B&W CM1 and Musical Fidelity M6i

[Mfbowers]

Hello,

I want to upgrade my amp, I am currently amplifying my CM1 with an old Denon and I want to buy a good amp for the future. I checked a lot of review and I end up at the conclusion that m6i is a good balance for my future plans. Do you think that I can damage my CM1 with the m6i? M6i output power is 200w and cm1 only 100w. What are the disadvantages apart from I cannot use all power?

Thanks

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi there, and welcome to the forum.

The M6i is a great amp and should drive the speakers exceptionally well.

Downside?

- It's a little overkill for the CM1s, unless you have an upgrade plan.

- Other amps to check out would be Sugden A21 SE and Electrocompaniet ECI-3 / ECI-5.

BTW. What is your source?

 

[Mfbowers]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Overkill means any damage for cm1?

I was thinking to use m6i dac and plan to buy a better one in the future (source: MacBook Pro)

And add a rega rp3

 

[CnoEvil]

Overkill simply means spending £2500 on an amp to drive £500 speakers (It's not how I would ideally spend a £3k budget)......other than that, you only need to be judicious with the volume control.

FWIW. I believe in the importance of a good amp, but IME. it's a delicate balancing act between Source, Amp and Speakers......but at the end of the day, it's down to personal preference. Just make sure you do a bit of demoing, as buying from reviews is fraught with danger.

If adding a TT, ideally the amp should have a Phono Stage (the M6i doesn't)......though you can buy a separate one if necessary.

 

[Mfbowers]

Thanks. In your opinion? What amp and dac would you recommend for cm1?

I was thinking more to update the amp and keep it for a lot of time... I want to start building a real system, and cm1 it's a good start but at some point I would have to buy a bigger ones. To be honest, I am not sure what direction I should take

do you have any experience using the dac on build in m6i, I did not read a review on talking about the dac

thanks again for your suggestions!

 

[Mfbowers]

M6i has a USB input what is it for?

 

[plastic penguin]

Cno's right - that seems imbalanced...

Having heard the CM1s, assuming you intend keeping them, you can't go wrong with Rotel ampfication. Rotel and B&W are based from the same factory/manufacturing plant on the S. coast of England. Made for each other IMO.

Personally I think MF and CM range will sound too warm and wooly.

Look at Marantz pearl lite, Creek, Roksan Kandy or Caspian, Naim Nait 5si or XS, Leema Elements.

 

[CnoEvil]

M6i has a USB input what is it for?

I apologize, it does appear to have a USB DAC built-in. I heard it with a CDP and quite forgot it had a DAC.

 

[CnoEvil]

- There is nothing wrong with getting an expensive (future-proof) amp, if you have a plan to upgrade the speakers.

- If spending a lot of money on an amp, it is vital to listen to a few others at a comparable price.

- If sticking with the CM1, I'd be looking at amps in the £600 - £1200 bracket eg. Rega Brio R; MF M3i; Arcam A19; Creek 50A and Sugden Mystro.

- My choice of a Source would be a Linn Sneaky DS, but DACs from Arcam, MF, Audiolab and Rega are certainly worth hearing.

- There is a M6 DAC, but the amp itself doesn't have one built in (if that's what you're saying***).

- A system should be looked at "holistically", where each part complements the other.

*** Correction, it has a USB DAC

If you want help putting together a system, you need to give details of:

- What music do you listen to?

- What size is your room, and how is it decorated (effects acoustics)?

- How you like your music to sound ie. Smooth and detailed or bright and lively?

- How much money are you prepared to throw at this and over what timescale.

 

[xerefey]

Hi Mfbowers,

I guess the nickename is related to B&W stuff, i have passed trough this experience since few months ago, i also got a CM1 pair since months due to i have not been able to get the right amp, however after reviewing and comparing i do expect to receive my new Rotel RA1570 amp (120 Wpc and DAC included ) next weekend, so if you want to wait i will be able to tell you how it sounds with CM1´s, be aware that Rotel is the right way to go if having B&W speakers in your plan.

CM1´s are good enough to me in terms of treble and fidelity however the bass seems to be quite weak due to small size, this is the reason why i decided to go with a B&W sub (ASW610) and as an additional source Rotel RCD12. my living room is quite big 6x6 meters wood floor and quite big windows so hopefully the system will be good enough, i will be able to tell you in the next days...............................

Hope this helps you to take a better decision, i know how hard this is.

 

[Mfbowers]

Wow wow thanks a lot and let's start from the beginning:

If you want help putting together a system, you need to give details of:

- What music do you listen to? I am listening from Pink Floyd, Radiohead, REM, Queen, Guns..., Beatles... to Jack Johnson, indie, little bit of Jazz, very little of classical and opera

- What size is your room, and how is it decorated (effects acoustics)? 5m (front) x6m x3.5(height). Floor is parquet, fireplace is at the front and inactive ( speaker to each side), empty walls (I just moved in), only sofa and tv (perpendicular to sound system). Room is not square, it is slightly triangular.

- How you like your music to sound ie. Smooth and detailed or bright and lively? I would say smooth and detailed but I have to listen

- How much money are you prepared to throw at this and over what timescale. No clue, but more than 3000 at the same time it hurts.

thanks for your recommendations. I am checking creek 50a and it looks very good. What do you think creek 50a + cm1 + dac? + tt (creek has phono!)

Thank you again for your recommendations. Only looking at reviews without experience and without listening one make stupid decisions.

Cheers!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

If you want help putting together a system, you need to give details of:

Hi Mfbowers

CnE has picked up some tricks over the years

Anyway joking apart what Denon amplifier are you using please?

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Mfbowers]

I don't have it with me it is Multichanel 500eur... Not necessary to check the model..

 

[CnoEvil]

- Hopefully, people will take this info and give you some suggestions.

- A room that is acoustically non reflective is better.....eg. Rugs, carpets, curtains and soft furnishings.

- Glass, tiles and laminate floors reflect sound....which gives problems.

- IMO. Your room size deserves floorstanders or bigger standmounts.

- Speaker and amp should be seen as a "matched pair".

- What other people like is irrelevant, so take your suggestions from here and demo for yourself.

Amps brands that match what you're looking for would be Rega, Creek, Arcam, Sugden, Musical Fidelity, Audio Analogue, Electrocompaniet, Pathos and Unison Research Unico.

Speakers that might match would be Spendor, Harbeth, Opera, Sonus Faber, Kef R Series, Vienna Acoustics and Proac.

Remember, there is a whole world of great sounding stuff out there.......so take your time, and do a lot of demoing.

 

[Mfbowers]

- IMO. Your room size deserves floorstanders or bigger standmounts.
Does it mean that it would be better to replaçe my cm1 for a bigger ones?thanks

 

[CnoEvil]

- IMO. Your room size deserves floorstanders or bigger standmounts.
Does it mean that it would be better to replaçe my cm1 for a bigger ones?thanks

Yes, I'm kind of thinking out loud.

Ideally, you should be starting again (sorry).....but keep the CM1s / Denon, while you take your time and listen to as big a variety of different brands as possible.

The winners should, if possible, be tried in your room before making a decision.

 

[plastic penguin]

- IMO. Your room size deserves floorstanders or bigger standmounts.
Does it mean that it would be better to replaçe my cm1 for a bigger ones?thanks

I don't think you should be putting all your eggs into one basket. First discover what sort of sound you want to end up with: Warm, smooth, detailed, neutral, bright.... and then read some different reviews. Once you've achieved that make a shortlist of amps (and poss speakers) you want to test.

If you overload yourself with brand after brand it can throw up more questions than answers; I've personal experience of this and you're almost punch drunk on different systems.

 

[CnoEvil]

If you overload yourself with brand after brand it can throw up more questions than answers; I've personal experience of this and you're almost punch drunk on different systems.

IME. It's only a problem if you rush the decision and overload each demo with too many alternatives.

Generally, one's preferences become clear quite quickly.

 

[Mfbowers]

I'm confused. I think that is a good option shortlist some oversized amps for my cm1 (to be updated in the future) and then demoing somewhere. More difficult to that is to know which sound I do prefer I would say neutral but I do not have a solid reference. Any help to shortlist some?

 

[CnoEvil]

I'm confused. I think that is a good option shortlist some oversized amps for my cm1 (to be updated in the future) and then demoing somewhere. More difficult to that is to know which sound I do prefer I would say neutral but I do not have a solid reference. Any help to shortlist some?

I have listed a few during the thread, but can you let us know what brands you have access to.

While choosing an amp, keep half an eye on what speakers it might be paired with in the future.

I suspect things will become clearer as you start the demo process......if necessary, keep notes on each component that you listen to, as it helps pull the decision together if it's over a prolonged period.

 

[ISAC69]

I heard the Musical Fidelity M6i and didn't like it at all sounds to me lifless and dry . You have to go and listen to as much options as you can till you find the right amp fo you .

 

[rainsoothe]

hey. for what it's worth, i'm driving a pair of B&W CM5 with a rotel ra-1520 and i think they sound quite good together. I'm moving into a new house in a month or two (provided the sale goes ok) and i'm switching to a Naim setup (supernait 2, dac V1, and Martin Logan Motion 40). Out of those 3, because of room issues, i only have the Dac V1 at home, and it's replacing a Musical Fidelity M1 dac. All I can say is that before the Dac V1, my setup sounded ok, but only when driven loud. The Naim Dac V1 changed it a whole lot, now i just love that my music sounds like honey, but detailed enough. Anyway, you can't go wrong with Rotel + BW, that's my point. Try to have at least a ra-1520 on your audition list (hopefully some dealers still have that for sale).

hope this helped

 

[toyota man]

I heard the Musical Fidelity M6i and didn't like it at all sounds to me lifless and dry . You have to go and listen to as much options as you can till you find the right amp fo you .

I have never found the M6i to sound dry and lifeless what cdp/ speakers did you hear it paired with I agree that a listen in your own home ie essential

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Mfbowers

Thanks for your reply.

If you're not entirely comfortable spending £3k then I'll advice you not to do this. You can still have an excellent system by looking at electronics at around half of your budget. Also consider used and discontinued components.

A couple of combinations to bear in mind -

Rotel RA-1062 + (straightaway on or later on) Rega Fono + Rega DAC

or at the top end of your budget

ATC P1 + Audiolab 8200DQ + Rega Fono

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Singslinger]

I heard the Musical Fidelity M6i and didn't like it at all sounds to me lifless and dry . You have to go and listen to as much options as you can till you find the right amp fo you .

To some extent I agree. I used the M6i for about 13 months and did find it a bit dry, though not necessarily lifeless.

For me, it was a bit too warm, the highs were not sparkly enough and cymbals were a bit splashy.

For the same price, I would recommend the new Naim SuperNait 2 and the Sugden A21SE as viable alternatives, the latter coming with the caveat that the speakers have to be of above-average sensitivity.