B&W Owner's Thread - Page 315

Well let me know if your gonna move

What about that center channel , come on man those go with my speakers
You should be running an htm1.

The guy I had bought the htm2 from was using it with the 802n up front he is the one selling the 802.

As far as space goes you must have a huge area if u think the 803s can't fill it?

For an apartment the 803s is overkill I would run 805s IMO

I had the htm1 for a second, I love the htm3s better imho, more ballsy


What did he replace it with?


Nah too huge, 23x14x9...But just right for the 802n.


Nice try, the truth is my ego wouldn't allow it!

Djoel

I don't know what he replaced it with?

Your space is almost identical to mine. The 803 is plenty. I don't even get close to what it puts out and they dont distort.

Yeah I understand we have to have enough power if needed.oh yeah Bragging power to

I have a chance to buy a nice pair of 683's locally on CL just wanted to know from some B&W owners what is a good price for a used pair of these towers.They are in great condition. A friend of mine bought a pair of the 603 S4's on CL in great condition for 375.00 about 3 months back and I have listened to them I think they sound really good.These speakers look very similar but I know the 683's were manufactured about 10 years later.
I am trying to get them for 500.00-600.00.

If they're mint, that might be too cheap for a pair. Good luck though! I sold mine used for over $900.

Concur. I think you'd be LUCKY to get them for under a grand for the pair.

If you looking a Stereo Amp that able to give clean and plenty of reserve power, you can look at Yamaha AS1000/AS2000. The Yamaha AS1000 can act as a power amp for 2 Channel as it got a Direct Mode button.

I have a pair of B&W 685 and was running Marantz SR7002 on a single pair of cable which I found that the sound is not very clean. Then I Bi-amp it which 2 pair of cables as the Marantz SR7002 able to supply it sound the top end is cleaner. But then when plug in to my Yamaha AS1000 is so much better in sound quality. I got my Marantz Pre-out Front L/R connected to the Yamaha AS1000. It got L/R Sub Woofer Connection as well. It might worth look into this.

It seems Yamaha much better with the B&W compare to few other brand. I have audition B&W CM Series with Yamaha RXA3000 which is very musically on B&W if that what you looking for. NAD is good as mention on the thread as well. The Yamaha AS1000 weight a lot as well.

Another amp to try is a Sunfire high current, not the newer class-d stuff. I enjoyed my Sunfire 200x5 on my B&W for some time.

Hello:

I was just wondering if anyone has compared using the 685 with the HTM61 as a center channel?

I was initially considering using three 685 as fronts with 2 subs as well as two 685s as rears, but I really want to have 683s. 3 front towers will not work for my setup, so now I'm considering using two 683s as fronts and 1 sub and will buy a 2nd sub later. I will use two 685s as rears.

Any recommendations on what I should use as a CC? It seems that the HTM61 is the most controversial speaker from the 600 series and I had my own concerns with muffled dialogue from the HTM61 while auditioning the series at best buy.

Thanks for your help.

I do have a pair of 685's + 01 HTM-61 and although controversial, the -61 sounds pretty darn good to me, but YMMV.

Why don't you try listening at your nearest dealer?

Wasn't the main criticism aimed at the HTM61 that it has a very narrow sweet spot? and that if you are sitting off to one side or the other, the imaging and audio quality falls apart?

At the end of my post, I stated that I auditioned the 600 series including the HTM61 at best buy. I just felt that the dialogue seemed a bit muffled compared to the crystal clear sounds coming from the 683s.

I'm just curious if anyone is using the 685 as center and what are their thoughts?

My second system has three 685s that work pretty well. My main system has Kef XQ40s and a XQ50c which does a very good job on HT - excellent clarity. To be honest I have limited experience with the 685s on HT but I did have to boost the center to hear the dialog but after that it was pretty good. Working against the 685s is they are in a JSP Allegro cabinet which I open the doors on the L/R but not for the center. I hope that helps.

It has more to do with the proximity of the cc to the listening position. It is an odd design in that it is a MTW. The further you sit, the less of an issue it is (but an issue nonetheless).

I listened to my wife's Harry Potter BluRay (I rent, don't buy BluRays) to compare the 685 setup in the Great Room to my Kef XQ system in my Media Room. Volume levels were set using a sound meter. I listened to the 685s in the center seating and out to a side and they were good either place for dialog. Realize the 685s are in a JSP Allegro cabinet pushed to the very top which is not ideal for sound. My Kef XQ setup is better but the 685s are still very good. The 685 as a center is actually better than I expected and I feel I am picky about clarity in the mids.

I really appreciate you that you tested this out for me. That's really of awesome of you.

I tested the htm61 and htm62 as CC for my 683's up front and my 685s in the back. I just wasn't happy with the sound from either of them. The htm61 just sounded off, a bit muffled as you said, and I was able to test them in my home.

I ended up testing a 685 as a center and the difference blew me away vs both the htms, and that at half the cost. I ended up going with the 685 and still use the 685 after 2 1/2 years and am still impressed with the excellent sound it produces. Try it, it is not so easy to get it to fit in the center, but it is a great speaker for it if you can make room for it.

Thanks for your feedback. I've decided that if I purchase the B&W 600 series, I will buy an extra pair of 685s and use one as a center. I will either use the extra for a 6.1 system or try to sell it.

The 685 won't have the same aesthetic appeal as a horizontal CC, but I would rather have better sound quality.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post.

Be sure to let us know how it turns out for you.

Well I bought a htm1 center to go with my 803 s , I also purchased a pair of cdm2se for rears and Iam using an hsu vtf2 mk3 and all I can say is wow!!! I put in lord of the rings return of the king last night and it was amazing, this is the best setup I have had in my house ever. I know the center and surrounds are not from the same lines but they all have simillar drivers and they just sound great together. I had a pair of ds3 surrounds I was using but the cdm2se bookshelf on stands is way better. I can't imagine the htm3s being so much better then the htm1 maybe it is but this is defenitely good enough for me. I think I am just gonna stay with this setup for a while.

Ps; I have a pair of white b&w rock solid speakers I am gonna sell for 130.00 plus shipping which will be like 20$ these little speakers sound great and you can mount them anywhere since it has a built in bracket. If any one is interested let me know. I will be putting them on eBay soon .

Glad you are loving the set up. As I said earlier, being an owner of an HTM3S, I didn't really think there would be that big a difference between the original HTM1 and the 3S. They are fairly if not very similar. Enjoy!

My ASW608 makes a clicking sound from vibration when long bass notes are played. Not so much when short sounds are played. Anyway, it's really annoying/embarrassing when watching movies with friends. At first I thought it was b/c the sub sits on tile, so I put it on a thin rubber mat -- still did it. I finally ran a test bass tone through it and picked it up off the floor and it still did it. It seems like it's the front edge of the cabinet or maybe something inside. Taking the grill off helps but does not solve the issue. I did a search but didn't find anyone asking about this. Just curious if anyone has experience or insight into this before I call B&W. It's done this since I got it... Problem is I bought the sub in the middle of moving and couldn't try it out. It's been 30 or 45 days since my purchase and I'm just finding this out.

I think I figured it out there are rubber feet that screw into the bottom of the sub. Well, all 4 of them were loose and they were essentially rattling. Whew that's a relief.

Hi All,
I just bought a pair of used B&W 804 Nautilus speakers to replace my Paradigm 40 v4s. The speakers are paired with Rythmik F12 and sound awesome for 2.1 material. My current center is still paradigm CC290. I was looking for the matching center for the B&W and it look like it is the HTM1, is there any other (cheaper ) center that can pair with these?

The next step down is a nautilus htm2 center . You can get one from 5 to 7 hundred .

Thanks.
Yeah the htm1 matches the 803 s great. Maybe it would be better with the 3s but hey I don't know what Iam missing.

Thanks. I guess I should wait and save up for the HTM1. HTM2 doesnt seem to get much regard as good center for this lineup?

I have been listening to speakers for a while in order to determine what to upgrade to. B&W have recently caught my attention as I am looking for a set of speakers that are fantastic for music. I actually split time between HT/music/gaming use, but I really am only concerned that the music sounds excellent. As far as my gaming and HT uses, ANYTHING is a big upgrade.

I have eclectic taste so my concern is purchasing a speaker that will play well most things I throw at it. I need the speaker to be able to handle hip-hop as well as classic rock, and many things in between. Bass is very important as I do not want to have to run a subwoofer to enjoy music. So, sorry for the long intro... I am considering 683s, CM8s or CM9s. I know that I have to go listen myself, and I have but I would like more input. How far apart do you think these models perform?

I really want a set that will not sound like I am listening to a speaker. My favorite speaker I have listened to are the ML Theos. I cannot afford them, but I love the design and sound. How do you feel these 3 BW models compare with their soundstage to a lower-midrange ML?

What are ideal distances to position each speaker away from the wall?

Finally, what do you think are some drawbacks to going with either of the 3? Hopefully I get some constructive information here.
(for example: I really enjoy DefTech speakers, but the built-in subs seem to sacrifice clarity at times.)

edit: the room is about 19' x 13' but not a perfect rectangle. industrial carpeted finished basement.
the receiver is a marantz sr6006

I agree with this statement, as they might look similar at a fast glance they're quite different.From tweeter, cabinet, and sheer size and weight.
I don't know about the difference between the crossover but I'll give the edge to the 3S. I first was bit concern with any timber matching issues between the 802N and the HTM3S but happily to report to my ears they're a great match.


Djoel

So your agreeing there is not much difference between the two?