Experience / Views on FPM Range??

[RedStep]

Watching more and more movies, and the addition of a media room (soon) I am focusing more on aesthetics. Has anyone heard the B&W Flat Panel Monitors??? When the time comes I do some listening tests, just wanted to see what others thought.

[ZX 6R]

Since you mentioned the importance of aesthetics, the FPMs would be a fine choice. To be honest I am not the biggest fan of this style of speaker(from any manufacturer) but having said that, for home theater applications the FPMs and a big honking sub(eg. ASW 750) can sound pretty damn good. Depending on your decor and the placement of the media room in the house another option would be to go with the in walls. Signature 7s and 8s are pretty awesome! and and can be painted the same colour as the wall. The limitation is they cannot be placed on existing outside walls.

[Cowanrg]

ill second that...

i was throroughly impresed with the FPM series when it showed up in the store. dont be fooled though, they like nice equipment though... dont just toss cheap stuff at it, or low wattage, they like to be fed.

[BlazeMaster]

The PV1 could go very nicely with that FPM design, they're costly for what it gives, but you should give it a listen. Very impressive for the size.

[RedStep]

The PV1 could go very nicely with that FPM design, they're costly for what it gives, but you should give it a listen. Very impressive for the size.

I would go with the PV1 as the sub, because it looks so good, and knowing B&W you really can't go wrong. I couldn't find any pricing on the FPM's...anyone know what price range were talking (doesn't really matter, just curious)

Thanks for the response

[RedStep]

ill second that...

i was throroughly impresed with the FPM series when it showed up in the store. dont be fooled though, they like nice equipment though... dont just toss cheap stuff at it, or low wattage, they like to be fed.

Glad to hear..I'll be doing some listening soon. I'll be pushing them with the coveted Ref 50 s2 & the 200.5 s2

[Cowanrg]

uh, im not at work, but let me remember...

FPM4 - $1400 pr
FPM5 - $1600 pr
FPM6 - $1800 pr

i THINK thats right....

dont get the PV1. its B&W's worst product yet, in my opinion. it has good clean output, but it has ZERO output. it looks slick though. great looking in person, but can barely match the bass of a medium pair of bookshelves.

[Cowanrg]

RedStep,

on another note, how do you like the reference 50 s2? we havent had a change to see one yet... we sold our complete stock and demos before we even unboxed one

i am probably buying one in january, unless something amazingly better comes along... does it work ok for you and sound good? or, do you even know yet

[BlazeMaster]

Both the FPMs and the PV1 are asking a little more out of your wallet for the performance they give, IMO. But you can tell that RedStep is clearly going for the aesthetics of cabinet designs, therefore leave not much other options besides the FPMs and PV1. Redstep, have you considered bookshelves like the 705s? I haven't heard the FPMs, but I can bet that for nearly the same price, the 705s will outperform any of the FPMs on almost any genre of music and movies.
The PV1s on the other hand, if you don't watch your movies too loud, it can definitly hang with sufficient output, IMO.
You should go and listen to all of them, your ears are the judge, since your eyes already approved.

[Cowanrg]

Blaze,

i have the opposite opinions as you. I deal with some higher end stuff, and im VERY picky with speakers. i was impressed by the FPM's. not just "these arent bad for what they are...", it was more of a "things things sound like real speakers!".

with good gear driving them, i think they are VERY good speakers, and arent a whole lot of a compromise at all. i havent put them against the 705's, but from memory, they come very close. the 705's have the openness that the exposes tweeter can only have, but bass performance and overall clarity and detail is a tie.

however, IMO, the PV1 cant keep up, even considering its "lifestyle" pricetag. its a compromise product because its made mostly for aesthetics, but its doesnt perform within those constraints. i would NOT use the PV1 for movies. i had it hooked up with 704's, and it could barely add anything to them. most of the cheapest subwoofers can augment just about any speaker, but this couldnt add bass to even a smaller floorstander.

these are of course my listening impressions, but i also work with all this equipment, and am compensated to do just this kind of thing. i play with gear all day to see how each performs in certain circumstances, so im pretty familiar with it and all its intimate workings.

but if you get a chance, check out the FPM's. (the 5's or 6's, the 4's are a bit muddy). they are pretty darn amazing.

[RedStep]

Great response guys, thanks for your imput...
Initially I had wanted a system that would double as a HT/HiFi. I was leaning toward the N804's and the HTM1 and mabe N805's for the rear. Then you see these plasmas hanging on the wall and rooms designed just for watching movies,They look awesome. I started judging the time I spend just relaxing and enjoying music, hell hardly ever. Now we have become movie junkies. I will definetly do some listening tests, but the twin towers on each side of the tube is not appealing to me. Ihave always been a big B&W fan, from my first audition, so I thought they might be the way to go.
I have them on the short list along with the Martin Logan Fresco (any comments)

[RedStep]

RedStep,

on another note, how do you like the reference 50 s2? we havent had a change to see one yet... we sold our complete stock and demos before we even unboxed one

i am probably buying one in january, unless something amazingly better comes along... does it work ok for you and sound good? or, do you even know yet

Cowanrg...I'm building a house next year and will have a seperate media room then, so I am still in the research faze..But the coveted Ref 50 s2 will not be an option, it will be a part.
ps...man, sound like you have one awesome job :T

[BlazeMaster]

Cowrang, I don't go for speakers just for looks and I have the SVS PB12plus/2 as my sub of choice, and I'm perfectly happy with it considering what I paid for it.
Redstep, to be honest with you the 800s are just IMO, too much to pay for if you're just going to use them for movies. I don't know what's your budget like, and you mentioned you're really wanting a nice plasma as well. The price can really start adding up if you want the "lifestyle" designs like Cowrang said. If you're just more of a HT guy, I think the 700s and 600s can both give you immersive sound for movies. Another option for plasmas are, believe it or not, Front Projectors. You can get a top of the line DLP 720P projector for less than the price of higher quality plasma, and have over twice the diagonal screen size of a plasma. But then you'd have to deal with any ambient light that you have in your room.
Good luck.