Maybe that's why they have the 800, 700 and 600 series. Can't afford the 80X? Try the 70X. Still too expensive, give the 60X a try. Speakers ranging from $50K on the high side to $800 for the cheapest bookshelf they currently offer. I'm not a B&W fanboy (never had a pair, but have auditioned quite a few models) but if one follows the history of the brand, they consistently "trickle down" tech and materials of their flagship line to their lower ranges.
I'm like j_garcia above. In the past I've liked the sound quality of the B&W 800 series, but not the price.
The CDM, 700, & 600 series speakers I've heard in the past had problems with the excessively high crossover frequency between the 6½" Kevlar driver and the tweeter. It was 3,500 to 4,000 Hz depending on the model. At either of those frequencies, that Kevlar driver emitted an ugly sounding break-up resonance that was easily heard. It was the source of the 'listener's fatique' that so many B&W owners suffered through.
The 800 series speakers also had the same or similar Kevlar mid-woofers, but without the ugly sound. Whatever B&W did in the 800 speakers was not done with the others. In my view, that's the absence of 'trickle down'. It was probably done because of the marketing people, not the tech people.
B&W has abandoned the Kevlar cones, but not their price structure. The 800 speakers are very expensive. The other series were overpriced in the past, and seem to be overpriced now.
