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Considering buying CSW M50 or M80 bookselves, any opinion?

post #1 of 9
12/20/04 at 6:59pm
Thread Starter 
I was pretty impressed listening to the M50s and M80s at a Cambridge Soundworks store the other day. They're on sale through Christmas. Haven't had a ton of experience with bookselves and was wondering if anyone has any opinions of them or CSWs as a company? I had some cheap computer speakers in the past, which seemed great for the cash, but no experience with anything higher.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I should also mention I have a $25 coupon for CSW which needs to be spent in the next couple days, so that's why I'm starting there.
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post #2 of 9
12/20/04 at 7:46pm
If you don't mind the size of the M80, get those. I heard them before and I was very impressed. I didn't get them at the time because they are huge bookshelf speakers.
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post #3 of 9
12/20/04 at 9:57pm
If you're in San Francisco, go try them at the CSW store on Van Ness. Then check out the competition at The Good Guys next door. The cloest competitors for the CSW speakers are the Energy C-1 and C-3. The Monitor Audio Bronze B2 is great as well, but a lot more $$$.
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post #4 of 9
12/21/04 at 12:41pm
I used to own the M50 some 3 years ago. At the time they sold for around $200. At that price point I thought that they were slightly above average in terms of sound quality and construction.

I got a chance to compare them to the Mission 780 and found that the M50 did an admirable job of keeping up with the more expensive Mission. I think the M50 has a good treble response - nice and smooth and good details for an entry level speaker. The mid-range and bass could be a tad muddy at times though.

Still, I think CSW now sells the M50s for around $130, which makes these little speakers a good buy. Never heard the M80s, but since it shares the same tweeters I would expect a similar treble performance. The mid-range might be better on the M80 due to a separate bass driver.
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post #5 of 9
12/21/04 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys. I was unable to do a real comparison with others (just a couple Polks at a Frys) as the finish I wanted was only available in Palo Alto (and last night was really the only evening to make a purchase because of my schedule). With $25 gift certificate (given by a CSW employee a couple months ago because of a long wait for service), I got the M80s for $175. Did a little test with the M50s, and the 80s were significantly fuller (likely larger woofer) and a smoother/more forward midrange (third speaker). Pretty amazing bass for a bookshelf. The thing is the M80s are HUGE. They're twice the size of the M50s and about half the size of my old Advent floors. With their packaging, I had trouble getting two in my trunk. Not sure they're really bookshelf speakers, but the wood grain will certainly look very nice on stands. Can't wait to try them out at home over the next couple of days. I was pretty excited about my Zu cable coming on Wednesday. I may be more excited by these now. Since Christmas and birthday is coming up, I guess I deserve two presents.
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post #6 of 9
12/21/04 at 3:00pm
Didn't I say the M80s were huge bookshelf speakers?

Sounds like an amazing deal. I think they are more than a steal at that price. Are they bi-wireable? Keep us posted on your progress.
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post #7 of 9
12/21/04 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, you did. Then again there's huge and then there's HUGE. I'm very curious what you'd put on bookselves that could support these things (not that I'd place them there).

According to the reviews over at Audioreview, they are bi-wireable (which several have recommended). I haven't taken them out of the box yet. Okay, next question, is this all there is to bi-wiring?
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post #8 of 9
12/21/04 at 3:42pm
I am one who insist on monitors/bookshelf speakers be placed on proper stands. You may have to look for some good quality 20" stands.

The link you gave pretty much described biwiring/biamping. I don't have any experience with it since my speakers don't support neither (although my amp does )
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post #9 of 9
12/21/04 at 6:30pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks again for your help soundboy. I'll run it through the ringer and let you know what I think. Wierd tiny SF apartment shape will be a limitation no matter what, but at least there's 70's shag carpeting to dampen the bounce.
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