How do you get the B&W 705 sounding right?

[Carlton]

I'll take theaudiohobby's advice and take my amp to the shop, this way I'll be able to eliminate the amplifier. I don't think that the speakers themselves are bright, there's just something not right here - as I've said before, almost as if something is sounding hard or dry and edgy, but if its not the amp I'll try Geoffcin resistor trick. If that doesn't work, then maybe RGA's right, it's my perception of lack of bass that's the problem.

[RGA]

Carlton

I want to be clearer than I was. The 705 does nto possess much bass or bass dynamics -- that in itself isn't necessarily the biggest deal for me. Bass is certainly important and without it the sound can be thin - but that is true for almost every standmount speaker in the 705's price. A Cohesiveness problem may be what you're detecting and the first several auditions I heard with the CDM 1NT I never noticed it either. The woofer and tweeter need to create a given instrument making it sound as a complete instrument but at some point (usually at 4khz) the midwoofer crosses over (passes the signal) on to the tweeter for the tweeter to complete the task. Many have questioned B&W's choice of a high crossover coupled with the way Kevlar as a material breaks up and they claim there is an audible hick-up. B&W selected it no doubt so that when meausred it does better on the graph...for whatever the lingo and rational many of us can hear that hand-off (some call it the BBC dip of Suckout etc). So when listening to such speakers (and most of the competition is no better and often worse) you can hear it on many acoustic instruments cello violin strings etc. Some say this is not a problem which is true if you're not hearing it and it is if you can.

A lot of people complain about metal tweeters as well - if you notice B&W exhausts quite a lot of advertising to explain their tweeter's role in solving the problem their tweeter creates.

Indeed rather than bringing your amp to the dealer why not bring their amp to your home? If the speaker amp cd player combo at the dealer sounds great and you bring thsoe componants to your home and there is a problem it could be your room or speakers.

If you go to the dealer -- you may in fact hear the same problems there because you have logged way more hours on the speaker by now - sometimes it takes a while before you notice the problems with a componant...my dealer who has heard practically everything over the last 30 years still says he makes huge mistakes by deciding to carry a line based on a quick audition at a trade show and then after several hours and having the distributer come down to fix the unfixable ends up dumping them in the used section for a pittance --- point is stuff can sound good in shorter listening sessions than longer ones --- I've been there that's for sure.

[theaudiohobby]

the crossover issue is a redherring, it is associated with brightness or excess detail not hardness, hardness may indeed occur but I think it will due to excessive distortion in producing deep bass frequencies.

[IRG]

Carlton

I want to be clearer than I was. The 705 does nto possess much bass or bass dynamics -- that in itself isn't necessarily the biggest deal for me. Bass is certainly important and without it the sound can be thin - but that is true for almost every standmount speaker in the 705's price. A Cohesiveness problem may be what you're detecting and the first several auditions I heard with the CDM 1NT I never noticed it either. The woofer and tweeter need to create a given instrument making it sound as a complete instrument but at some point (usually at 4khz) the midwoofer crosses over (passes the signal) on to the tweeter for the tweeter to complete the task. Many have questioned B&W's choice of a high crossover coupled with the way Kevlar as a material breaks up and they claim there is an audible hick-up. B&W selected it no doubt so that when meausred it does better on the graph...for whatever the lingo and rational many of us can hear that hand-off (some call it the BBC dip of Suckout etc). So when listening to such speakers (and most of the competition is no better and often worse) you can hear it on many acoustic instruments cello violin strings etc. Some say this is not a problem which is true if you're not hearing it and it is if you can.

A lot of people complain about metal tweeters as well - if you notice B&W exhausts quite a lot of advertising to explain their tweeter's role in solving the problem their tweeter creates.

Indeed rather than bringing your amp to the dealer why not bring their amp to your home? If the speaker amp cd player combo at the dealer sounds great and you bring thsoe componants to your home and there is a problem it could be your room or speakers.

If you go to the dealer -- you may in fact hear the same problems there because you have logged way more hours on the speaker by now - sometimes it takes a while before you notice the problems with a componant...my dealer who has heard practically everything over the last 30 years still says he makes huge mistakes by deciding to carry a line based on a quick audition at a trade show and then after several hours and having the distributer come down to fix the unfixable ends up dumping them in the used section for a pittance --- point is stuff can sound good in shorter listening sessions than longer ones --- I've been there that's for sure.

The Monitor Audio Silvers - S2 or even the Gold Reference GR10 speakers. They use metal cones but these newer versions aren't supposed to have the problems that most metal cones possess. Have you given these speakers much of a thorough listen?

I have a pair of Energy C-3 now, which are fine speakers for the $300 they cost me. Time to move up a notch in a year or less. The MA S-2 are on this list (I have a local dealer, and have found them online for under $600), also the Boston Acoustic VRM-60, Paradigm Ref 20v.3, - not sure what else to add to the list. Maybe some of the online vendors like GR-Research - they get great reviews over at AA.

Also, they speakers must look nice, as well as sound good. They will be paired to a NAD T-743 (just got it, and like it a lot) and eventually a quality power amp in 1-2+ years. For now the NAD will suffice though.

Music ranges quite a bit. Progressive rock, classical, some jazz and blues - IMO a good speaker should be able to play all genres. It will have a sub, still shopping for that too, probably an Adire Rava.

Budget, prefer to stay under $1k for now. Could be stretched, but that will take at least a year then. Would be slightly used too (like I did with my C-3). Comments are appreciated.

[RGA]

IRG

Really it matters what you think of them when listening. Clearly a lot of people like B&W and I recommend many of them and even in spite of the problems I note about the CDm 1NT I still LIKE the speaker and recommended strongly for years -- it's not perfect it has problems but so does most stuff. It's the problems you can live with that is key.

Unfortunately, problems mentioned are weird - reading the latest issue of Hi-fi Choice they seemed to stress heavily about the colouration of a bosendorfer speaker -- yet they gave it their highest rating -- another speaker the Elac 203 they noted other problems and basically rubished it with a very low sound ratintg -- apparently they call good sound a colouration since even the guy noting some issues ends up buying the speaker -- maybe colouration is a code word for excellent???

In other words listen and decide for yourself. The B&W has a problem -- some people can live happily with it and some can't --- for the money I would not want the 705. Indeed the 705 improves the cohesiveness over the CDM 1NT but it also sound banal in many other areas which ends up for a less engaging treatment of music IMO.

I have heard speakers using metal tweeters that I have liked obviously many I recommend - JM Labs uses metal exceedingly well - and many speakers using soft domes are good while many are extraodinarily dull - some Ribbons have been used well others not.

Still it's preference --- and I happen to think my preferences are correct -- but really if it's my money then I want to be damn sure I trust the only preferece that matters --- MINE -- not a review magazine not Floyd Toole etc.

There is a reason some companies bombard the industry with advertisements --- good products sell themselves -- hype is hype (of course this is just opinion and not proveable no flame suit required becuase I have conceded this point).

[theaudiohobby]

RGA,

For someone who does not care about reviews or magazines, you sure read a whole lot of them.

[Florian]

My friend RGA, well its funny how he writes a whole book and it usually contains 95% advertisment for a box from Audio Note. Mmmh...jummy... LOL anyways

How do you get the B&W 705 sounding right?

Buy a different speaker !!

Sorry couldnt help myself