where does the B&W CM8's place

[coilman]

don't know if cm-8's are worth price diff from 683's? haven't found place to audition-- heard 683's, psb imagines,A-T towers(6200.s), and some paradigmn 60's vers.(unk) could someone give some incite to their merit and place among this group? or are they of diff stock from these examples thxs in advance

 

[clouso]

don't know if cm-8's are worth price diff from 683's? haven't found place to audition-- heard 683's, psb imagines,A-T towers(6200.s), and some paradigmn 60's vers.(unk) could someone give some incite to their merit and place among this group? or are they of diff stock from these examples thxs in advance

I can tell you about the 60's v5 wich is that last version of Paradigms studio series..the thing that amaze me about them is the sound stage...i can swear the center channel is playing when listening to ''stereo'' music mode the drummer is right in the center stage as usual..this is the first pair of towers that i own that are as accurate...it is a well define ..prisice and clean sound and for 5''1/2 woofers they are quite effective...they are rated to go down at 29Hz..i dont know if they do go that low but i did a test last night without the sub and cranked the bass level on my pioneer to max wich is +6 and i can tell you they do go pretty low....the mids to me sound just right and for the highs i always set it lower since im very sensitive to high frequency notes....thats what i could tell you about Paradigm's studio 60 v5...for the others i cannot comment since i never auditioned them or heard them but im sure the cm8's are a great speaker also!!......good luck.

 

[zumbo]

don't know if cm-8's are worth price diff from 683's? haven't found place to audition-- heard 683's, psb imagines,A-T towers(6200.s), and some paradigmn 60's vers.(unk) could someone give some incite to their merit and place among this group? or are they of diff stock from these examples thxs in advance

B&W CM8's trump every other speaker mentioned.

 

[bellevegasj]

Do you have access to dealers in the area?

 

[coilman]

dealers

yes have a dealer and BB in area. dealer does not have yet getting rid of cm-7's though--BB only demoing 683's will have to look into others

 

[Jim85IROC]

No experience with the CM8s, but I listened to the CM9s last weekend and was very disappointed. The soundstage was very small... I assumed it was the acoustics of the room until the sales guy swapped them for a pair of 805s, which made it very apparent that the room was just fine. The CM9s had a very closed-in sound from the upper midrange & up. I didn't listen to them long enough to really form any additional opinions... I'd heard all I needed to know that I didn't like them.

 

[3db]

B&W CM8's trump every other speaker mentioned.

Really?



I would say to the OP to listen for himself and see what speaker he likes the best. Its all subjective

 

[audio013]

Just getting people's opinions, Thinking of buying B&W CM8 from Audiosolutions in sydney . Has anyone of you got it? I just want to know if you are happy with this model.

 

[wlmmn]

Wow, I was just about to make a thread about this speaker as well. I've got B&W 685s (the bookshelf speakers) as my mains and I don't like having them just sitting on top of speaker stands.....they're not affixed to the stands by anything other than gravity. I've had family members bump them, which means getting out the tape measure and toeing the speakers in again; one even fell off one time and hit the floor!

Also I think they sound a bit bright, even though I like a nice, airy high frequency response in speakers. Too much high-mid presence.

So I've heard great things about the PSB Image speakers, but those are 4 ohm speakers and my other speakers (B&W LCR60 S3 for the center, B&W DM303s for the surrounds) are 8 ohms, so that's out (correct me if I'm wrong). So I'd like to get some nice floorstanding speakers, about 70/30 movies/music that have a nice soundstage and have a pleasant "openess" to the sound without being too bright. So I like B&W and don't know if either the CM8 or the CM9 would be good choices. I've heard the 683s and I didn't think they were enough of an improvement to justify spending anything on them.

I have an Emotiva Ultra 12 sub that handles low frequencies nicely, so I don't necessarily need a floorstanding speaker that has serious woofers in it.

Sorry if I hi-jacked this thread......figured responses here might be relevant to OP's B&W talk.

 

[3db]

Wow, I was just about to make a thread about this speaker as well. I've got B&W 685s (the bookshelf speakers) as my mains and I don't like having them just sitting on top of speaker stands.....they're not affixed to the stands by anything other than gravity. I've had family members bump them, which means getting out the tape measure and toeing the speakers in again; one even fell off one time and hit the floor!

Also I think they sound a bit bright, even though I like a nice, airy high frequency response in speakers. Too much high-mid presence.

So I've heard great things about the PSB Image speakers, but those are 4 ohm speakers and my other speakers (B&W LCR60 S3 for the center, B&W DM303s for the surrounds) are 8 ohms, so that's out (correct me if I'm wrong). So I'd like to get some nice floorstanding speakers, about 70/30 movies/music that have a nice soundstage and have a pleasant "openess" to the sound without being too bright. So I like B&W and don't know if either the CM8 or the CM9 would be good choices. I've heard the 683s and I didn't think they were enough of an improvement to justify spending anything on them.

I have an Emotiva Ultra 12 sub that handles low frequencies nicely, so I don't necessarily need a floorstanding speaker that has serious woofers in it.

Sorry if I hi-jacked this thread......figured responses here might be relevant to OP's B&W talk.

If you are going to replace your mains, you should also replace your center channel as well to maintain timbre matching across the three front speakers.
What AVR are you using to drive your current set-up. I think the Image series is 6Ohh nominal with a dip into teh 4 ohm region as well. The PSB dynamically will wipe the floor with the B&W.

 

[wlmmn]

I use a Marantz SR6003 receiver.

 

[3db]

I use a Marantz SR6003 receiver.

How big is the room and how loud do you want to drive the speakers? The reason I ask is that I had my PSB Image suite of spekaers being driven by a Technics SA DX940 and it drove them to more than loud enough levels without clipping or tripping the protection circuit. I use for 5 years without fail unril I upgraded to the Yamaha RX-V1800

 

[wlmmn]

Here's a link to my room setup, with pictures:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/room-acoustics-system-layout-setup/76714-no-home-theater-room%3B-only-section-big-downstairs-pics.html

As is, sometimes I'm having to drive the receiver up to -5dB just to hear dialogue on some lower-mastered movies or some sections of a few SACDs I have. I'm not blasting anything at loud volumes, but I'd like an external amp to help boost it. I'd like to get the speakers replaced and sounding like how I want before I buy an external amp, though.

 

[3db]

Here's a link to my room setup, with pictures:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/room-acoustics-system-layout-setup/76714-no-home-theater-room%3B-only-section-big-downstairs-pics.html

As is, sometimes I'm having to drive the receiver up to -5dB just to hear dialogue on some lower-mastered movies or some sections of a few SACDs I have. I'm not blasting anything at loud volumes, but I'd like an external amp to help boost it. I'd like to get the speakers replaced and sounding like how I want before I buy an external amp, though.

Wow. Thats a tough room. I don't like the fact that one seaker has a wall boundary and the other doesn't. That will play havoc with imaging regardless of the speakers used.

I recommend agarwalro suggestion in the thread link you suggested about the room layout which will help imaging a lot.

 

[timoteo]

The recommendation to place the tv & front 3 speakers in the corner is a very good idea! I used to be in an apt & had mine setup that way & i got great results. Plus you could always save up & get a good SVS Cylinder sub to put behind the tv. With this positioning youd have more room for your couches too.

I have the 683s, 685s & HTM61. I can understand you not hearing enough difference in the 683s to want to upgrade. But the idea that the 685s have "too much space" is not correct. Speakers need room to "breath" the further away from walls the cleaner, less effected they sound. You were probably getting boundary gain in your smaller place. This would give them a fuller sound but less accurate.

I think your sub is the weak link! If you invested in a better sub instead of new towers you would get much better results. Include the placement change & some room treatments with a new sub & youd experience a whole new world of audio.

This is my opinion of course but i own those speakers & i know how good they can sound when implemented right. Your place is a bit on the small side & i think towers may get choked in there.

SVS PC-12NSD = $749
12" driver
400 watts
35-3/4" tall x 16-5/8" round

A great sub will improve the overall performance of any system. Next upgrad recommendation would be your center channel...

 

[wlmmn]

Sorry guys, I shouldn't have had you look at a now outdated picture of my setup. The sub's been replaced, and ATS acoustic panels added, along with a bass trap in that awkward corner.

here's what I posted tonight in that room setup thread:

Alright, so I moved the TV down, the BDP over, and the PS3 down. I liked your idea of moving the setup into a corner, but unfortunately the right side of where that corner setup would be blocks the main heating vent, so that's out.

I also ordered some panels from ATS Acoustics, and I think that helped the imaging a lot.

Infinity PS-8 subwoofer is gone, hello Emotiva Ultra 12 sub that was on clearance for $349 with free shipping!

Updated pics:

Next upgrad recommendation would be your center channel...

Center channel upgrade talk always leaves me scratching my head. Isn't the center channel only sent a very limited frequency range, especially for movies where it's just the dialog channel? The B&W LCR60 S3 I have isn't exactly new anymore, but it's a nice center channel speaker and sounds fine, at least to my ears, even when I'm listening to my SACD collection.

Am I missing something? Not trying to be argumentative at all, I just don't understand how getting a newer center channel would make any difference sonically. I'm all ears (pun intended, I'm a dork).

Edit: I just looked up the current center channel for the 600 series, the HTM61, and it's getting not-so-good reviews both on this forum and elsewhere. It also has a slightly lower sensitivity than my LCR60 S3, which I'm already having to add decibels to in the Marantz's manual setup to get SPL levels to match across speakers.

 

[timoteo]

The center channel actually does some of the most work when it comes to movies. It does not get a limited frequency resonse. It does not "just"'do dialogue. If you have your system setup correctly then they are all set to Small & crossed over somewhere between 60&80hz. With these settings the center is very important!!

The reviews were not the best on the HTM-61 but my opinion is that they were very wrong!!! I really enjoy the HTM-61. I have tried swapping it out with one of my 685 bookshelves like one of the reviews recommended & i found the 685 to be noticably inferior to the 61. With the FST midrange driver & the 3 way configuration it does excellent. Take my recommendation for what it is but i really feel it would be a very good upgrade for you.

For Music, your Mains are the most important.
For Movies, your Center & Sub are the most important.

So it really depends on your use & goal of your setup. But if you are going to keep your B&Ws then timber matching the front 3 is very important. The HTM-61 is the best match to the 685s.

FYI: I used to own the HTM-62 center also. I had both at the same time before i sold it, so i was able to A/B them. The HTM-61 was also noticable better than the HTM-62.

If you get the CM-8s then youd want the best CM center you could afford.

 

[wlmmn]

It's always nice to get an opinion of two different speakers by someone who's actually had both of them at the same time.

You know what- I think the best thing for me is to make a trip up to Boulder and listen to these speakers for myself. I do like speakers that are slightly on the bright side- not midrange bright like the Klipsch crap I've heard at Best Buy stores but the more sort of airy bright.

The Emotiva Ultra 12 is awesome, btw. Light years ahead of the old PS-8.

 

[timoteo]

Dude you have put together a very solid system. The addition of the Emo12 must have made a huge improvement for sure. You may want to put it in the front right corner. We actually i should back up. Have you tried placing the sub in your seat & crawling aroumd the room to hear where the bass sounds powerful & clean, then placing the sub in that location? Its called the "bass crawl" its very helpful in locating a good spot for the sub. You may be in a null where its at. Id check!

Then if the sub location changes you would go to the other corners & listen for overbearing bass. Then place the trap in that corner.

Things are looking good at your place! Nice job!

Tip: if you do decide to upgrade your mains down the road consider this. If you are in a smaller place such as the one you are at, instead of getting the CM8 towers (or towers of equal price) look into the next high series bookshelves. You said you like airy highs, you have a good sub to handle the lows so put your $ into killer bookshelves. They wont need as much room to "breath" & you will get better mids/highs with a higher series. Better than the lower series towers.

If i upgrade down the line i may even go bookshelf if it means better m/h over the lower model towers. Since most crossover at 80hz or so that means you really only need your speakers to be rated down to 50 or 60hz.

Just an idea in case you hadnt thought of it b4. Again nice rig. You can check mine out in the galleries under Tims livingroom theater (or something like that i forgot) if you wanna see another B&W setup...we're like a big family haha jk!

 

[PannTher]

I believe I can be of some help!

I first bought the 685s a couple of years ago and love them!

It then came time to replace my mains and center.

I went to my local Audio shop and spent a very long time comparing the 683 and the CM8s. I fell in love with the CM9s, but could not justify the price. I found the 683s to be very nice, but the lower end (even though they had more) sounded distorted and not nearly as clean as the CM8s. I found them to be a much crisper sounding speaker. I was happy that B&W had this speaker as it had perfect price to performance ratio. I also knew that if I got the 683s, down the road I would want to upgrade, so why not just go for it.

The look of the CM8s absolutely blow the 683s away as well. Gorgeous look. Amazing fit and finish.

I ended up getting the larger CM center as well as it had the FST as did the CM8s. The 685s are now my rears and it sounds great!

I've had the CM8s for about 8 months now and am still very happy and impressed with the sound! Detailed and clear.

I recommend them, but would also look at the Totem line up as they are amazing as well.

Let your ears decide!

Good luck!