Anyone with B&W speakers experience ?

[Sound5]

Anyone with B&W speaker eexperience ?

I am interested in B&W's 604 and considered the 704 speakers. Yes, there is a bit a price difference. The 704s are over my price range.
Application: CD music, home theater movies, DVDs...etc. Still looking for an AVR receiver or separates to match.

[basite]

we have 604's,
great speakers, but you should defintately check out focal and monitor audio too!
the 604's are great for music, they go really deep, and have a clear sound, but sometimes the mids and highs can be a little forward...

Good luck,
Bert.

[pixelthis]

I had 602s2's and loved em, but they didnt match my new receiver too well so now I use klipsch, but hope to return to the bmw fold when I get a decent amp.
b&w is known for their great imaging and their great value, authenic
audiophile performance for a lesser price, but be warned, they have no pity whatsoever on badly recorded material.
Hope this helps:)

[drseid]

Anyone with B&W speaker experience ?

I am interested in B&W's 604 and considered the 704 speakers. Yes, there is a bit a price difference. The 704s are over my price range.
Application: CD music, home theater movies, DVDs...etc. Still looking for an AVR receiver or separates to match.

B&W provides a good entry into the world of high-end sound, as they are well known and readily available. I would encourage you to also listen to other relatively accessable brands like PSB, Paradigm, Definitive Technology, Energy, EPOS and the like as well if you already haven't. You may very well still prefer the B&W speakers after hearing them, but it will give you a broader point of reference when making your decision (and may stengthen your confidence in making the "right" one).

Personally of the two you mention, the 604s sounded like the better value to my ears at least for the money. I think the 600 series may be B&Ws best from a value perspective. Another option as opposed to the 604s is to go with 602s and a good subwoofer.

As for what to possibly to hook them up to? If you go with B&W, as you say HT is one of your priorities, maybe a Rotel receiver. My mind could be playing tricks on me, but I believe B&W acquired Rotel a few years back, and frequently their lower to mid line speakers are auditioned with Rotel.

Good luck,

---Dave

[basite]

but be warned, they have no pity whatsoever on badly recorded material.
Hope this helps:)


absolutely true.
bad recording, and the B&W's will 'let you know' that.
apart from that, placing is really important here, no really, if you're planning to 'just dump them somewhere' in your room, then buy something else.
and FYI, the 600 series is much softer sounding than the 700 series, which sound pretty bright...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[Feanor]

absolutely true.
bad recording, and the B&W's will 'let you know' that.
apart from that, placing is really important here, no really, if you're planning to 'just dump them somewhere' in your room, then buy something else.
and FYI, the 600 series is much softer sounding than the 700 series, which sound pretty bright...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

The only B&Ws I ever auditioned at length were the CMD1 NT monitors, (predecessors of the 705's): they were totally unlistenable with bright recordings. Mind you, my amp at the time was pretty sharp too, so bad synergy was a factor.

[emorphien]

I'm not going to tell you B&Ws suck (because they don't, I just don't care for their overall balance and find them fatiguing and unpleasant to listen to) but you should consider auditioning other brands if you haven't. I'd recommend brands like Focal, PSB, Paradigm (also not a favorite) and whatever else your local shops carry because you may very well find something better for your needs.

Focal and PSB would be high on my list for speakers intended for the double duty of music and home theater. I generally prefer different sounding speakers for the two uses but Focal and PSB bridge that gap really nicely IMO and are very versatile.

[topspeed]

Anyone with B&W speaker eexperience ?

I am interested in B&W's 604 and considered the 704 speakers. Yes, there is a bit a price difference. The 704s are over my price range.
Application: CD music, home theater movies, DVDs...etc. Still looking for an AVR receiver or separates to match.
Of the two you mentioned, I agree wholeheartedly with Dave that the 604's are far and away the better value. I have CDM NT's, the predecessor to the 700's, and was therefore very curious about the 7 series upon debut. I'd read about the revised motor structure designed to make the new speakers more amp friendly (the CDM's had a well earned reputation for their impedence swings which made amp choice tricky). It didn't take long to hear the differences the changes had wrought. After hearing the 705's and 704's, I mentioned to my dealer they sounded a helluva lot like the 600's. He told me that the voicing change in the 700's was due to the fact that the CDM's were voiced too closely to the 800's and were cannibalizing sales. Therefore, the 700's were voiced more towards the 600's. Whatever the reason, the change was not subtle and I for one have never cared for the 700's, especially at the price B&W commands for them. With the 604's, at least you're getting what you're paying for.

Keep in mind, most B&W's generally prefer current and it's best to avoid cool or aggressive sounding amps, unless of course you prefer that sound. It's not that the speakers are "bright," just revealing. In my audition, the 604's tweeter could get a little ragged when pushed, but this was at very high volume (probably over 90dB's) and unless you're hearing impaired, I doubt you'll be pushing them that hard very often.

Good luck in your search and I would also recommend taking the time to audition other speakers as well. There are lot of great speakers in your price range, from Magnepan, Revel, Focal, Vandersteen, Sonus Faber, Dynaudio, and my favorite at this price, Von Schweikert's VR2 (albeit B stock). Take your time and enjoy the process. A great speaker will give you decades of enjoyment!

Hope this helps.

[Sound5]

Thank you everyone for replying to my B&W speaker question.

As for AVR and amps, Is the B&W a power hungry speaker ?
I do not have experience with separates and am looking for 5.1 to 7.1 amps or AVR to fuel the B&W 604s... Any recomendations besides Denon. Rotel was mentioned. Some of the NAD, Outlaw, Marantz, and few others looking interesting, but don't want to break the bank.

[basite]

they aren't klipshes, if that's what you mean...

you should definately feed it a little power. and preferably from a higher current amp/receiver.
Rotel and B&W are an exellent match. this one for example:
http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/rsx1057.htm

or you could try denon (an AVR 3806 or a 2807 or so)
or something else...
but do avoid bright playing amps like a yamaha, the yamaha and B&W combination will suck and make you turn the volume down...

remember that if you don't intend to go the surround route yet, that you'll be much better of with a stereo amp.

Hope this helps...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[Hyfi]

Topspeed finally mentioned Dynaudio. When I was ready I test drove JM LAbs Cobalt line vs B&W 700 series vs Dynaudio Audience series.

I won't go into a lengthy review of each but a few things to look for.

JMs lack bass extension for price ratio. They are a fast, clear, and precise speaker. I have a pair of Tantal 509s. Titanium tweeter can get anoying after a few hours of hard listening.

B&Ws were a real nice speaker for entry level fi. Other than the cyclops look there was nothing really wrong with them if you like the sound and soundstage they throw.

I waited to drive the Danes until last. I used all the same test music and similar equipment.(danes and b&ws used the same while jms were at a different dealer) What you will notice right away is the bass control and reasonable slam. They have a silk dome tweeter that causes no listener fatigue when listening at length. They will however just like the other pairs mentioned, let you know if your recording sucks. They pull no punches similar to the B&Ws. I ended up buying the 82s and have never been at all unhappy. They are a 4ohm speaker that will prefer something beefy to drive them. I use a modded Stratos.

I also helped a relative put together a system with the 72s and B&K front end. For the size and money they also rock with any type of music. Purchased mainly for Sinatra and Classical.

Good luck in your search. There are a lot of decent speakers out there, if you get the chance to audition any of the three brands I mentioned you will be glad. Another to consider in the same range is the PSB Gold or Silver.

Hyfi

[topspeed]

Thank you everyone for replying to my B&W speaker question.

As for AVR and amps, Is the B&W a power hungry speaker ?
I do not have experience with separates and am looking for 5.1 to 7.1 amps or AVR to fuel the B&W 604s... Any recomendations besides Denon. Rotel was mentioned. Some of the NAD, Outlaw, Marantz, and few others looking interesting, but don't want to break the bank.
The 604 has a minimum impedence of 3 ohms, which isn't that hard to drive but it will require an amp with some chutzpah. I found Denon - B&W to have as much synergy as Paris Hilton and modesty, although to be fair it does seem the newer **06+ series have a beefier power supply which may mitigate the problems I encountered (plus the 604's are much easier to drive). You should be able to capably drive a 5.1 set with any number of decent AVR's from Onkyo/Integra, Marantz, Denon, Rotel, Arcam, NAD, or Cambridge Audio.

Just so you know, the reason Rotel is almost always paired with B&W is because they share the same distributor (along with Classe) and will therefore almost invariably be at the same dealer. Does that make it the best amp to pair with the 604's? Of course not. It is however, the easiest to audition with the speakers. That said, Rotel is a very reputable company and you could do far worse than pairing the 604's with a Rotel pre/pro and mc amp. Check audiogon.com, there are a ton of choices there and ss amps are great buys on the used market as they have no moving parts and many have transferrable warranties.

Hope this helps.

[spminor]

You can't go wrong with B&W and Rotel combo. I have a pair of 603s and a 1056 avr. They go great together. The 604s are good. The 603s are better. The more power the better though. So for what you want to hear from the 604s, you can get the 603s and a two channel amp just for them and really push them like they should. But please listen for yourself and audition until you're comfortable with what you like and go from there.

[Feanor]

You can't go wrong with B&W and Rotel combo. I have a pair of 603s and a 1056 avr. They go great together. The 604s are good. The 603s are better. The more power the better though. So for what you want to hear from the 604s, you can get the 603s and a two channel amp just for them and really push them like they should. But please listen for yourself and audition until you're comfortable with what you like and go from there.

Of course, B&W and Rotel are owned by the same company, as is Classé. You would hope for a certain synergy!

[PeruvianSkies]

I'm not going to tell you B&Ws suck (because they don't, I just don't care for their overall balance and find them fatiguing and unpleasant to listen to) but you should consider auditioning other brands if you haven't. I'd recommend brands like Focal, PSB, Paradigm (also not a favorite) and whatever else your local shops carry because you may very well find something better for your needs.

Focal and PSB would be high on my list for speakers intended for the double duty of music and home theater. I generally prefer different sounding speakers for the two uses but Focal and PSB bridge that gap really nicely IMO and are very versatile.

Absolutely!!!

[topspeed]

Of course, B&W and Rotel are owned by the same company, as is Classé. You would hope for a certain synergy!
B&W, Rotel, and Classe' are each wholly owned separate entities. The only relation they have is that they share the same distributors.