B&W DM602 vs Cambridge Soundworks M80

[cleaneduphippy]

After going around listening to various speakers (Paradigms, Boston Acoustics, ect) I'm leaning in the direction of getting a pair of B&W DM602. ($550) But I also been considering the Cambridge Soundworks M-80 ($350 "B" stock, $500 new) based purely on some of the reviews that I've read (haven't actually have "heard" the M-80). Anyway, was curious if any of you had compared these two speakers and what your thoughts might be.

btw, what I'll be using to drive the speakers would be an older Onkyo receiver (tx-840 @60 watts per side (probably need to upgrade at some point in time). Current speakers are Boston Acoustic A-60's.

Again thanks for your input.

 

[AMG_Roadster]

I have not heard either speaker. After listening to the B&W 703's I was so unimpressed that I did not bother listening to 600's.

I think you can do better than the B&W's for the money. Although I will leave it to others to make any suggestions.

 

[mike c]

I cant comment on the Cambridge becuase I didn't know that they sold "non-PC speakers" but I have heard the 602, it was paired with a Rotel RSX1067 receiver.

All I can say is that it beats my floorstanding speakers (powered by an rx-v640 receiver) hands down ... it COULD BE the 100w power of the Rotel, or it could just be that the 602's are really good. I considered the 603 before when I was choosing HT speakers, I ended up getting Infinity.

But again, I am choosing between the 602 and 603 for my bedroom setup it's all good, I feel that I can't make a mistake between the two.

 

[BostonMark]

I have heard both

but not side by side. Where I live, there are lots of Cambridge Soundworks. I own a pair of the M-60s and I have listened to the M-80s on many occasions. They are a good clear sounding bookshelf speaker with surprisingly low bass for a bookshelf. Moreover, the low bass rolls off nicely, and these would work well with a subwoofer. They are also fairly good at imaging.

I listned to a pair of Bower and Wilkins 602 S3 bookshelf speakers at Spearit Sound in Framingham, MA. Again I was impressed at how clear these sounded. They had great imaging, and when set up on stands, WOW. Again surprisingly low bass for a bookshelf, but would probably sound best with a subwoofer.

I can't tell you which sounded better because I didn't make an AB comparison, but I was impressed with both when I listened. For "Cache" factor, I would go with the B&Ws. Otherwise I wish I could line up a swithbox and compare B&Ws, Polk Audio LSi9s, Dali Bookshelves, and the CSW M80s and just listen to each.

I think if I had to choose, I would go with the B&Ws, I remember being slightly more wowed with their performance for a bookshelf than the CSWs. However, I've long been a fan of CSW, and I still love my M-60s. Really the best thing for you to do is find a store and listen.

 

[cleaneduphippy]

Mark and Mike,

Thank you both for your thoughts. Definely would like to A/B the two speakers but unforunately there are no Cambridge dealers here in the DC area, and the the dealer that sells the B&W doesn't have a "loaner plan" (basically you buy the speakers and if it doesn't work out they'll "allow" you to trade for something else in the store or give you store credit).

Mark,

What you had to say about both speakers in regards to them being "clear sounding" with good imaging, "surprising low bass for a bookshelf" is exactly the sort of things I'm looking for in a speaker as these speakers will be used in a 2-channel music only system (and btw, they will be stand mounted on a quality weighted (about 25 lbs of sand) stands with some quality speaker wire (tbd).

Hopefully, I can find someone in the northern Va/DC area that has set of CSW M-80's so I can at least listen to them and form an impression.

 

[corysmith01]

cleaneduphippy, I can't speak to the Cambridge, or the 602's specifically, but for about a year, I had DM601 s3's. (you mention NoVa...you wouldn't happen to be buying these at Meyer Emco would you? that's where I got mine). Anyhow, I can tell you that I went with the 601's due to budget constraints, but I did go back and forth bt the 601's and the 602's. The difference wasn't huge, but definitely noticeable. More low end, which is to be expected with the larger cabinet/larger driver, and the soundstage seemed significantly larger. Had budget not been a constraint, I would have easily left with the 602's over the 601's. A lot of people consider B&W's 600 series their bang-for-buck speaker. Once you get into the 7-- and 8-- series, you're talking serious cabbage (too much money with regards to the 7-- series imo...I actually prefer the sound of the 6-- over the 7--, but that's just me). But the 600 series, IMHO, will at least compete competently with most that are in the ~$400 range. Again, though, this is all MHO...you have to make your ears happy. Happy hunting...it's the fun part.

 

[AMG_Roadster]

Mark and Mike,

Thank you both for your thoughts. Definely would like to A/B the two speakers but unforunately there are no Cambridge dealers here in the DC area, and the the dealer that sells the B&W doesn't have a "loaner plan" (basically you buy the speakers and if it doesn't work out they'll "allow" you to trade for something else in the store or give you store credit).

That has to be your store. The local store I dealt with will allow me to audition the speakers in the house. I would never purchase a pair of speakers (from a store) that I could not return and get my money back.

I saw that someone recommended the Paradigm 9lsi's. This was another speaker that I did not care for the way it sounded.

 

[j_garcia]

I've heard the CSW m60s, m80s and the 602 S3. Between them, I'd pick the 602. I agree with BostonMark, the M80s have very nice bass and a surprising amount for a bookshelf, but they are farily large for a bookshelf too.

At the price point of the B&Ws however, I would seriously consider the Ascend CMT-340 SE at $568/pr.

 

[jcPanny]

Onix Reference 1.5

If $700 is in your budget, you should check out the Onix Reference 1.5's that are on clearance at AV123.com.
http://www.av123.com/specials.php
They normally sell for over twice that price, but they are being replaced by the newer Ref 1.8 model. I have the bookshelf version, Ref 1, and would recommend them.

 

[GregBe]

I used to own the M80's and really liked them. One issue I had with them (other than their size), is CSW doesn't have a perfect matching center channel. If you have the space for another M80 (which they do sell in units of one), it has a really cool design feature where you can use an allen wrench and rotate the tweeter and midrange unit so that it can be layed on its side. Three M80's would be nice.

Greg

 

[BostonMark]

Gregbe! yeah . you're right

I use the M 60s in my bedroom system, and I have a CSW Centerstage center speaker, and although it sounds good, it is not a TRUE match for the M 60s. I've always wondered why they didn't make a Center for the M 50 / 60 /80 line.

 

[tomd51]

M50s match MC400

I've always wondered why they didn't make a Center for the M 50 / 60 /80 line.

While size-wise it's not a perfect match, the MC400 is a perfect match for the M50s, which is what I'm using in my secondary setup. A CSW supplier (not just the floor salesperson/phone CSR) confirmed this.

The slate is nowhere near as attractive as the mahogany finished M50s, but fortunately, it's fairly inconspicuous in its location. -TD