B&W CM5 vs. CM7

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I'm a proud owner of a pair of floorstand CM7 speakers. Recently, I bought a pair of CM5 bookshelves, thinking that I might want to use as surround speakers (for home theater) but changed my mind after I sold my pioneer avr (VSX-21TXH) and decided to go with a 2.1 or 2.0 setup

My question is, I have not used the CM5 speakers yet (they are still new, unused) but am not sure which speaker to choose.

I know that if I go with the CM5 I need to get stands for them. I don't own a sub either. That's not a big deal. I can just buy them.

My question is regarding the quality of the sound and build quality as well. I was never a fan of the wenge (because of the vertical stripes) so I went with the Rosenut colors on both. My CM7 speakers were from the early batch of production, so they were made in UK but the CM5 are not (made in China). Somehow, aesthetically, the CM5 build quality does not seem to be on par with the British made CM7, and was wondering if the sound quality will leave me disappointed. I asked B&W regarding the difference in aesthetics, and they told me, "batches of veneer will differ, it's an organic material and will be different" In fact, british made CM7 in Rosenut color is darker than the kinda-reddish CM5 rosenut.

I understand everything is relative. Of course, if I don't have anything to compare, I would not have anything against the aesthetic of the CM5. However, sound quality should be something that I'd have to pay more attention. I do not want to test/run the CM5 since they are new, and I prefer to sell them as is without having to run for extensive period of time. (run-in/break-in period).

As for the gears, this is what I have: B&W CM7, CM5, NAD C355BEE 80wpc amp, sonos ZP90, ZP120, CR200, BR100, Synology DS209+II, Sony KDL-40XBR7 lcd, Sonicview SV-HD8000 sat receiver.

Bottom line, I do not want to keep both speakers so I have to pick a winner. I'd rather use that money to help buying a stand, sub, etc. I mostly listen to the music (90%) and casually watch a movie (10%). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

jaxwired

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This is a no-brainer. CM7 all the way. The CM5 is fine speaker for sure, but the CM7 has a true FST midrange with no surround. The CM5 has a hybrid mid-woofer affair. The CM7 will sound cleaner and crisper in the mid-range which is by far the most important for musicality. The CM7 will also have deeper more substantial bass. I also think it's a very nice looking floorstander. Why would you even consider swapping the 7 for the 5?
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for the input. Off topic, since you seemed to know better about these stuffs, how do you compare NAD C355BEE to the Peachtree Nova? Is it worth the extra $$$ ?
 

jaxwired

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Just saw your response, sorry. Either would be a very good purchase. I've a soft spot for NAD, so I'd go that route, but the peachtree is solid HiFi. Plus you get a very well reviewed DAC. If you need the DAC for your computer as a source, then that would tip the scale toward the peachtree. If you just compare amp against amp I'd buy the NAD.
 

Don Jr

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I'm with jaxwired. I own the CM7's and they sound great with NAD. I own the NAD 317 which I purchased new in '97 and it still impresses me with B&W speakers. I'm using tubes in place of it right now but would only sell it so I could replace it with another NAD.
 
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Anonymous

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Thank you guys for the feedback. I'll keep that in mind.
 

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