B&W CM7 ???

[admin_exported]

Hi there .I'm planning to get a new set up .My current one has been serving me for some time . B&W 602S2 ; Rotel RC/RB-971mk2;Marantz CD-63mk2 KI sig ,vandenHul D-102mk3hybrid ; vandenHul CS-122 mk3hybrid ,Audioquest CV-4 ;Audioquest NRG-2, IsoTek MiniSubG2 ;IsoTek NeoPlugs; Iso Tek Optimum AC cord . Factory feet replaced with PerfectSound Spikes and Discs and the ac cords as well with the NRG2 .Audioquest Noise Stopper caps and RF Stoppers used throughout .Rack and stands made in house .Stands are 25kg each(sand filled metal) and rack is Lovan Sovereign look alike with wooden plus granite shelves .

I have to be honest and say that when I first got into hifi back in mid 90s WhatHifi helped me alot learning and eventually gettin this set up . The fine tunning came along as learning more.

Now the upgrade bug is biting and its about time to get somethin new .I'm thinking of getin the Rotel RC-1520 ,RB-1552 ;Marantz SA-8003 ;B&W CM7 . I would keep the wiring all around cause I belive would be up to the task with the new gear,as well as the ac conditioner and the accesories.I forgot to mention that I run the speakers cable 4x2m runs ,as u noticed there r two kinds of speaker cables ,thats correct.They go in the Rotel through Oelbach Banana B2 plugs .Sounds weird but works.Audioquest for the lows and vandenHul for the highs .There is a sepperate 20amp line from the main switchbox to the listening room which is with 4x4.5x2.9m dimensions.Treated with Auralex and diy acoustical treatments.All my cd's are treated with Audience Auric Illuminator , connections treated with Caig av survival kit ,I'm using IsoTek System Enchancer CD and Millenium CarbonFiber cd mat !

Sorry for the lenghty description but I belive its must for propper answer.My question would be about the speakers ,would they be the best choice hoping they wont overpower the room ?The dealer here has some brand new 704 with a great price and there is the 683 as well .I cant get a home demo and I know it'll take at least 50 hours to run them in well.Which one of these would be the best one for my room and my all around musical taste ,ranging from Mike Olfield (my favourite artist), Vangelis,Blackmores Nights to PinkFloyd,DireStraits ,Yes ,all the way to Jazz ( honorable mention for Diana Kral and SaraK ,sacd and xrcd hurray !!!) , Latin and Classical .

Any help from the WHF staff or the other hifi enthusiasts out there ??? Pls .

p.s If B&W bring out new 600 series with replacement for the 602 model, I wont be asking around I'll get them .And thats another good question- any word about that possibly happening ???

 

[jaxwired]

B&W CM7s are fantastic speakers. Just plain great and super value for money. I owned them for about a year and I highly recommend them. The Rotel gear however, I would not recommend. I personally love the look of the new Rotel kit, but don't like the sound. Plenty of better alternatives in my opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

I have the CM7's and as jaxwired said they are fantastic!

Btw Jaxwired.. I noticed that you have the Nad preamp and im wondering how good the headphone amp on it is. Nad claims its very good but id like your opinion on it if you have used it.

 

[jaxwired]

Hey Joe,

I've never used the headphone jack. The NAD C165 truly is a sweet pre-amp for the money. However, I doubt the headphone section is special. You might consider looking at a dedictated headphone amp or a DAC with builtin headphone amp. I think the specialty products is the way to go for headphones.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah i have a dedicated headphone amp and dac I was just wondering as NAD claim that they have given the headphone amp in the 165 special attention. If it is as good as they say it would be great for my home office as a headphone AND preamp for the new c245 four channel amp that is due to come out here soon.

 

[Anonymous]

I got the CDM 7NT's, but my understanding of the CM's is like the others, that it is a brilliant speaker. My living room is of a similar size, maybe a bit smaller even, but the CDM 7NTs do just fine. I have a reference 1 sub to complement them. It sounds great! Of course it also depends on how you set it up and how loud you play your music...

 

[Anonymous]

Makedonce:

All my cd's are treated with Audience Auric Illuminator , connections treated with Caig av survival kit ,I'm using IsoTek System Enchancer CD and Millenium CarbonFiber cd mat !

does that actually work? ... have read conflicting reports ... some say it it brilliant ... others say it is for audiofools? ... not taking a stab at you, just curious

 

[Anonymous]

I noticed the CM7s are really part of a home theatre, 5-set of speakers. Aren't they designed to really work with the rest of the set? Are the single floor-standing units really appropriate for hi-fi?

I'm wondering because I've considered a pair for my audio system but heard elsewhere that this wasn't their intended design purpose. Comments?

 

[Anonymous]

The CM series are true HIFI first but can be used as a home cinema set.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, that's good news.

 

[Anonymous]

To my ears the Illuminator did awsome change for the money ,its $50 online and i treated around 300cd's with one set .The presentation is clearer top to bottom .Lets not forget all the other accesories ,they do work ofcourse and dont cost alot .The set up as a whole does play great and would ashame alot of new set ups which are just thrown there and play ! The Iso Tek products are amazing the cd Enchancer was above any expectation for the price .Once again all the little things count ,room acoustics above all . Auralex and carefully designed diy pieces do make difference and you can control the sound in u'r enviorment . Alot of people with high end gear are left speachles after they realize what it means to get the most from u'r hifi and many people out there are not ! Please note that the room is only for listening music and there is no tv set or big furniture pieces . Cheers !