B&W Owner's Thread - Page 153

Originally Posted by HTMAN21

Don't get hung up with hype about FST.

Originally Posted by Big L

It's not hype, it's timber matching.
It's important, IMO, that the mid woofers be the same (at least across the front 3 speakers). Especially because SO much sound is in the mid frequencies.
I'm not saying the FST is the best thing since the light bulb BUT there's no denying that it's different than the woofer in my CNT. And the difference is audible.

Originally Posted by HTMAN21

Sorry, I was referring to FST on the HTM61. I should have said that FST alone can't make a speaker sound good. Perhaps the light bulb or sliced bread would help.

Originally Posted by CVickers

B&W lover here!! I don't sell them but I own 'em and will never let them go!

Originally Posted by lawn_wrangler

Need help from the B&W experts:

I have been planning a new HT system for a small room. My original 5.1 plan was CM5s up front with a CM center, CM1s (or 5s) for the back, and a matching CM10 subwoofer. Then in 3-4 years when we buy a bigger house with a bigger (and hopefully dedicated) HT room I could move the bookshelf speakers back, buy CM9 floorstanders for the front and beef up the sub department.

Well, now the project will have to be scaled back due to budget constraints...what student loans???...and so I'm thinking I may need to start with only the fronts (and MAYBE the center depending on how good of a deal the local B&W dealers will offer). Then I will later build up to a full 5.1 (and even later 7.1/7.2) setup.

I'm guessing I'll have around $1500 to devote to speakers/sub, possibly able to push that up to $2000. Well, MSRP on the CM5s is $1200, so that wouldn't leave much for the other 3.1 channels.

Are there any cheap bookshelfs, centers, subs out there that will voice well with the CM5s up front so I can replace them later with CMs? (First order of business, of course, would be to add the matching center). Matching the voicing would be most important but approximating the look of the wenge finish (which has confirmed WAF) would also be nice.

Or am I approaching this all wrong? Should I go dirt cheap all around (e.g., Energy Take Classic) until I can spring for the whole B&W set?

Thanks, and PMs welcome.

Originally Posted by Bigred7078

well what are your preferences/needs? Are you more of a HT guy or more of a music guy?

Originally Posted by lawn_wrangler

Are there any cheap bookshelfs, centers, subs out there that will voice well with the CM5s up front so I can replace them later with CMs? (First order of business, of course, would be to add the matching center). Matching the voicing would be most important but approximating the look of the wenge finish (which has confirmed WAF) would also be nice.

Or am I approaching this all wrong? Should I go dirt cheap all around (e.g., Energy Take Classic) until I can spring for the whole B&W set?

Thanks, and PMs welcome.

Originally Posted by Big L

There's nothing wrong with buying a speaker set-up one piece at a time.
Being more of an HT guy, I'd go with the front 3 speakers first (3.0). But if you're into music, go with the mains and a subwoofer (2.1). [BTW I wouldn't buy a B&W sub. It's not that they're bad, it's just that you can get better performance for the same price point (or less) from companies like SVS or Hsu.]

Then add more speakers (center and surrounds) as the funds become available.
I've found out, the hard way, that it's cheaper to just get what you really want the first time around. Because I usually end up spending money on crappy substitutes (not to mention having buyers' remorse) and then I end up buying what I originally wanted anyway...

Originally Posted by Myron_H

I have been auditioning speakers for the last two months, and I keep coming back to the B&W 684 speakers. I want a 2.1 setup for now, and later add the surrounds for 5.1.

What are some good subs that are a match for the 684's? Is it best to get the matching B&W subwoofer, or will any quality sub suffice?

Originally Posted by warpdrive

Any sub will suffice. Matching a sub brand is completely unnecessary. Most people on this forum will tell you to buy a SVS, Hsu, eDesign, Epik, Rythmik sub for best value and output capability

Originally Posted by warpdrive

Any sub will suffice. Matching a sub brand is completely unnecessary. Most people on this forum will tell you to buy a SVS, Hsu, eDesign, Epik, Rythmik sub for best value and output capability

Originally Posted by petergaryr

Agreed. I've had my CM7's paired with SVS and Velodyne (I tried them in different rooms), and integrating either sub was no problem.

Originally Posted by mikefl52

100% in agreement!

I love B&W Speakers (have been buying them for over 30 years), but in terms of subs I think you can get as good (if not better) sound and definately better value from some of the internet companies mentioned above than the traditional Paradigm, B&W, Velodyne, etc subs. I have 2 SVS PB113 Ultras paired with my B&W 803Ds and they sound great and blend seamlessly.

Have a look on the Subwoofer thread for some ideas.

Originally Posted by Jeepers1

I have been buying B&W speakers since 1983 and I also love them.
I have 803Ds, HTM2D and ASW825. Out of curiosity, what crossover frequency are yours set to ? Mine are at 60hz and it sounds great but maybe I could use 40hz for the 803D.

Originally Posted by mikefl52

I have an Anthem D1 processor with ARC (Room Correction) and so it is not quite as simple as setting the standard cross-overs. The software sweeps the sounds from all the speakers and sets parameters to give an ideal overall frequency response.

I do think you could lower the crossover for your 803Ds down to 40Hz and let the sub handle the lower frequencies with no problem. I would maybe experiment a little.

The problem with a lot of processors or receivers is that you can only set one value and so it impacts all speakers including centers and surrounds and so if you set it to 40Hz and the center and surrounds start to drop off at 50 or 60Hz say, then none of the information between 60Hz and 40Hz is redirected to the sub. In some processors you can change the slope of the filter and so you might be able to leave it at 60Hz and just choose a more gentle slope.

Originally Posted by Jeepers1

I have been buying B&W speakers since 1983 and I also love them.
I have 803Ds, HTM2D and ASW825. Out of curiosity, what crossover frequency are yours set to ? Mine are at 60hz and it sounds great but maybe I could use 40hz for the 803D.

Originally Posted by FAUguy

I have my 804S crossover set at 40Hz and the HTM3S center at 60Hz. I did try the 804S at 60Hz, but after a few weeks found they soudned better at 40.

Originally Posted by HarrisonS

You can also try not crossing over these speakers at all, and just allow their natural rolloff to serve the purpose.

Originally Posted by Big L

That's what I (have to) do.
I don't use a subwoofer so I have my 3.0 system (L&R and center) set to 'Large'.
Definitely not as good as having a dedicated sub but there is some bass and it sounds good. Actually I was pleasantly surprised how low the CNT center can go.

Originally Posted by johnnyb05

i have a chance to pickup a pair of matrix 802 series. does anyone have any input on these.

Originally Posted by HarrisonS

I have never listened to any of the Matrix Series speakers, but they should sound very good, since they were once B&W's top line. While I believe that some early Matrix speakers had a rather low efficiency, I see that the Matrix 802 Series 3 had a sensitivity of 90 dB, comparable to current models. The rated frequency response is given as 27 Hz - 27 kHz ± 2 dB. Do you know which series these are?

Originally Posted by johnnyb05

thanks for input. iam told they are series 3. are about 12 years old. of course the guy who has them told me that he spent $3500 on them, and that they still sound amazin.