[Bob Chico Dooce]

Hey folks,


Looking for some advice and opinions regarding speaker selection. I currently have the Polk Audio RT200 for my fronts and have been happy with them for the last 6 years. However I am getting the itch to upgrade them. I have auditioned the B&W 604's was was pleased with their performance. My sound specialist store is willing to take my Polk's in on trade. Any thoughts out there when comparing and contrasting the Polk Audio RT200 to the B&W 604's?


By the way I will be running Dennon 3805.........


Thanks in advance!

 

[BlazeMaster]

I think the B&Ws are very good speakers for the money. I have the 601s w/LCR600 for center and soon to pick up the 600s for surrounds. I haven't heard the Polks you currently own, but I'm sure that the 604s are hard to beat for the money, but then again the sound is a very subjective thing. One thing I know for sure is that, your Denon 3805 probably won't be able to handle the 604s very well. I have the 2805 and with all channels driven, it's a bit of a overload for it. I'd definitly be looking into at least another 2 channel amp also in the near future. Good luck.

 

[PolkThug]

See if the dealer will let you borrow their demo B&W's for one day to take home and try them out in the same environment you have for the Polk's, that's really the only way to compare.


Regards,

PolkThug

 

[colinsm]

I am a big B&W fan but not a huge fan of the 604s. If you have or are planning on a decent sub, the 602s have better imaging and for my money sound better overall. They also cost less and give you more placement flexibility.


I went with 5 identical 602s for my theater and I couldn't be happier. As well the 602s are a little less power hungry than the 604s so your amp requirements won't be as high.

 

[Mit07]

PolkThug made a good recommendation and I strongly urge you do follow it. Get the B&W's into your room and demo them for yourself! There is no better way to audition a speaker than in your room and with your own electronics.


In regards to power, IMO your 3805 is more than adequate for the 604's. Your demo should prove this. Have fun.

 

[Goatspeed]

Yeah, see if you can demo them, that's the best way.


I'd personally pick the B&W's. They are excellent.

 

[hdshark]

Definitely try the B&W speakers overnight before deciding. In home trials is one of the most important advantages of buying a product that is only sold through B&M stores.


I also agree with colinsm, if you are going for an HT setup with a sub, 602 S3s may be a better solution and may leave enough in your budget to upgrade your surrounds as well. However, if you use your setup mainly to listen to music, 604s without a sub may be preferrable depending on your ear & taste.


One more time, try before you buy, you won't be sorry.

 

[topspeed]

Definitely do the in home comparo. That way you can account for your particular room acoustics and how they interact with your speaker choice. The greatest speaker in the world can be completely hopeless if your room acoustics work against it.


I think you'll find B&W's to have a wholly different sound from Polk so give the B&W's (or any speaker for that matter) a good long listen to give your brain time to recalibrate. Many find the B&W's to be somewhat reserved at first blush, but that's because their bass is very accurate, very fast, and without the pronounced mid-bass hump so many designers like to put into their speakers these days. After a while and a few discs, you'll realize what is right and what is exagerrated, trust me.


Considering the amount of dead presidents you're budgeting, might I suggest something a little further up the food chain? The B&W CDM 7NT's are an order of magnitude better than the 604's, a very good speaker in its own right. They were supplanted by the 700's last year, although that doesn't necessarily mean bettered. Here is a pair for sale on audiogon or you can see if your dealer can find a set. The CDM NT line utilized the famed Nautilus tweeter and set it on top for time alignment and dispersion characteristics (as with the Naut line). They also employ kevlar mids and kevlar/paper woofers. You can do a web search if you are interested or here is a review . I have the 7NT's (bias alert!) and find them to be one of the most musical and accurate speakers I've ever heard. Could be why I bought 'em, d'ya think ? There is one downside and it's a biggie: You can forget about your 3805 driving them properly. I tried with my 3803 and it just doesn't have the cajones. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, there's just so much untapped potential! It's like someone giving you a Ferrari 360 with the caveat you can only drive it using the first two gears. What's the fun in that? Be ready to invest in an amp in the future, it's that simple. One other thing, the CDM NT's transparency comes with a price: They will let you know if you have a weak link in no uncertain terms. Just make sure your front end is up to the task because they are not forgiving...at all. I'm not saying you need Gamut, Krell, or some other exotica, but a $200 Samsung dvd player probably could be improved upon.


Good luck and buy what moves you.