Rotel RA-1520 + B&W CM8, right decission?

[admin_exported]

Hi All, This is my first post so I am happy to speak to you guys. In any case, I've been reading a lot of posts, so somehow I am not new here. As a result of my investigations based on you good comments, thank you btw, along with the feedback of a good and expert friend on this stuff, I would order a Rotel RA-1520 and B&W CM8. Now that I've just got my wife's green light, which is one of tougher milestones in the process, I wanted to share with you my choice before making the order. As you can see I was looking for a hi-fi amplifier (no home theatre) and groundstand speakers (my wish for a very long time 🙂 ) to be placed in my dinning room (22 sq meters / 237 sq feet). I basically listen to Indie Pop, some blues and classical. I understood that Rotel and B&W is a good match, similarly to Cyrus and B&W (although it is not easy to get a good deal for a Cyrus in Spain), and Rotel RA-1520 quality is aligned with CM8. However, I do still doubt if the 2x60W are enough to drive the CM8s so that I can really enjoy them without blowing down any walls of my home 🙂. Your thoughts are more than welcome! Many thanks in advance! Julio

 

[Sliced Bread]

Hello There,

I've not heard the Rotel / B&W combination but I've read alot of good things. As far as I know the Rotels have a fair amount of current and the CM8's seem to like current.

I've heard the CM8's with my dads Roksan Kandy L3 which sounded very good, which is inline with WHF suggestion of the latest version of the Kandy.

As a CM8 owner I think you'll be pleased with the CM8. Fantastic speaker for the money, but I'd recommend listening to the combination first. It's amazing how different they can sound on the end of different electronics.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi All, This is my first post so I am happy to speak to you guys. In any case, I've been reading a lot of posts, so somehow I am not new here. As a result of my investigations based on you good comments, thank you btw, along with the feedback of a good and expert friend on this stuff, I would order a Rotel RA-1520 and B&W CM8. Now that I've just got my wife's green light, which is one of tougher milestones in the process, I wanted to share with you my choice before making the order. As you can see I was looking for a hi-fi amplifier (no home theatre) and groundstand speakers (my wish for a very long time 🙂 ) to be placed in my dinning room (22 sq meters / 237 sq feet). I basically listen to Indie Pop, some blues and classical. I understood that Rotel and B&W is a good match, similarly to Cyrus and B&W (although it is not easy to get a good deal for a Cyrus in Spain), and Rotel RA-1520 quality is aligned with CM8. However, I do still doubt if the 2x60W are enough to drive the CM8s so that I can really enjoy them without blowing down any walls of my home 🙂. Your thoughts are more than welcome! Many thanks in advance! Julio

Welcome...

Well, traditionally Rotel and B&W are a cracking match synergy-wise, but whether the amp will give you the power or not you'll have to decide after a dem, or home audition.

 

[Anonymous]

You dont need to worry; the Roteal amp will power the CM8's very well indeed. The Rotel is a gutsy performer and it's able to drive speakers very well indeed; it's got more power than you realise

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Many thanks for your promt responses!

I guess I could listen to CM8 with RA-06 but not the RA-1520. I have already auditioned the CM8 a couple of times with Cyrus XP6 and Denon 1510 and I was impressed! I am afraid I will listen to RA-1520 + CM8 at home...

By the way, if I may ask Sliced Bread .... as a CM8 owner, what's the room size where you have yours? I was told that by the shop assistant that CM8 could be too much in my 22sq m2 dining room... In any case, I have 15days to test them and downgrade to CM5 if necessary.

Regards/Julio

 

[Sliced Bread]

Sorry for the delay, I have only just noticed your reply.

My room is 14ft by 15 ft, with the stairs taking about 2.5 feet off the width for 10 ft of the length. In this size room the speakers work fine without port bungs, but I’m not sure how much smaller you could go before you get problems.

The speakers come with port bungs to help with any room issues, but I think only a home demo will say if it works well or if a different speaker is in order.

Maybe a good quality stand-mounter will give best results if the CM8’s aren’t a good fit.

 

[Anonymous]

No worries! Many thanks for getting back 🙂 That is good news for me since my dining room is even a bit larger. Today I am getting the stuff, so all my doubts will be worked out shorty 🙂. I promise to report my experience with the CM8's since I guess it will be helpful for many people who have the same space constraints. By the way, the back-up plan is ready and it would be a downgrade to the CM5. I have 15 days to test the CM8's at home

 

[poldo]

what's your distance from speaker to listening position?

 

[DandyCobalt]

I have similar sized room, and have been really impressed with the CM8s - I use half the port bung in the back, and that seems to give best results for me as they are partly in a corner. System pic is here - http://www.whathifi.com/forum/your-system/bw-cm8

 

[Anonymous]

what's your distance from speaker to listening position?

In my case, I would say 8-9ft, and the separation between the speakers is 9ft