B&W on a "Budget" Any Clones or alternatives I should consider?

[BuddTX]

Hi.

What a great forum! Spent several hours reading before making a post.

Had a slight problem with the search engine. When I do a search on B&W I get this message:
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Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

The following words are either very common, too long, or too short and were not included in your search : B&W
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I know that the "Search engine is my friend" and that, before posting a question, esp for a new person, one should use the search engine, as a question might have been discussed already.

With that said . . .

I LOVE the sound of B&W. Ever since College in the early 80's B&W has always been the standard, but alas, I will probably never own an 802


In addition to their state of the art sound, they are also things of beauty!

I know that B&W has some less expensive models, but even so, they can be 1500 bucks!

Are their any alternatives that anyone would suggest, that would rival the more expensive B&W speakers, but not the price tag?

When I say "budget" I am willing to spend 5-800 bucks on a set of speakers, so I don't consder that "chump change".

Thanks in advance for any comments!

 

[Rob Babcock]

Well, that's a tough one. B&W is a name that, like Corvette, the Lakers, or George W. Bush, instantly polarizes a lot of people. A lot of people praise them, and a lot of people say they're overpriced/overrated. I say this not to diss B&W but to point out that asking for an alternative may get you a lot of different types of answers, and some of 'em won't really help you that much.

I'll describe my view on the "B&W" sound, and tell me if this is what you hear. When I think of B&W, I think clear midrange, good midbass with no boxiness or bloat, very concise sounding but perhaps a little forward. Not bright, just a wee bit agressive. To me they give good bite on brass and are great speakers for rock & HT. They're well balanced and serve most music well but tend to be a little bit in-your-face. Definately GI/GO- they're very revealing speakers.

You might find Monitor Audio gives you some of that same type of sound. They're very flat and neutral with a bit of bite in the lower treble from the metal dome tweeters, if you have some amp power. They can be agressive if mated with edgey electronics and are similarly revealing. Most of them are voiced a little less "hot" in the treble and they're known for their midrange. The Gold Reference and Silver S series are in the same general price range as B&Ws, but the Bronze B line is pretty affordable. And you get the same midrange neutrality and dynamics that will really surprise you given their size. The Bronze B2 was given an "Editors Choice Award" recommendation by TAS (The Absolute Sound magazine).

PSB's Image T series might also appeal to you. Their voicing is definately "darker" than B&W, but they have a very neutral midrange and can give you the same slam & punch you get with the $1500-$2000 B&Ws. The 5t, 6t & 7t all generally can be found in the $550-$900 range. The 5t also recieved a "Best Buy" recommendation by TAS.

Paradigm, which like PSB is a Canadian company, also makes speakers you might like. Their aluminum dome tweeters are clear and extended, and Paradigm spends countless hours measuring & conduction 2X blind tests using Canadas NRC facilities (just like PSB). Paradigms speakers also get consistently high marks in the audio press and are very good values (they're a rare company that manufactures most of their own drivers which helps keep quality high and lets them control costs).

One last one you might consider is Klipsch. I don't really care much for them with acoustic music, but their slam & extreme dynamic capability make them a tremendous rock & jazz speaker (I'm speaking of your electric jazz & hard bop). They're a bit under B&W, price wise- you can find something by Klipsch well within your budget.

These are just a few suggestions; I'm sure there'll be others chiming in with some good ideas.

 

[BuddTX]

I'll describe my view on the "B&W" sound, and tell me if this is what you hear. When I think of B&W, I think clear midrange, good midbass with no boxiness or bloat, very concise sounding but perhaps a little forward. Not bright, just a wee bit agressive. To me they give good bite on brass and are great speakers for rock & HT. They're well balanced and serve most music well but tend to be a little bit in-your-face. Definately GI/GO- they're very revealing speakers.

. . .

One last one you might consider is Klipsch. I don't really care much for them with acoustic music, but their slam & extreme dynamic capability make them a tremendous rock & jazz speaker (I'm speaking of your electric jazz & hard bop). They're a bit under B&W, price wise- you can find something by Klipsch well within your budget.

Rob,
Thanks,

That is a VERY GOOD description of a B&W speaker. I think, clear, crisp, nutral, with just a tad of high end pazaz, but you need good source material to make these speakers shine. Some speakers make any hi-hat sound great, but I don't think that it is the speakers job to sound great, the source material needs to sound great.

I have some LOW END B&W's (202's) that I have had for about 10 years, and it just hit me yesterday, that I have used these speakers almost EVERY DAY for 10 years!

One thing that I have constantly enjoyed, is how the speakers seem to dissapear, and all I here is the source music or AV or whatever.

Last night, I listened to the B&W CM4, ($1500.00)and even though I did not bring any source material with me, I literally fell in love with these speakers!

Now, aside from the awesome sound, they were a thing of beauty also.

I could afford 1500 bucks, either save up or pay some and take a loan out, but, like anything, I am looking for value.

I feel that I could justify 1500 bucks for another 10 years of listening pleasure, and the price is suprisingly affordable (41 cents a day!)

Klipsch? I have to be honest, I know nothing about Klipsch of 2004. I do know that back in the 70's-80's and maybe even the 90's, they were known for their horn tweeters, and very efficient, loud, speakers, but I never considered them accurate. My Brother-in-law still loves his Klipsch's, but I want accuracy, and clarity, and crispness.

I will have to re-visit the Klipsch.

I will also check out Monitor, PSB and Paradigm. All three sound interesting, something about Paradigm makes me want to check them out first. Maybe being Canadian, they will be cheaper, and maybe beccause they are direct manufactureres, there might be something special there.

But I do love the B&W!

Are KEF and Clestion still around?

If All I had to buy were Speakers, it would be a done deal, but I need to replace my Pioneer Elite VSX-14(probably a Denon 3805 (or possibly the 2805) or Onkyo TX-SR701 (or 601), and I need a DVD that will play SACD's, because my favorite ALBUM has just been released on SACD, (Buddy Rich, Direct to Disk, Class of '78, is now an SACD, "The Best Band I Ever Had".

Then, my 4 year old Toshiba 36" (4x3) TV is just dying to move into my Bedroom, and get replaced with a DLP widescreen!

I am going to play the Lottery tonight!

 

[BuddTX]

Part of the fun of buying A/V equipment, is researching your choices!

While it is a long race, it seems, that in my mind, an early leader is Axiom.

The tough thing, is that one cannot hear them prior to purchasing. But lots of rave reviews, both from the reviewers and from end users, so it looks pretty good.

 

[annunaki]

Have you looked into B&W's 600 series? The 602 is an excellent performer without breaking the bank, $600 pr. retail. Also, were you saying $500-$800 for a pair, or a complete 5.1 set?

 

[Unregistered]

Same Look as B&W

If you search around on some of the other forums you will find that Swan Diva's have a very loyal following. They look very much like a B&W and their built quality is outstanding!!!!

You can only get these online so check them out here: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/

Good luck. . . .Kendal

 

[BuddTX]

Have you looked into B&W's 600 series? The 602 is an excellent performer without breaking the bank, $600 pr. retail. Also, were you saying $500-$800 for a pair, or a complete 5.1 set?

Thanks,

My main speakers, for the last 10 years, has been the B&W 202's, and they have performed very well, and they were, at the time, among the least expensive speakers that B&W made.

I compared them (at the time) to other company speakers that cost up to 2.5 times what the 202's cost (around 200 each), and the winners were (IMO) were the 202's, so, yes, I will look at B&W speakers in my price range.

But I have to say, my price range is getting defined, by companies like Axiom, where the M80's are 1100/pair.

 

[BuddTX]

If you search around on some of the other forums you will find that Swan Diva's have a very loyal following. They look very much like a B&W and their built quality is outstanding!!!!

You can only get these online so check them out here: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/

Good luck. . . .Kendal

Thanks, I will check them out.

One of the things that I would consider, in purchasing a speaker, is the reputation and # of years the company was in business. That is important to me, at least it is a factor to consider.

 

[Unregistered]

KEF and Celestion are still around. My Kef's are 20 years old and still wonderful. I remembered listening to B+W 802 at a shop with my bro and they left a lasting impression with me too.

2 many great speakers, not enough time.

 

[BuddTX]

If you search around on some of the other forums you will find that Swan Diva's have a very loyal following. They look very much like a B&W and their built quality is outstanding!!!!

You can only get these online so check them out here: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/

Good luck. . . .Kendal

I looked at the Swans, and I have to say, that physically, they look very nice.

However, in doing some searches, it seems that there are not a lot of users that are posting rave reviews about the Swans (nothing BAD either, just not a lot of activity of posts on any audio forums or newsgroups, or web sites).

That does NOT mean they are good or bad, just new.

They might very well be the best speakers in the world.

However, when you do searches on Axiom, you get lots of personal recommendations, lots of newsgroup discussions, lots of reviews etc.

It is pretty "daring" to buy a high end speaker system without ever hearing them. If you have hundreds of satisfied owners out there posting about their speakers, it makes purchasing the speakers a little easier!