B&W Owner's Thread - Page 189

I read you
I have one question though if someone can help me ,i have 603s3 and 602s3 and LCR6S2 as center ,they say 8ohms but we all know that sometimew they dive to 2ohms ,is it better to set my amp Onkyo 807 to 4ohms or 6 ohms ?
thank you

Do you have them mounted in the wall or ceiling? I would be mounting them in a cathedral ceiling and I was not sure if that would change anything. I see B&W says that they are for walls but can be mounted in the ceiling if need be.

I saw that you can switch back and forth from conventional to dipole. Do you find yourself listening to more of one than the other? It's nice that the CWMDS8 has a remote to handle that but their price may be out of my range. I can afford the CDS3 which can also be switched back and forth though being in a cathedral ceiling, I don't know how much switching I'll be doing since I'll need a ladder.

Since my fronts are all dipole, I thought dipole surrounds would match better though I'm not sure if that is really necessary. How do they fare for HT and MC music? Do you use them for both?

Are you running four of the in-walls for rears/surrounds or do you have just two for surrounds. I have a 7.1 set-up so I would need four of them, or is that overkill? Though is there really overkill in this realm?

Thanks
Tom

Any idea what becomes of the 2 surround speaker models (i.e SCMS and the DS8S)? Also, what about the subwoofers?

Thanks

No clue on the surrounds yet. The only sub that has been announced is the DB-1 ($4500 List).

I have them set to dipole. The only way to switch them is to remove them, unless you run a 12V trigger, which I decided not to do at this time.

They are HEAVY. I think they are almost 20 pounds each. I'm not sure I would want to mount them in a ceiling.

I am only running two of them since I don't have a large room.

Read back 40 pages and found that they are stopping the HTM1D.

Should I try and pick up an HTM2D or wait for the new HTM2 ?

I just started looking for one to go with my 802Ds.

Thanks

so... i've owned the n805's for a few months now and i have to say, the metal tweeter is getting to me.... at first i loved the detail/piercing highs but after a while, it gets very harsh and fatiguing

anyone else feel the same way? fwiw i'm using a mcintosh amp and my room is minimally treated

i think im going to start shopping for something warmer w/ a smoother top end... at least with a non-metal tweeter

Most of the speakers I've owned had metal tweeters, but I'll have to admit the ones on my 800 series speakers have been the hardest to tame. Proper speaker pointing and EQ are the keys to keeping the detail without inducing harshness. I can still hear the harshness if I really crank the volume, though that tells me that I'm at a point where I'm doing damage to my hearing. Maybe some more room treatments will help the lower frequencies and you can keep the volume knob below the "screeching" level.

OK, thanks. I'll keep an eye open.

I had the same issue with the non-diamond tweeters of the B&W. Great revealing detail, but a bit much at times. Really room dependent, but with some room treatments, it'll really help. This overt treble detail had me looking at Sonus Faber for a while - much more relaxed sound. Move up to the diamond tweeter if you can though as it's still very detailed but doesn't wear on my ears over long listening periods. But, first mess with room placement. I'm not a fan of any EQing as it tends to flatten the depth of the sound stage, imho.

20 pounds is heavy?

The HTM2 is 70lbs
The 802's are ~176lbs (80 kilos 1 kilo = 2.2 lbs)

The upshot is more mass = less cabinet movement.

Lou:

How are they for HT or MC?

Thanks
Tom

for a inwall speaker with no heavy MDF enclosure its heavy...

I have them set for dipole and have used them for both HT and SACD multichannel music. In both cases they sound wonderful. Very enveloping. Very minimal directionality. I love them. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for inwalls.


Have you seen the size and construction??? These are not some cheap plastic speakers. They are solid metal frame in a true 3-way dipole configuration.

Oh, BTW, they are almost 13 pounds each, not 20 pounds each.

yup, i've got some at the shop right now im staring at. They are a beast of an in-wall. Like i said, for not having a huge MDF enclosure, its heavy

I have an older Anthem Integrated 1 tube amp that has a spartan 25 watts per channel that I want to get a worthy speaker for my Linn LP12 turntable.

I have loved the sound of B&W for a long time and perhaps this is my chance?

Any thoughts on any B&W being a great fit? Something like the 805's?

Or are these a bit too power hungry for this amp? thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

At low volumes you'll be fine with the 805S or even their 804S towers. If the tube amp puts out a true clean 25watts, you'll have good volume. I remember watching the needles dance on McIntosh and really didn't see them go over a few watts unless we were getting fairly loud. Now's your chance...get some B&W!

Lou

Nice speakers! They look well built and definitely a lot bigger in that perspective.
- Tom

I never heard that EQ affects depth. I've always wrote off my less than stellar depth to the 60" plasma sitting between the speakers. I still think EQ does more for the music than adding a little more depth would. (Though, if I had an easy way to kill the reflections from the monitor during my music sessions, I would surely use it. )

I'll help with that 60" that's in the way - I can send you my mailing address!

It's all personal taste, but even knowing (placebo effect) that I've got some EQ on or other item in the chain, it bothers me. The common digital EQing implemented is processing digital information and there's a limit to the amount of information that can be processed at a time, thus some information gets left out. Extreme example - I remember when music keyboards (digital sampled pianos) had difficult time doing 64 note polyphonic sound. Most figured, you can't comprehend more than that many simultaneous sounds at once anyways, so nothing really apparently lost. But, that's the added depth you get from a real piano, the extra depth from the backgroung lingering notes. Anyways, just my amatuer take on things.

No worries though, just make sure you enjoy the sound - I'm enjoying mine!

The 805's are ~88dB @ 1 watt 1m sensitivity.

If you are 1 meter away, you'll get 102dB out of them @ 25 watts. That's about as loud as the loudest flute.

Create a slip cover for the TV where the front has some 1 inch polyfill fastned to the backside of the room complimenting fabric that was chosen. I plan on doing that to a mirror that my wife insisted on directly behind the listening are and between the surrounds.

When watching dvds/movies in 5.1, the center speaker is the MOST important speaker, as that is what most of the dialog and center-soundstage is played through. That's why some people who don't like the HTM61 or HTM62 center prefer the CMC2 center as a better match with the 683 front speakers.

If I was in your position, listen to the 683 and CM9 speakers and see which do the best for 2ch music. Then have them add in the centers (HTM61 and CMC2). Make you decision on what sounds better. If all you can do is afford the 683 or CM9 without a center, do that, as they will sound better than the 685. Then add the center when you can, as you don't want to skimp on that.

Those CWM DS8 are really nice. I am using some older DS6 di-pole (or bi-pole) surround speakers with the 804S and HTM3S speakers I got in 2008. Now that I've finally got those 3 speakers paid for, I was thinking in the next year or so replacing the DS6 surrounds to something like the DS8S, so they've match better with the 800-series.

How much did the CWM DS8 in-wall speakers cost? I think the DS8S is around $1900-2200 for the pair?

I thought of doing something like that and decided not to. I didn't think it would be that effective and worth the effort to put it on and take it off.

On another note, I took a look at the pic of your setup. Same speakers and same idea of how to get the tweets close to level across the front. My stand is a bit lower so I had to come up with something to raise the HTM3S up higher. My attempts at homemade solutions made the center sound boxy as I couldn't get good isolation between the speaker and stand. I ended up getting MoPads and they helped a lot.

I see the "wife" option makes a big difference too. You have a nice clean look whereas mine is a jumble of cables and acoustic panels. Though we do agree as to the best place to put the Emotiva amp on the stand.

The in-walls are a little more and are not as discounted since they are special order. They were around $2700.


I think anytime you remove a smooth surface that will add reflections to the room, it helps.

My fronts are all within 1/2 - 3/4" of each other.

How much do you need to raise it? Cork is a good easy DIY option. You can usually buy some cork panels at a home improvement store. Do not get the cork flooring it is too hard. You need the panels that are used for home made cork boards.

Ok. I think for my needs, I'd stick with getting the DS8S...or whatever the current model is...once I decide to replace my DS6. The reason is that on-wall speakers can be more easily installed...and move if you move. Also, my walls are concrete slabs on the inside, so I'm not sure how much room there is between the slabs and the drywall.

My center is an inch below the mains. Close enough. The Auralex MoPads are made to provide acoustic isolation. Not the cheapest solution, but not that expensive either. I'm leaning towards a panel that would be light weight so I could throw it in front of the monitor when I listen to music. I may just have to get some rigid insulation and cover it with fabric.

Hi everyone-

I am close to upgrading my speakers. I've been upgrading slowly from a Yamaha HTIB, as you can see. My plan and budget is to get cm7s for L/R and the CMC for the center.

The problem is where to put the center. The reason I can't get the CMC2 is because it's too wide- it won't fit in the cabinet. But I also don't want to "settle" for the CMC based on furniture restrictions. That said, the CMC would fit nicely in one part of the cabinet, and I would have to rearrange some components. And the door would have to stay open for the duration of viewing/listening.

The problem there, however, is would I feel the need to upgrade to a better center down the line (if I get the CMC)? I've tested my wife's patience enough already- within one year, I've done the Blu-Ray player, Marantz receiver, and Elite plasma. I'm lucky to be alive.

Mounting the TV (and putting the speaker on top of the shelf) is not something I want to do- I feel far enough away from it already and don't want to lose any more immersion.

Also, we would be unable to get new furniture at this time, but down the road we look to replace it.

I have considering just putting a shelf up on the wall above the TV. That would possibly allow the purchase of a CMC2, unless weight is an issue.

I've also considered the XTC, but again although space would no longer be an issue, I would worry about the upgrade factor. I want these speakers to last a very, very long time. Do you all have any suggestions/recommendations? I appreciate any and all comments. Perhaps I'm being to inflexible with not wanting to mount the plasma or buy new furniture, but I'm trying to do the most with what I've got.

Many thanks-

Hi all - I have a pair of B&W DM600 S3's for my L/R surrounds and looking to possibly get them off a pair of stands and wall mount them in order to childproof our living room. Anyone have any pics and advice regarding mounting these? We have plaster walls, but would hope to receive feedback from anyone who has tried this with either plaster or drywall. Thanks!