B&W Owner's Thread - Page 88

xxdimuxx, I sent you a PM on the Klipsch forum.

I do own the following Rocket RS450s, Ref .5s, Klipsch RB-81s, Paradigm Studio 20s.

I use the Rockets the most so I guess that is my reference point, thanks for the opinion. I just didnt know what the B&Ws should sound like.

I currently have a Denon 4308ci and 7 speaker Klipsch Synergy speakers the SB-2 for mains the SC-1 for center the S-1 for side surrounds and the newer B-2 for back surrounds with a home built 10in kicker subwoofer won from a car stereo show.

I am looking to get newer and better speakers than what ive got and i was looking at the BW 683 for mains, the HTM-61 for center the DS3 for side surrounds and the 686 for back surrounds, plus i have the MFW-15 on order

what do you think of this set?

Anybody know where I can pick up a couple of extra speaker grilles for B&W CWM 650 in-wall speakers?

I just scored some mint used 603 s3s on craigslist for $450 SUUUWWWEEET

Funny, but that is the same for me, home alone = Tool session.

I've read a little about the Behringer and honestly it just sounds really complicated. Not a huge cost impediment but I am pretty new to tweaking a system AND owning a sub so I am having a tough time even knowing what good bass is supposed to sound like. I will keep looking into it though but I'm not in a dire need to blend my sub with my mains as the 683's are pretty competent with bass.

Not familiar with O' Fortuna - will check them out on Allmusic.

Sounds like that will rock (quite literally depending on you ft3 ).

Congrats! My dealer has a "demo" pair for $750.00 in the store. I was at one time VERY temped to pick them up.

Future upgrade question:

Thinking about getting the most out of my 683's, I was considering an external amp. What are your guys thoughts on this?

The 83's don't seem (but then again what do I know) overly hard to drive and I generally don't listen really loud (-15 master volume top end) but I do want to get the cleanest sound out of the speakers. So would a quality amp be overkill or just the thing to really take the experience to the next level?

I am currently driving the speakers with a Marantz 7001 that will probably be around for a while.

Thx again in advance.

Also, what constitutes a quality amp. Was originally thinking Rotel, but the new Emotiva caught my eye. That said I've heard a lot about the other companies but my budget will never be in the McIntosh range even for used stuff.

My honest advice would be to not to bother. If you are not listening at very high volumes, then it's unlikely you'll find a noticeable difference in the sound by upgrading just the amp. A high quality amp can improve the dynamics of a speaker which often translates to cleaner, more detailed sound, but that's assuming your old amp was in some way straining.

I think you'd be better off spending money on stuff like a SMS-1 to improve the quality bass on a subwoofer, or possibly some room treatments with the help of a professional to get the best out of your current speakers.

To be honest, I was VERY intimidated at first. REW looked complicated and reading through the guides just made things worse. The guys on hometheatershack weren't answering questions at a noob level either. However, after going through the process, I can tell you it was very simple. The software is great. It's just small details you need to understand and it couldn't be much easier. I'm am a fairly advanced computer guy, but I didn't really need to draw upon any real skill.

The guys on the forums at hometheatershack are just super. They repeatedly answer the same stupid questions from new members every day without giving any attitude. It's VERY nice! Bruce and Wayne are very helpful and straight to the point. Trust me, it's easy. I never touched any of it until last Wednesday night. It took me all of maybe 2 hours and I was done.

The BFD itself couldn't be easier to use either. There is no way anyone could justify to me the need for midi communication from the software to the BFD for settings. REW tells you exactly what parameters to enter and it takes about 15 seconds to enter a filter. I use a total of 5 filters on my BFD.

I can't stress enough how anyone with a sub that doesn't already own some sort of room correction for their subs should be getting a BFD and using REW. The improvement is HUGE! Getting my sub to blend better with my B&W bookshelf speakers is one of the best things I've done for my setup. The best thing is that it's so cheap.

My friend's new BFD is arriving today. He too has B&W 805S's for mains with an SVS sub. I took my laptop and REW setup to his house this past Monday, and within 10 minutes I showed him what he already knew. He *needed* a BFD. We're getting together tomorrow at lunch to get everything tuned in. Should take all of 15 minutes.

Here are my results:

Before:



After:



One thing I'd like to note is that for the first graph I used an 80Hz test tone to set my sub's gain. I needed no low spots for the REW software to work properly and I already knew I had severe low end room gain.

Sound wise, my 805S's lacked that punchy midbass with or without my sub. Now I have that punchy midbass. What's strange is how strong my 805S's could play a 40Hz test tone. They were weak around 50Hz to 70Hz, but at 40Hz they will play at reference level when not high-passed. I also installed the port plugs to keep them from messing with my near flawless sub frequency response.

To sum up: GET A BFD!!!!

D-strasse, you've heard the song I'm sure it's a classical piece from around 1900. Extremely dynamic. It's currently being played on an NBA playoffs commercial. Been in numerous movies and such.
As to the question of an amp, I bought an Adcom to drive some older B&W that are really not sensitive and it made a huge difference. I hooked it up to a set of Klipsch Forte the I bought and it's just amazing what it does for the sound. I'm a believer in amps now.

TJhubb, yeah I couldn't pass the deal up. I was just perusing Craigslist and saw an ad for them. I'm going to Ebay them and make a few bucks. They are nice and sound excellent but I really don't need any more speakers. I only have one set up but I have 5 sets of mains at this point.

Ok I missed the not listening loud part. If you don't listen at high levels then I'd say Warp is spot on. I like to feel it, so I crank it up. The receiver just doesn't have the balls and it becomes a little muddied at higher volume. At low volume you just won't hear it. At high volume it's grating to the ears.

Very nice! I sold mine for $800.00 when I upgraded to 703s, but that was before the new 600 series was launched.

TJHUB,

Just so I'm clear, I don't need a midi connection on my laptop? I was perusing the REW/Behringer threads on HTShack and it sounded like I needed one - and that's where I bailed out

I think my sound card might not be up to snuff but I do own a RS SPL meter. Is this enough?

And as much as I'd love an SMS-1, there just isn't the cash for that right now.

Thanks again.

It's German, not Irish!

O Fortuna! is the opening of Orff's Carmina Burana, written in 1935/6. It is the numbingly repetitive choice of ignorant music programmers for sports events and early coming-attractions clips.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana_%28Orff%29

Oh my God! I used an apostrophe when I shouldn't have. Let us call the punctuation police and I will throw myself on the mercy of the courts.
It is used way too much but in it's entirety it is a wonderful song. I really have no care at all for the history of songs as evidenced by my limited knowledge of such things. I just know when I like something or not.

Just once, I would love to hear this chorus played at a sushi bar.
O, for tuna!!!

Just for the record, you did it again.

Actually if you want to get technical it's entirety is correct I believe. I'm sure there will be others that disagree.(or should that be other's)

It was a joke.

Now I'm just not sure.

One thing I am certain about; this thread is WAY OFF TOPIC.

Kal, so was the response. See the little smiley guy? And yes way off.

It's not correct.

Thats' right, it aint''

Hi all...Have Nad c-352 with 704 speakers (and love it...). Using now standart cables. Any suggestions for cables? Thougt of QED X-Tube 300 or vdh cs-122 for example..opinions about interconnect r welcom also..

Yes, I am wrong. I've done that for a long time. Well, you learn something new every day if your not careful.

I have 704's (and I love them, too, now that I am using them with a sub). You can use ordinary 12-gauge lamp cord from Home Depot or your local hardware store. There is no reason to buy expensive speaker cables. (I will now go into my fallout shelter and wait for the bombs to start falling. There are rabid disagreements about cable-related issues on every audio-related internet forum.)

I am interested in purchasing a pair of 802Ds, can someone recommend a good dealer with good pricing (I have no dealers within 350miles....)? Please send me a PM!

Thanks!