B&W CM1 or 685? CM7 or 684?

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

I used to own 685s (which I used mainly to listen to music) and was very pleased with them. Unfortunately, I had to sell them before moving to Europe and now I am looking to buy new speakers and amp. I have heard good things about CM1s and will be auditioning them soon to check how they compare to the 685s. I would be interested in knowing your opinion on this.

As my living room here in Zurich is smaller relative to the one in the States (no surprise there

), getting a CM7 might be overkill. Nonetheless, I am tempted to upgrade to floorstanders (CM7s or 684s)! Any thoughts on how good/bad this idea is? I have heard that CM series is less sensitive than the 6 series and might require a better/powerful amp to really sound good. Is this true? I was thinking of buying Rotel RA-04 or something similar in that price range. Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

Cheers!

 

[Anonymous]

As long as the room isn't too small, I don't see a problem with using smaller towers like the 684. The ports are tunable so you can tailor the sound to your room. If you go this route, you can spend the excess money on a nicer amplifier.

I'd rather not go higher than the 684 with a weaker amp such as the RA-04. The 683's lows sound loose with most weaker amps (I had these speaks before). The CM7 and the CM9 also need a strong amp to show their best (This is why I have the ADCOM to control the lows). The CM5 may be a better option for smaller rooms or relatively weaker amps.

I suggest you listen to them to see which one suits you best.

With best regards,

Ivan

 

[tenergy]

Yes, the CM1's are pretty good but they DO need a nice amp to squeeze the best out of them. I do believe you will appreciate their size though since their dimensions are quite compact. The magnetized grills are a nice touch as well.

If you listen to jazz and vocals (as well as some house) like I do, the CM1's will be more than up to the task.

 

[Anonymous]

I have just moved from 601 S3 to CM1. The difference in clarity is clearly significant. I listen to a lot of jazz and vocals so the CM1 suits me fine. The 601 had a slightly better timing to beats and a totally different type of bass, was more suited to Reggae, and Pop.

 

[d_a_n1979]

phonon:
Hi All,

I used to own 685s (which I used mainly to listen to music) and was very pleased with them. Unfortunately, I had to sell them before moving to Europe and now I am looking to buy new speakers and amp. I have heard good things about CM1s and will be auditioning them soon to check how they compare to the 685s. I would be interested in knowing your opinion on this.

As my living room here in Zurich is smaller relative to the one in the States (no surprise there

), getting a CM7 might be overkill. Nonetheless, I am tempted to upgrade to floorstanders (CM7s or 684s)! Any thoughts on how good/bad this idea is? I have heard that CM series is less sensitive than the 6 series and might require a better/powerful amp to really sound good. Is this true? I was thinking of buying Rotel RA-04 or something similar in that price range. Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

Cheers!

The Rotel RA-04 is a little belter of an amp but for those speakers mentiuoned; I'd be looking at a more powerful amp TBH. The B&W CM range needs a good source to get them driven correctly. The 684's similar.

If I were you I'd also take a look at the Monitor Audio RX2's (see my demo write up I've just done today).

What would be handy to know is what music do you generally listen to and what's your overall budget?

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with d_a_n. The RX2 is an excellent speaker, and works well with different levels of amplification (they sound good even when matched with entry level gear). It outclasses the 685 imho, and would sound better than the 684 in the majority of cases.

 

[plastic penguin]

phonon:

Hi All,

I used to own 685s (which I used mainly to listen to music) and was very pleased with them. Unfortunately, I had to sell them before moving to Europe and now I am looking to buy new speakers and amp. I have heard good things about CM1s and will be auditioning them soon to check how they compare to the 685s. I would be interested in knowing your opinion on this.

As my living room here in Zurich is smaller relative to the one in the States (no surprise there

), getting a CM7 might be overkill. Nonetheless, I am tempted to upgrade to floorstanders (CM7s or 684s)! Any thoughts on how good/bad this idea is? I have heard that CM series is less sensitive than the 6 series and might require a better/powerful amp to really sound good. Is this true? I was thinking of buying Rotel RA-04 or something similar in that price range. Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

Cheers!

According to reviews of the CM range, they pack a fair old punch but lack a little openness in the treble. How they compare to the 685s? only an audition will reveal which is best suited to your system (and ears, of course).

 

[Anonymous]

there is no contest - the detail of the cm1 outperforms the 600 series. the cm1 is more than enough and find the floorstanders too big on base in a bigger room, so would suggest you will have too much base with cm7.

i think the cm1 has nautilus tweeter, and whilst it appears small, it is very deep and has bass to defy its dimensions.

 

[ID.]

Definitely audition them.

I was deciding between the CM1 and 685. I thought the CM1 had good sound staging and more detail than the 685s putting more air/space around the instruments, etc. Bass was good for a speaker that size, but I preferred the 685s for the more accurate bass response and I just felt that although it didn't create so much air around the individual strands of the music, it had nice timbre and warmth while still revealing all the details. More musical?

It is down to personal tastes. My last speakers were brighter and more detailed, so this time around I went for something warmer.

 

[ear]

the 685 can hardly be said to be warm speakers...sure bass plenty but also a lot of detail

 

[Anonymous]

If there was not enough difference in the sound to help you choose, then consider the aesthetics. There CM1 is in a different league in the build, finish and looks categories. It just feels so compact and of a different material. It cuts a very serious and mature look whereas the new 6 series looks "modern". There is clearly a choice here.

My advice is that if you go for the black gloss CM1 then be warned that it is not that scratch resistant. I had to exchange it for the Wenge finish which I believe suits the speakers most.

Good luck

 

[JamesPianoman]

Hi Phonon,

I compared the CM1s and 685s and ended up buying the CM1s. I found the CM1s to be slightly warmer whereas perhaps the 685s had a little more clarity. Our room is approx 20sqm and they're fine for that, driven by a naimUniti. Spendor A5s could be a good alternative for a floorstander. Good luck!