I go demo the 684's, I'll see if they have anything HK I could demo with the B&W's as well.

I've lived with the HTM7 for a few months now...and I'm still not happy with it as a center. Would the HTM4s work as a center for the 703s??

True, but now that I have 804s, if I were to upgrade, I feel that I would want to just go for the 802D with the marlin head. Sure, I wouldn't have to go that high, but part of me would just want to get the visual upgrade as well .

Yes, the 705 should be fine. I had my CM's powered with a similarly powered Yamaha RXV2500 which is THX Select certified and it does a decent job of powering the CMs, so the Onkyo should be adequate unless you have a large room, in which case the CM's would have not been your best choice since they are small speakers. You could definitely run all 7 speakers but it's unlikely you'll run into problems unless you are trying to run both rooms at high volumes at the same time. Just make sure the thing has lots of ventilation though as these receivers get hot. (I'd consider some kind of extra fan to channel airflow....there were some fan solutions mentioned in the 805 popping thread)

As for the sound quality, I don't think you are going to be shortchanging yourself by getting the 705. The 705 is a capable receiver. Maybe someday, you could add a small separate amp to your 705 to help offload some of the duties of your front channels.

Anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks!

ok so im going back and forth between def. tech. setup like this,

bp7001sc towers
c/l/r 3000
( 4 ) bpvx

but im also looking into the 700 or CM series from B&W. which speakers would be the most comparable to that def. tech. setup i mentioned earlier. also is there any comparisons between the CM and 700 series which people might like to share? i know the sound wont be the same but im just wondering what people thought. also im getting a full 5 speaker B&W setup for less then the def. tech. setup i mentioned earlier.

also im looking at a yamaha rx-v1800 to power the B&W speakers would that be enough power. any comments on comparisons or experience would be great.


dam this never ending search to complete my HTTR is making me dizzy but at least i get to try out some fun gear in the process.

bottom-line, get the new CM-Series: CM7 (fronts), CM-Center (center), and CM1 or CM7 (for rears).


new RX-V1800, or RX-V3800, will work very nice- period! You'll be very happy.

Today my friend and I went to audition some new bookshelves and he was mostly interested in the Paradigm Studio 20's. The store didn't have the 20's but they had the 40's so we gave them a listen. Afterwards we decided to stop by the home theater store to check out the new B&W 600 series for the hell of it and we listened to the 685.

Well long story short he bought the 685's right there and then. Their soundstage is so damn impressive for such a small speaker with excellent mids and highs. They easily bested the Studio 40's that we listened to and at only $600 for the pair they are a great value. B&W has a winner with the new 600 series.

so you think a setup of the 700 series which would have a pair of 703's and the matching center and surrounds would not be worth $1700 more then the CM series.

do other people feel the same way? i ask this because im not gonna be able to demo the CM series so im gonna have to go off of the 700 series.

Hey guys...

I am in the market to get a 5.1 setup and B&W is on top of my list... I need something small that fits in a 570 sq feet moder apartment and will be doing 50% music, 50% movies...

Right now, not sure if I shall go with 5 B&W M1, or get the XT2? I cannot afford XT4... Almost bought M1, but thought if XT2 sounds better for music, shell out a bit more cash and get that instead as it still fits right in and looks GREAT!

Either will be powere by Pioneer Elite TXV-72, 135w/ch.

Have not been able to audition them... so appreciate any help you guys could provide!

Cheers!

Like the above post, it sucks to have to take somebody's word on what a speaker sounds like. I like my CMs very much, and I would definitely not spend the extra for the 700, but the CM is still quite different sounding than any of the 700's.

I would take any B&W over any comparable Def Tech speakers, they just sound more like real music to me.

I have already said this but you guys have to check out the new 68x series. You guys need to check them out. Superb imaging and very detailed midrange. The room we demoed them also had the 700 series and they are a lot closer to each other than we thought.

I CANNOT wait to demo a pair of the 684's and 683's. Mainly looking at 684's plus HSU sub ($400).

I cannot image the 683's can stand up to the 684's plus HSU sub..

Hell is you already have a nice sub you could even go with the 685's.

I'd like a floor stander.. and I REALLY did the "yellow" midrange/bass speakers..

Man, as I read up, at my last two posts, I misspelled a million things.. that's not like me..

Anyways, I'd like to keep it under $1,500 for for fronts. Which leaves me at a few options, but I think I will really like the 684's plus HSU sub.

Would you recommend the 683's over 684's plus sub? I plan on meeting up with a local dealer to hear these first, but I won't have a sub available. Of course I could probably ask for a sub to be used in conjunction with the 684's.. Once I get the floor-standers , I could come home & online and get that HSU sub.


So in my situation, it's either:

a pair of 683's

or

a pair of 684's plus a HSU sub.

can't dont have em in stock... thats why I am asking...

So, if I wanna build a systems of 4 XT2 and one XTC, would that be better than 5 M1s? I mean it sure will be... but for the extra money... how much better?

Thnx

This is comforting. I was told by a B&W dealer this weekend that none of the midrange avr's (denon, onkyo, yamaha) will drive the CM1's. I was actually going back and forth between Denon 3808ci and Onkyo tx-sr705. I was told that I will get only sound, but not quality, with these receivers. I was told I needed to get the Rotel 1065/1075 pre/pro.

This stuff is getting very confusing. Am I being oversold. I care just as much about video as I do audio, and the Denon/Onkyo AVR's seem to have better video capabilities. The B&W dealer says it is all marketing hogwash, and none of the features are valuable. He said HDMI 1:3 is worthless.

If he also told you that you need $1000 (or more) in speaker cables, run away...

Rotel is very good stuff. But keep in mind that Rotel and B&W are the same company - part of "B&W group", along with Classe. So its no wonder all the B&W dealers always carry both. If you suspect that you're being oversold, that feeling is probably not without some merit.

FYI, I have 703's and the Denon 4806 avr. (And cheap speaker cable). The combination sounds amazing. My dealer was willing to demo the combination at the store - if I were you, I'd get him to demonstrate the "lack of quality" he's describing. Don't be shy about getting him to do a little work (like, carry an avr across the store). Of course they often prefer not to, but if you're serious about spending serious money with them, they should be willing to earn it.

I liked the Rotel, but the Denon sounded identical to me, and had a lot more capabililties that I wanted.

Bottom line: if you can't tell a difference, there isn't one. At least for you. If that means you can buy cheaper equiptment, you win!

-Reid