B&W 685 vs CM1 with various amps

[daveredfern]

Hi all,

I have been saving up for a new amp and speakers. I currently have a bunch of stuff I inherited from my grandfather and now looking to upgrade it.

I went to superfi yesterday with my heart set on the b&w 685 speakers with an arcam a19. Both receive rave reviews on What HiFi. The guys at the shop were really helpful and setup the combination to try. I was quite surprised at how neutral (or flat) the sound was, almost muffled.

I decided to try some other amps including the arcam a29, the model above the a19, which was better (more bass) but still not great. I then tried a Quad vena which was signifcantly better sounding to my ears but felt it was very harsh and would get annoying after a while.

I know that b&w and rotel work together so tried the 685 s2 with the ra-12. This was by far the best combination. In the off chance I then asked about the B&W cm-1 speakers. He set them up with the ra-12 amp and wow. Up until this moment nothing was exciting me, but this combination immediately put a smile on my face - obviously a good sign.

So to recape:

b&w 685 s2 with arcam a19 - neutral and flat sound
b&w 685 s2 with arcam a29 - bit more punchy but meh
b&w 685 s2 with quad vena - quite harsh sounded
b&w 685 s2 with rotel ra-12 - nice warm sound
b&w cm-1 with rotel ra-12 - warm, clear and smiley dave

I am not expert and I guess a lot comes down to personal opinion. I was wondering if there are any other combinations people recommend to try. I am quite set on b&w speakers but I am open to trying anything.

I am keen to try the b&w cm-1 with the arcam a19 to see if the speaker change makes a difference.

Thanks in advance.

Dave.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

The cm 1 s2's are in a different league from the 685's hence the reason they put a smile on your face . I've heard both sets of speakers with arcam and naim amplification and the cm1's were by far the best out of the two and I was very underwhelmed by the 685s2's after owning the first 685 for a few years and then a fine pair of cm5's .I don't think the 685s2 are worth the 500 quid asking price.imho.

 

[Al ears]

The cm 1 s2's are in a different league from the 685's hence the reason they put a smile on your face . I've heard both sets of speakers with arcam and naim amplification and the cm1's were by far the best out of the two and I was very underwhelmed by the 685s2's after owning the first 685 for a few years.I don't think they're a 500 quid speaker imo.

Funny that. I preferred the sound of my old 685s to the S2's as well. You are correct the CMs are a different level again.

Mine were on the end of a Roksan pre-power combo.

 

[Vladimir]

I also had the CM1 powered by Roksan, in my case the K2 BT. Definitely a smile on my face with that combo. The CM1's love power and want to be driven loud to shine.

 

[daveredfern]

Hi all,

I'm glad you're all saying the CM1's are a lot better. With the 5* review on the 685's I was worried I was missing something!

Looks like the Roksan is a favourite. The shop sells that so will have to give it a try.

I assume the only difference between the Kandy K2 and K2 BT is one has bluetooth?

Thanks,

Dave.

 

[Vladimir]

Yup, pretty much the BT part.

 

[rainsoothe]

If you heard it and liked it, then that's what you should get. Your ears are the best reviewer. Give Naim Nait 5si a go as well, might be just the thing for you 🙂