B&W DM330 opinions?
Sep 3, 2005 at 10:55 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 3

rmx

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Anyone heard about these supposed budget B&W's? I can get a set of $250 canadian - good deal?

SPECIFICATIONS
B&W DM330

(Bowers & Wilkins)

Floor Tower Speakers

The speakers are in mint condition.

Specifications:

Frequency Response: +/-3dB 48Hz to 20kHz

Range: 40Hz(-6dB)

Dispersion: Vertical: 20 degree arc +/- 3dB , Horizontal: 120 degree arc +/-2.5dB

Distortion: For 96dB at 1m

2nd harmonic < 3% 20Hz-90Hz

3rd harmonic < 0.5% 20Hz-90Hz

Sensitivity: 91dB (2.83V, 1m)

Drive Units: 1x26mm dome/coil construction of special polymide material.

2x200mm nominal piston dia and 26mm high temperature voice coil with critically impregnated composite short fiber cone.

Power Handling: 10w - 100w

Dimensions: 857mm h x 290mm w x 320mm d

Weight: 37.6 lbs

Finish: Black Ash Vinyl
 
Sep 5, 2005 at 2:27 AM Post #2 of 3
Yes, I sold them when they were current models.

2 8" paper woofers with a B&W dome tweeter. Very mellow and smooth, very good power handling but somewhat efficient as well. Glad they are in black - the "walnut" never really looked "walnut".

They work superbly with any amplifer over, say, 70 quality watts per channel. Can easily take more if you wish. A decent sized midbass spike in the response make them fantastic rock speakers - a JBL-type sound but much, much more refined than any home JBL wishes it could be.

Works much, much better in large rooms - the larger the better, really - to taper that midbass hump down to a full yet rounded bottom. It is very personal but in any room under, say, 300 sq. ft. or so I personally found the bass overkill in warmth but a good number of people liked them in those installations, as well.

Midrange was typically B&W - mellow and full, quite smooth, not the best resolution but the most acceptable of 'mainstream' / rock speaker designs. Top was not uber-extended but rather liquid and smooth, as well.

In other words, a very (in some instances, very very) mellow warm speaker with killer thump (for a B&W) matched with good efficiency (somewhat unusual in a B&W design) and nice looks.

I sold more DM220 - the exact same driver compliment except a large bookcase rather than floor tower cabinet - because I preferred the more controlled midbass hump in the 220's versus the very warm (a touch boomy) midbass but more true extension of the 330's. If you have a dry - or large, or well-damped - room, the DM330's are absolute rock&roll killers that sound great with a huge variety of music - jazz, R&B, rock, country. For classical I personally found their timbre a touch too tilted towards the bottom, making violins and massed strings a bit too 'chesty' - but again, this was in a 400 sq. ft. listening room with not-great damping. If you have a dry or large room these pups will fill it with sound out of a 100Wpc amp that will blow your brains out.

Try not to go with too warm an amp - no use gilding the lily.
 
Sep 5, 2005 at 7:10 AM Post #3 of 3
Thanks for the rundown on them. I might still pick them up, but I just purchased a set of Axiom M3ti's yesterday to run with my T-amp.
 

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