B&W Owner's Thread - Page 317

Hey guys, I was wondering if any of you are familiar with the Matrix 3 series 2 towers? I have a chance to purchase some for under 500.00 and was wondering how they would sound? I recently got to audition the 685's and I absolutely loved them for music. I wonder how the Matrix 3 ser 2 would sound in comparison?

Hi All , I got a all in wall speakers system by Infiniti 7.1, after getting a New Marantz SR6005, I have decided to upgrade my in-walls, I tried going back to box but Mama just aint goin for it. So I just scored a B & W CWM 7.3 for really really cheap and using for my Center ,, I love this Speaker it is everything and More for a In Wall... Heres my Dilemma, I know it is best to match the Front 3 by Mfg,Model etc.. But I have a Problem paying $799 Each for the CWM 7.4 and its Made in China!!!!!!!!.. That a lot of $ for Made in China... SO if I were to Mix MAtch what would be Comparable,,I was Looking at the BIC Venturi VK38W Kevlar 3 way, OSD Dual 7" Kevlar... or is this Sacrilege? HAs any one here mix match the front 3???

I really wanted big drivers for my L &R ,Im tying to get away from 5.5"/6.5" system drivers.. I am about 80% Movies in this system.. Now I'm all jacked up finding the Right L & R or do I Hold off and get the 7.4's when I can Afford them

The BIC is sacrilege. Sometimes you can find these speakers on Audiogon or EBay from a failed install or something. My advice, be patient and get the good speakers. China fabrication should not be a problem. If I were to do a custom install the B&Ws would be on my audition list.

Save up and match the center

Quick question. I'm in the market for some CM8s after the first of the year.

Why do the CM1 and CM5 have a surround on the Kevlar mid bass driver and the CM8/CM9 do not?

I'm going to be pairing them with a Velodyne Optimum 12 sub for a 2.1 system. I originally wanted the CM5s but since I would need stands, I decided to splurge and go with the CM8s.

Because CM1/CM5 drivers are bass/midrange - they are designed to cover both bass and midrange region. In contrast, CM8/CM9 midrange does not need to move as much and is designed as, what B&W calls, 'surroundless' driver. They don't need to move because pair of bass drivers handle the bass region.

This

That makes perfect sense. Thanks!

Thanks Guys! Thats what I Figured, I knew gettin this center would commit me to B & W for the Front 3 at least, If I had my way I would get 2 more of these bad boys

I have a pair of DM602 S3's that are about 5 yrs. old. I'm thinking of buying a center channel for movies. What B&W center goes with these speakers? They have 7" speaker +1" tweeter. I recently bought a pair of Def. Tech. DI 8R ceiling speakers for the rear surrounds, which have 8" speakers + 1" tweeter.
I've been looking at the B&W HTM 61, Def. Tech. CS8040HD, and the Golden Ear Sat 3, but they all have 4 1/2" -5" speakers. Would any of these be a good match?

TIA,
Ken

I would stick with the HTM61 from B&W. It is a match to the new 600 series and I think it would be a good fit with the 602s. It is the largest center of the series (which I like) and I think very few centers have the same size drivers as the mains.

Anyone? Anyone?

CM1's and bi-amping

I just picked up a set of CM1's and they are great. I am powering them with a new Pioneer Elite SC55. I now have the option of Bi-amping, but everything I have read is that the CM1's have a very good cross over built in. Anyone try to Bi-amp their CM1's? Any ideas if you think it is worth the effort (making new cables)

So i replaced a pair of Energy CF70s with a pair of 685Bs. After breaking them in, these speakers are AWESOME. Pairing them with a Yamaha 667 and a Parasound amp, the difference is immediate, and much better. Call me crazy, but to me after calibrating, they put out as much as the CF70s, with a bit wider dispersion as well. I can also crank these to reference and they will not struggle or get painfully bright like the CF70s did.

I thought i preferred the brighter sound (Axiom, CF Energy, Polk, etc) because it had a sizzle i liked, but these sound extremely smooth, no detail loss, and with no fatigue. Also, these reveal ALOT more than any other speakers ive owned. Testing various music sources, listening to Lamb of God's "Now Youve Got Something To Die For", its apparent the studio was a small one. I hear alot of other detail in other songs ive never noticed before.

Only real complaint i have is that some female vocals sound somewhat muffled, trapped. iiO's Poetica and Exit110 albums guilty parties. Maybe its her range, or maybe its the source material, but her vocals seem to get lost in some songs. Not all female vocals suffered like that but material on those 2 albums stuck out. But thats why you different brands of speakers.

Other than that, great speakers, and it has converted me to the Euro-type sound. Now i REALLY wanna demo other Euro manufacturers speakers, i.e. Jamo, and Wharfedale as well high speakers higher in the B&W spectrum.

For CM1 it is not worth it. You may try bi-amping if you get CM8 or 9. But even then you will unlikely hear the difference.

Thanks, I will pass on the bi-amping for now then

For many years, I have had a two speaker system (B&W 805 Matrix) with a B&K amp and preamp. I have switched to an Anthem MRX-700 AVR and am in the process of setting up a 5.1 system. In order to best match the 805 Matrix FL & FR, I purchased a used B&W HTM Matrix for a center channel, and a used B&W Matrix 800ASW sub.

For the last two speakers, I would prefer wall mounts but could go with stands if required. These speakers would be used when watching movies since I will only use a 2.1 system for music.

I am looking for suggestions on those last two speakers to complete my system. Should I stay with B&W to better match timber and if so, what is recommended? Am open to all suggestions.

Harold

B&W wall mounts are impressively designed, I really liked the CWM's I owned, though they were low on sensitivity. Surrounds typically aren't as critical for timbre matching, but the B&W's are a good choice.

How do the older DM601 and the DM602 sound compared to the 685b's? I recentely auditioned the 685b's and really really liked them. There are a few local adds on craigslist for the older DM601 and DM602's for under 300$, and if I could get those then I could put the other $300 bucks towards a better amp. So basically what I am asking is will the DM601's or DM602's sound as good as the 685b's?

So are their stands.

Has anyone listened to the CM5 vs PM1? I need a bookshelf speaker for a living room 15x25 and am looking for something that will work for the space. Will double the price get twice as good a speaker?

Bump

Could use some help picking out a sub for a 683, HTM61, 685 setup. Post is in the subwoofer forum....and I can't post a link to it due to my post count. Blah. It's titled "Good Sub to match B&W 683's".

Would appreciate any B&W owners with this setup (or something close to it) who could recommend a sub that worked out well for them. Thanks!

I have a 685 + HTM-61 front array coupled with an SVS PB-10 SW and couldn't be happier

^^^
Any decent sub that matches your room size and musical needs will work fine. Definitely does not have to be a B&W sub--they are expensive for what they can do.

My current setup uses CDM 7NT mains, CDM CNT center and ASW 2500 sub. I'd like to add a pair of matching surrounds for 5.1 movies. I'm running these with an onkyo AVR.
I am open to suggestions for a pair of bookshelf surrounds that will match this setup. Doesn't have to be B&W, but must match timbre. suggestions?

B2031P is a good surround match for 683s and 685s at the front.

I posted my CM9's when I first set them up in my family room. Now that I am almost done with my dedicated room (I use it 50/50 films and music) I decided to post a shot.

The acoustic treatments have made a huge difference. I'm going to be installing some diffusion over the LP and some bass traps soon. Since its a relatively small room, I think that it will make the last bit of impact.

Also need a new amp. I didn't want to spend big on an amp until I had the room complete. Im leaning to the McIntosh MC-205. If anyone has any experience with CM9's and Mac, please let me know your thoughts.

Beautiful room! But I'm actually most interested in the chair with the orange cushions. I have an antique modernist chair with a very similar design. Do you happen to know the manufacturer or where you bought yours?