[freckling]

Has anyone had the chance to listen to both of these speakers by B&W and to do a comparison of the two? I'm interested to hear what people's thoughts are regarding these two sets of speakers.

 

[luciyuspax]

I have listened to CM1s and they are great for latin jazz! CM1 is good at mid-range but I was not impressed with them when I listened through them to baroque music.They are not very detailed in highs.
I really could not hear the details well in bach's orchestral music like cembalo part through CM1s like I could with my Sennheiser HD555. CM1s were amplified through Rotel amplifier.

I have also listened to 605s at the same spot for comparison versus CM1s and I liked CM1s better. 605s too were not very good for baroque music. Details were not there with 605s either.

I have not personally listened to 705s but I saw in many forums that people found them way too bright sounding. Even some people who actually like bright sound disliked them. The general opinion on bookshelf B&Ws on many forums was to either buy CM1 or to save money and buy 805 later.

 

[freckling]

That's really interesting because I did have a chance to listen to the CM1's and really enjoyed their midrange. I unfortunately cannot listen to the 705's as they are not available where I live. It sounds like the CM1's might be preferred to the 705's, even if they were to cost the same. Do you think that's true?

 

[luciyuspax]

Yeah it seems we both agree on mid-range of CM1s being quite enjoyable. I would advise you to buy CM1 instead of a 605 because CM1 is a much newer model sharing some technology from 800series.
As I said I never had the opportunity to listen to 705 but I haven't seen many people on forums saying they enjoy them. So yeah CM1 might be preferred to a 705 even if they were the same price.

But it also depends on what kind of music you generally listen to. CM1 performed extremely well on Pink Martini songs.

Just it is very difficult to get the same details for baroque music of a headphone like HD600 on speakers unless the speakers cost minimum 2000-3000 dollars. My friend has a pair of Sonus Fabers(price range is around 2500$) and they perform classical music quite detailed. But I love the design of Bower&Wilkins

 

[luciyuspax]

By the way what are your amplifier and source?

 

[luciyuspax]

Let me add what BlackstoneJD had sent me a few months ago in a PM:
" if you really don't want to get into the 805 or they are just out your range, the CM1 is probably a good choice. I've been reading about them. It seems they are a big step toward the 805 but not quite there. The 600 series is also good. I had 601s and 602s for a few years as my main speakers B&W can give you huge bang for the buck in their lower range speakers, probably more than other brands.

But the 705series probably isn't worth the extra cost of admission and you'd be better off skipping it for the 805.

The speakers I would suggest you try and hear are:
CM1
685
602 Series 3 (out of production)
805"

 

[warpdriver]

I like the CM's more. The CM's are B&W's attempt at a more refined sound than the 705, and they actually share a lot in common with the 805 due to trickle down, and B&W reps have mentioned that they think the tweeter was an improvement over the 705 tweeter. However, what the 705 does better is image better due to the externally mounted tweeter which gives the 705 better 3D spaciality, and the 705 beats the CM in dynamics and headroom. I found the sound of the 705 a bit too bright and analytical overall, it can even sound a bit ragged at higher volumes.

In terms of mids, the CM is a bit colored more than the 705 due to a slight depression in the FR in the upper mids. In real world listening, the mids can sound a bit recessed but smooth and pleasing. A lot of people say the CM sounds lush but I think the slight coloration actually makes the mids sound warmer than they are.

I wouldn't take a 705 over a CM but I would take a 805 over the CM.

Personally I also just like the looks, the CM is like a little jewel of a speaker




Quote:

Originally Posted by luciyuspax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have listened to CM1s and they are great for latin jazz! CM1 is good at mid-range but I was not impressed with them when I listened through them to baroque music.They are not very detailed in highs. I really could not hear the details well in bach's orchestral music like cembalo part through CM1s like I could with my Sennheiser HD555.

Headphones always edge most lower end speakers in terms of resolution. Also the room has a lot to do with what details you can hear, because even if a speaker has good detail to start with, high frequency energy easily gets soaked up into the room. I've heard the CM's nearfield and the detail is there, it's not very upfront about it (re: see my statement above), it's also more like the HD600, the emphasis is more on a lush musical sound than "hear the details in your face" sound.

 

[freckling]

I listen to mostly hip hop and classical, with a lot of rock mixed in. My source is my computer and the amp is currently up for grabs.

Were the CM's developed after the 700 series? It seems that the 700 series was supposed to be discontinued, but B&W decided to keep them around for one reason or another.

 

[warpdriver]

yes the current CM came way after the 700. Until the CM range is expanded more, they still need the 700 to fill the gap.

You should try out the 600 series too, they seem to work well for rock and hip hop. They have a lively sound and if you listen to them beside the CM series, the CM will sound almost sedate in comparison.

 

[freckling]

I did get a chance to compare the 685's and the CM1's and I thought the CM1's were smoother while the 685's sounded a bit hollow relatively speaking. Since you said the 602's are out of production, I don't think it'll be possible for me to give them a listen. I would give the 805's a go, but I don't want to hear what I'll be missing since they're currently out of my price range unless I somehow up my budget by several hundred dollars and try to find a used older 805 model. The 805's are probably too big for me anyway.

Do you know if B&W speakers require a lot of current or if I should be looking for any specific qualities in an integrated amplifier for them?

 

[luciyuspax]

You can find "current " information on B&W's website. It is detailed in technical specs of speakers and yes they require more current than other bookshelf speakers as far as I know. The general recommendation(from many forum users,not B&W sellers) is to pair B&Ws with Rotel amplifiers. Both Rotel and B&W are sub companies of the Harman Kardon Group so their specs generally match each other well but I have heard that many users had good performance with Mark Levinson amplifiers too.

I can recommend you Rotel RA-1062 for CM1s.
Home Theater System Surround Sound Amplifier DVD Player - Rotel PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

 

[freckling]

From what I've read, damping factor helps me on the amp side, but I'm not sure which technical spec on the speaker-side tells me about it. Yeah, I have heard that they were both under the same group, the B&W Group though, but same difference. The Rotel RA-1062 looks like a really great match, but I would have to buy an external soundcard for my mac (and there aren't that many for apple at the moment). The only outputs from a mac are through optical digital cables or through usb. I'm hoping to try to find a stereo integrated amp that accepts either so that I can avoid that extra step.

 

[luciyuspax]

Why don't you buy E-MU 0404 USB? I think it works fine with Mac.If you have a laptop Mac, you don't have much choice except USB soundcards or as you said integrated amps. There is very little integrated amps which accept USB as input.But know that the DAC inside e-mu 0404 usb is far better than you will find in most integrated amps. E-MU 0404 USB is way too good for its price. You can connect e-mu 0404 usb to amp through its analog outputs. It is not that expensive and I don't think adding a much more expensive DAC than E-MU 0404 like Benchmark DAC1 will make an audible difference through CM1 speakers anyway.

 

[freckling]

That seems like a really good idea. I was considering the Outlaw RR2150 since it accepts a USB input and has received very good reviews, but a used E-MU usb + rotel ra-1062 seems like it might be a better idea. Thanks for all the info thus far warpdriver and luciyuspax, you've both been very helpful.

So you think that's the better route to go (or at least something like it)? Do other people agree?

 

[luciyuspax]

Yeah I think E-MU 0404usb + rotel ra-1062 is the way to go cuz as I said E-MU 0404usb's DAC is way better than the one in most integrated amps and plus you will have best specification matching with rotel amplifier. Before purchasing check e-mu 0404 usb in computer audio forums if it has got any problems with mac (it has all the proper driver support for mac on official site etc but still it is good to double check for problems).
Please let me know in this thread or in PM about how they perform when you buy them cuz I might go exactly that route a few months later myself.
Have a nice day freckling!