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  1. #1
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    B&W CDM-1NT vs 7NT vs 705

    I currently own the following equipment. B&W CDM-1NT, Denon 3802 Receiver, and Denon 2800 DVD Player. I was thinking of possibly changing speakers to the B&W CDM-7NT or the 705. I do not have a subwoofer. I listen mainly to jazz and acoustic music CD's I also have the option to mate a subwoofer to my 1NT's What would be a good choice in subwoofers for my 1NT's I may change my Denon receiver for an Arcam or possibly a Quad 99 series system to get the best sound from my CD's The 7NT's would be a good option since I would not need to purchase a subwoofer and they look better than a stand mounted speaker. What are your thoughts. Thanks

  2. #2
    RGA
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    Well I gather you want home theater as part of this system in which case the subwoofer is the best bet. If H/T is not important then glad to see you getting rid of the receiver and going with better amps.

    Have not heard the 705 but apparently it's not much if at all a step up from the 1NT...similar design.

    The 7NT is nice but a sub may be cheaper to integrate and may offer more depth...however one sub does not create a proper stereo image and can sometimes be difficult to integrate into the room.

    The 7NT gets into a price range that I might begin to question its merrit against some pretty stiff competion. I try and look at an overall system rather than just the speakers. For instance if I can buy an easy to drive speaker that will require less costly amp power then I might opt more money on speakers less on amp etc. Or will I sacrifice bass now for superior midranfge and ttreble with an eye on a sub down the road.

    The 1NT already has the midrange and treble of the 7NT and the 1NT may be a bit quicker and more open sounding...so it's not exactly an overall upgrade to go with the 7NT other than to add bass...but a sub can do that. And the 7NT may need a sub eventually anyway as it's not a full range speaker. For around the 7NT's price I think you can do better from certain competitors especially if looks are not a major priority.

  3. #3
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    Question

    Quote Originally Posted by RGA
    The 7NT is nice but a sub may be cheaper to integrate and may offer more depth...however one sub does not create a proper stereo image and can sometimes be difficult to integrate into the room.
    Doesn't this depend on the cutoff you use? I thought for low frequencies the human ear couldn't distiguish placement (directionality). If you've got your cutoff set high, then perhaps imaging could be a problem but I've got a single sub on my sytem and yet get terrific stereo imaging.

  4. #4
    RGA
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    No because you have one woofer producing what two is meant to be producing. There was a small write-up on this in UHF mag a few issues ago and was discussed not too to long ago on Audio Asylum as to why 2 subs would be more desirable than one for music playback. Presumably if the sub is used as it was MEANT to be used which is to be SUB, or below the audible bass frequencies ONLY then one sub would probably be ok as it is then being something used to be FELT not heard.

    However, most subwoofers are actually just woofers and they basiclaly create sound sometimes up to 100Hz or basically replace the job of a woofer.

    Indeed, if you take a full range speaker system and the disconnect the the woofer(s) in the left speaker and feed the signal in the right only you would have a directional problem.

    Using Wilson Watt/Puppy as an example. The Watt is the standmount section that can be purchased separtely and the bottom section is the subwoofer section called the Puppy. There are two, not one however. Reference3a, Gershman Acoustics among others have these kind of set-ups...

    Now how anal you want to get about is another matter and the good thing is you can always add the second sub later on which was the case many single sub owners made. And of course some subs are better than others(as well as room acoustics and set-ups).

  5. #5
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    Lightbulb

    "A true subwoofer can be set up in mono, since the wavelengths associated with these frequencies are so long that not only is the ear insensitive to their directionality, but a single wave would not even fit inside a typical room without reflecting several times to do it."

    "The Dolby surround signal is a mono signal usually fed to two speakers located towards the back of the room. This signal is unique in audio because it is rolled off at 100 Hz. This doesn't mean that there should be no deep bass in the ambience effect. It does mean that the deep bass is generally understood to have no directionality. Our head is too small, our ears too close together, and our hearing too insensitive to be able to tell which direction low frequency sounds are coming from. Remember how no one worries where the subwoofer is placed, except for visual or room mode control? That's because we can't tell where the bass is really coming from." --Home Theater Magazine

    You can buy two subs if you want, but I think spending your money on one really good one makes a lot more sense. Like I said, I use one sub and have a system with terrific stereo separation and imaging. If you've got speakers that roll off above 100 Hz maybe two subs would be a good idea, but mine start to roll off at 60Hz and that's where my cutoff is set. Like the article says, there's no way you can anyone can tell where those low frequencies are coming from.

  6. #6
    AR Newbie Registered Member
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    So, any thoughts after 10 years?

    Now I am thinking of upgrading my CDM1SE and have the choice of 705 or CDM7NT. Please help with decision

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