CDM-9NT's or 703's

[Stewrt]

Hello all,

Have a big dillema here.
Have the opprotunity to get my hands on the new B+W 703's. Already have the stores floor model B+W CDM-9NT's in my livingroom and waiting for my pair to arrive at the store. I've had the 9NT's for about a month. Got them to replace a pair of Klipsch RF-3's.
The RF-3's were driving me up the wall. After about 45 mins of listening time it was like nails on a chalkboard to me. I know alot of you guys like these speakers, I must say I thouroghly enjoyed turning the volume up on them. And they are awesome for home theatre.
After I got the CDM-9NT's unheard or auditioned from the store. Hooked them up and fell in love. strereo sound had never sounded so good!!! Listenened to the entire cd collection over the following couple of days and broke them in gently. Loved the range, or.... the mid range and how the highs were not so aggressive on this speaker versus the RF-3's. Slightly, (9NT's) well... more tinny, but only occasionally on certain recordings do I notice it.

Anyway my point in writing this is... I was able to get the 9NT's for 2400. I have the opprotunity to trade in my pair of RF-3's and the 9NT's for the new B+W 703's. Even trade. Do ya do it???
I was going to give a friend an awesome deal and sell him my RF-3's for $475.
OH yeah, almost forgot to mention that you will not be able to audition these speakers. you gotta buy them now. Based on what professional reviews and info is available on the B+W site (because there doesnt appear to be any other info anywhere on them). I guess I could drive a few hours and find a store that has them..... probably will.

Another dillema I am having is that I kinda am a home theatre person as much as 2 ch stereo. These would have to serve as mains in that system as well.
Also.. I will be hooking these up to a Denon 3803. I know... you guys all have tubed amps, and seperates. Should I be ashamed to hook these speakers up to this unit??? I dont know... I just know, I just upgraded to this unit 9 months ago and it really seems to serve it's purpose well. It will be about 12 to 18 months before I can even consider upgrading that unit or switching to seperates. Right now B+K is kinda on my mind and in my budget for that future day.

Tell me what you think, all opinions welcome. and any input on the 703's is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Stewrt

[psonic]

Greetings Stewrt,
That reciever should hold you over and work quite nice with either speaker, however you may not find value in spending the a $475 extra with that setup. Plus, I would not upgrade the strength of my system first... Some things you may want to consider with that $475...

1 get a used amp and drive it with the denon pre-outs for the mains ($200-$475 for the b&k)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3057634777&category=39783

2 are you are using a mainstream dvd player for cd audio, like a sony / toshiba / jvc? if so look at upgrading immediately, you can gain big from a better one like a denon dvd with quality audio dacs

3 how about some high quality silver interconnects?

keep us posted...

[topspeed]

Loved the range, or.... the mid range and how the highs were not so aggressive on this speaker versus the RF-3's. Slightly, (9NT's) well... more tinny, but only occasionally on certain recordings do I notice it.

Hi Stewart,

The 9NT's are very revealing and what you are hearing is simply a poor recording, that's why you only notice it on certain cd's. Amazing, huh?

I read the white paper on the 700's and with the exception of slightly more volume in the 705's box and the fact it went 5dB lower than the outgoing 1NT, I didn't really note any major differences. Crossovers, drivers, tweeters, and cabinet construction all seem the same as the CDM NT's. In fact, it appears more of a aesthetic makeover than anything else and an opportunity to get the nomenclature to join the rest of the line (i.e. 300, 600, 700, 800). I would be VERY surprised if you could even hear the difference between the 9NT's and the 703. Ask yourself this question, "Am I upgrading because I'm unhappy with my current system or because I have to own the latest and greatest?" If the answer is the latter you should make the trade, get the 703's and live happily ever after. If it is the former, keep reading.

Like yours, my system must satisfy both HT and music requirements, although I'm far more concerned with music repro. Also like yours, I have a 3803 driving a full CDM NT set (7's, center, 1's). With the Denon driving your 9NT's you aren't even close to their performance potential, trust me on this. It's like sex vs. making love: Sex is good but making love is sooo much better :).

Here's what I would recommend: Sell the Klipsch's, save a little cash, and then go buy an amp to run your mains utilizing the Denon as a pre/pro (you can add a separate preamp w/ theater bypass later if you want). The 9's, like the 7's, aren't the easiest speaker in the world to drive and require quality amplification with good current. If you have a weak link, they will definitely let you know in no uncertain terms. I don't know what your sources are but right now the Denon is your weak link. Once driven by a good amp, a whole new world will open up to you. No joke. You have no idea how good your 9's are right now. They extend FAR deeper and the highs are much more airy and clear than what you have heard. If you like them now, brother you ain't heard anything yet. Let me put it this way, when I first hooked up my PS Audio HCA2 amp, I thought my sub was still on! It was a revealation...like I bought new speakers! Can quality ampflication make this much of a difference? With these speakers, you bet your a** they do.

If you'd like recommendations for amps, let me know your price range. I will say that I sold a B&K because it didn't work well with the Denon/B&W set-up. A little too veiled and dark for my taste. Of course, this is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Good luck and buy what moves you.

[Stewrt]

Thanks alot for all the input,

You two are both Correct.
This is a one and only chance though. I've bargained and made a good deal. And decided to take advantage of it. The 703's should be at my house in a couple of weeks. I see it this way. I'll always be upgrading, but My speakers will last me quite some time, if not forever. Also they are going to throw in some really nice cableing with these speakers.
As for the Denon 3803.... I'm somewhat lookin at the B+K reference line for an amp and pre amp.. I'm really liking the Reference 200.7 Amp and Reference 50 Pre amp. What do you guys think of that?? Thats about as expensive as I can get. Not really interested in buying used. Had some costly bad luck in that area already.

Thanks again, and any additional input on The B+K componenets is much appreciated.

Stewrt

[topspeed]

Congrats on the trade!

If you watch very many movies or are planning on moving into multi-channel hi-res, you'd better start saving to replace that center channel. The B&W's and Klipsch aren't going to mesh very well.

B&K makes very durable, solid equipment. Their sound is on the warmer side of neutral and very listenable. Not fatiguing at all, in fact. Some have compared them to tubes (kinda agree) and I've heard of many that match their amps with tube front ends with stellar results. Of course, that's assuming you prefer that kind of sound. You might also check into Rotel (excellent rep and quality) which is in the same price range and has similar sound although not quite as warm and fuzzy. In addition, PS Audio has a HCA5/7 coming out that if you're not in a hurry, I'd definitely recommend auditioning (30 day free trial in your home, how can you go wrong?). It's a modular design meaning you can plug in as many channels as you'll need, each with it's own dedicated power supply. Pretty slick actually. It won't be out until next spring or summer but in my system it absolutely destroyed B&K, Rotel, and Odyssey among others. YMMV.

That said, if you really like B&K I doubt you'd ever regret your purchase. It really is quality stuff.

Good luck

[psonic]

I think it will sound fantastic together...I heard that amp combo at a tweeter here in pa, running a pair of $1800 Sonus Concertos in a very good listening room and your speaks compare well to these, imo...How was it? well, it was the best stereo sound i've heard yet! I was auditioning some speaks and the Concertos were on the B&K setup in the same room so I wound up listening to 2 cds on it until the salesman started pressuring me to buy them!

BTW, Denons are nice players, I use a DVD-900 for DVD and CD. Nice sound, good DACs. How does the DVD-1600 compare to the CD player musically?

[Stewrt]

Got it yesterday the B+K 200.2.

Livened things right up. Rich deep and full. Warmer, nice resolution, terrirific bass out of the 9NT's. looking forward to hearing and breaking in the 200.2 with my 703's. (should be here soon)
Connected the Reciever with the amp via Audioquest Diamondback RCAs.
I think my surrounds gained a bit by taking the mains off the reciever. They seemed livelier as well. Is that possible? seems it sould be.
Also I am thinking that with the full ness of the 9NT's I'm keeping that Klipsch center a bit longer as well. The B+W almost kept up with it. and It has qualitys that I enjoy in a center. I just turn that channel down a bit

Psonic. as for the Cd/dvd players from Denon. I have the DCM370 from everything I've read it's just an absolute jem. In fact I had to pull it out of the shelf to make room for my amp. Listening to CD's on the DVD and intend to do that for quite awhile. I am planning on never getting rid of my 370, will keep it in the box in storage, till I die if necessary.
All I can really say about the two compared is that they both sound really good. I never really listened to music on the DVD till now, and since the amp it's like I have a new system, so I cant compare that. and the two have always been connected differently. the 370 has from what I understand the BEST DAC's you could hope for. so she mainly ran on RCA's to the reciever. I did once try the dig out on it once, I think the RCA's were slightly better. Just slightly. tough to tell. the 3803 has some nice DAC's as well.
Thanks for all your help everyone. Your opinions were listened to and appreciated. and ultimately help me make a purchase that I am very happy with.
Merry X-mas and Happy new year,
Stuart

[psonic]

yea I like the B&K, very warm and probably a great match for the B&W...hey, this is a good Christmas over there!