I'm glad that you revived this old thread. I still Have my DM3000's. I reglued the woofer surrounds, replaced the grill cloth, gave them a fresh coat of linseed oil and replaced the capacitors in the crossovers.
These are great speakers. I hooked them up to my main system and wow. I am driving them with a Musical Fidelity A308 CD and A308 Pre and a pair of Bryston 7B ST monoblocks. These old speakers have definite limits, but it is amazing how well they do compared to my N801's. Fantastic imaging, completely disappear and nice bass. Definately short of the big 800 series, but not left in the dust either.
I took them out of the main system and put them in a smaller system with a 100 wpc tube integrated and Philips 963 SA CD player that I modded the power supply on, again, great little system. Not as detailed as teh main system, but warm and bad recordings sound good.
If you ever stumble across a pair of these, buy them.
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Originally posted by Wizard-of-Odd
Hey guys...
sorry for a negative first post... just wanted to relay my recent experiences with Speaker Repair & Reconing Service in Denver ( phone 303-778-1617 )
I just had a really, really terrible experience with Speaker Repair and Reconing Service based in Denver, telephone number is 303-778-1617. Proprietor Mr. Jim Phillips
I brought a pair of Urei 809A studio Monitors in for a "simple" re-edge (AKA Refoam) job on about Jan 29. Firstly, I was told they would be ready by that Friday. then i got a call stating that due to some issues with another job, my order would be pushed back. no problem. I get the call to pick them up on about Feb. 6th -- no mention of anything amiss... just a simple, "your job is complete -- please pick up at your leisure" type of call...
I finally make it out there on Feb 12 to pick up...
I notice that there is a significant tear (about 1" in length) on the edge moving toward the center of one of the cones i was trying to have preserved. (that no one had the decency to mention beforehand, and would not have mentioned at all had i not noticed it); also the glue job around the circumference of the cone is also quite irregular, almost like the glue bead wasn't pressed down after application.
I refuse the pick up at that point. Subsequently, Mr Phillips calls me and proceeds to tell me that tearing the edge of the cone during a refoam is somewhat a common occurance and that it will not effect the sonics of the loudspeakers. He says this without ever seeing the refoam job done by his employee, "B."
He also refused to correct the problem (again without ever seeing how badly his employee messed up my JBL drivers). He takes the $15 dollar labor charge off and still charges me $90 for the materials (which btw cost ~$20 on Ebay if you are buying single refoam sets -- but i wanted a "professional" to do the JBLs instead of me risking damage to them -- what a mistake!) So in essence, I paid them to devalue the Urei 809A monitors I brought in for them to fix.
The (i think) owner of SoundTown (where Phillips rents space for his operation) described the cone tear as "BRUTAL" as I was picking them up after recieving no comfort from earlier conversation with Mr Phillips. I requested that he meet me down at his shop sometime this week so that he could see the quality of job his employees were doing in town, he flat out refused to meet me at the shop, at any time, to inspect the job.
So, here are some pictures of the "professional" job that Speaker Repair & Reconing Service did to my Urei 809A vintage Studio Monitors.
I'll try to take some better pics and post them this weekend...
Please heed my warning and take your speakers elsewhere for servicing. This "service" they provide now requires me to take the pair to another shop for a full reconing, as Speaker Repair and Reconing Service has ruined the cone in one of my monitors
thanks for listening,
DavidLeave a comment:
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I picked up a pair of Dm2000's about 5 years ago. One of the Kevlar drivers
was blown. My B&W dealer didnt think B&W could fix it but contacted them and they offered to look at it. about 3 weeks later it was returned repaired and has worked without incident. It cost me less than $100.00. I also have a pair of DM1400's and they're both great speakers considering their age.Leave a comment:
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I just picked up a pair of DM3000's a few days ago. These things are awesome. The imaging is just outstanding and for the price I don't think that they can be beat.
I am driving them with a 170 WPC receiver but plan on swapping in a 200 wpc QSC PLX amp for a test drive. I hear that these require a lot of power. That is a big change from a pair of Klipsch Belles that I am driving with a pair of 4 wpc SET tube amps.
ChrisLeave a comment:
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That's what I say every time I check my bank balence! - I remember reading a while ago (HiFi Choice most likely) a reviewers opinion that the essence of HiFi hadn't changed drastically since the fifties; probably a bit over-simplified, & I certainly can't say I had the pleasure of checking out the best of the crop back then (was that a murmour from the SE clan?) but I'd be interested to hear anyones opinions who have - remember we're talking essence not gear; nuance, aura, imaging etc - don't want a pile of iPOD replies!Originally posted by PavelLOr could that mean we should NOT fall prey to agressive marketing
And start spending our money on MUSIC. After all good music sounds good even on poor systems, yet no speakers in the world /no matter how good they are/ can do anything to really bad music 
Cheers - ScratchLeave a comment:
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Wow. Thanks Kevin!
Hi Kevin. 2006 started actually good with your suggestion!Originally posted by Wizard-of-Odd Thank you very much. First thing tomorrow @ resonable hours I'll give them a call. I will let you know of the outcome! Thank you very very much for your help!
Regards,
SerbanLeave a comment:
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dOOMY, You might try Speaker Repair & Reconing Service in Denver. Their address is 900 S. Pearl St, Denver, CO 80209. Phone number 303-778-1617. I have dealt with Jim Phillips. They have a fairly good stock of B&W speakers plus they re-cone as well.
I love the DM3000's - I have 4.
Hope this helps,
KevinLeave a comment:
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Or could that mean we should NOT fall prey to agressive marketingOriginally posted by caleb And start spending our money on MUSIC. After all good music sounds good even on poor systems, yet no speakers in the world /no matter how good they are/ can do anything to really bad music
Leave a comment:
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DM3000 drivers needed...
Hello fellow DM3000 connoisseurs...
This is the only place on the internet where people are talking about the B&W DM3000 speakers so I will have a quick input and request too...
I am a B&W user for almost 3 years. My system consist of the 6 series, DM602 S3 in the front, 600 S3 in the rears and a LCR 60 S3 in the middle. 2 months ago I came across a pair of DM3000 speakers and, because the price was really good, I bought them mostly based on their looks (were looking like new....). I had a huge revelation when I installed them at home and found my DM600 S3 sounding like cheap RadioShack speakers compared to the huge DM3000. They really sound like BIG speakers... huge soundstage and oh so sweet midrange...
Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, one of the drivers simply died. Took it off and found that the coil is heavily touching the magnet and, as a result, is burnt. I searched the whole internet and eBay and all on-line marketplaces for a replacement driver and the only one I found was through B&W North America and costs 300$ and is black (the original ones are brown). So... life sucks and I'm without hope.
Now my question… Is there anybody having any knowledge or information of a BZ200 driver (that's the B&W name of the DM2000/3000 kevlar drivers)? Apparently it's a 15Ohm (?!) driver found in the 1983~1985 B&W DM2000, DM3000 and I believe DM14 too. It's a yellow kevlar driver with a black dust cone. Diameter is 6.5" and is mounted with 6 screws... Any information will be rewarded with sincere tears!
Thanks,
SerbanLeave a comment:
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Tweeter unit for the DM3000?
Hi,
I just joined HTGuide and this forum, trying to find information on the B&W DM3000s. I live in Copenhagen, and about a month ago I no less than found a trashed pair of DM3000s. (There is a shed in my backyard for people to dump large-size trash, and somebody had left these speakers there along with almost an entire stereo, the cd-player being overtly defect.) I didn't know of this B&W model but I knew that B&W makes excellent speakers, and since the units and the speakers as such seemed to be in good condition, I thought I might as well try to bring them into my flat and check if they were actually ready to trash or if some jerk had simply bought a new stereo and didn't care to sell or give the old one away. It turned out that the tweeter unit in one of the speakers was silent, but apart from this, everything was alive and kicking! I installed a tweeter from another speaker, just to get sort of an overall impression, and I knew right away that these speakers were something else, having listened to a good many low- and mid-priced B&W speakers before.
I've been trying to get hold of an intact tweeter for my new speakers, but apparently they are long out of production. Does anybody have an idea of how I could obtain the right unit or, alternatively, a pair of similar tweeter units that would make an acceptable fit for the DM3000s?
Best regards,
Sune S. Mortensen, CopenhagenLeave a comment:
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Question based on a dedicated 2 channel stereo set up!
As I stated earlier I am using my denon 3805 as a pre, (since I have a 2 channel stereo amp). I am relatively certain a pre amp would further enhance the quality of sound being reproduced from DM3000’s however I don’t know to what degree.
Since I plan to build a strong foundation (equipment wise) with the scope of eventually getting into the Nautilus range what pre amp would suffice based on your own experiences?Leave a comment:
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Just talking about "old" speakers, for the first time today I saw and heard the original Matrix speakers and they did sound excellent to say that the technology is old by today's standards and they would give most modern speakers a good run for the money.
Just shows how B&W are street ahead of the competition.Leave a comment:
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Javis, even though they are somewhat dated, they are in pretty damn good condition.
Now just stay home adn listen to music......and dont go any B&W dealer anytime soon.Leave a comment:
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I beleive they were just under the Matrix series.
I think the CDMs/First Gen Matrix replaced the many DM series if I recall correclty.
Original Matrix Series --> Matrix 800 -> Nautilus 800/Signature 800 -> 800 Series
DM Series ----> CDM -----------> CDM NT ------------> 700 SeriesLeave a comment:
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These speakers are before my time. Are there any photos avialble?
Is there a 'history' of b&w speakers? Of when various models came out, original retail price, duration of production, etc...Leave a comment:
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As I recall, they were $1,900 USD per pair in 1985. There were two models in the range, the DM2000 and the DM 3000. The 2000 was smaller, only one woofer instead of the woofer and mid woofer in the 3000. They were only made by B&W for two years, 1985 and 1986. They got rave reviews at the time. The shape of the cabinet was an early attempt by B&W to manage the sound waves coming off the back of the speakers. They also incorporated an electronic time delay in the crossover, so that the tweeter and woofers were in phase as they radiated outwards into the room. The only real problem the speakers had were that the early production runs used a plastic top piece, which sagged over time. B&W replaced it with a glass top for most of the production run.
The speakers were slotted just below B&W's top of the line 801 and 802 speakers at the time, so in terms of price and quality they are analogous to the 700 series today.Leave a comment:
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Stantheman2
Do you remember what the 3000’s set you back?
They take quite a nudge before the Overload protection circuit kicks in!
I’m using an AVR 3805 as a preamp, powering them with an Electra Reference amp, 2 Channels at 250W into 8ohms (AUD$3500). I want to eventually acquire a high quality stereo preamp, as I'm sure this will further improve the sound quality. The plan being to have a seperate 2 channel stereo set up.Leave a comment:
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I bought a pair of DM 3000s new in 1985. I just sold them 2 years ago. Man, I loved those speakers. Accurate, open and dynamic - and cool looking! I only sold them because I had to get rid of my 2-channel gear as I moved into home theater. At the time, I had no space for both a stereo setup and a home theater setup. I tried working with the 3000s, but I e-mailed B&W and they said none of their newer speakers was a good match with the 3000s in a home theater setting. So, I now run B&W 600 Series 2. However, I do miss the old obelisks. One thing - they do benefit from good electronics. In a stereo setup, I was using a Luxman preamp and Apt Holman amp ($1600 1985 dollars) and it sounded great. When I tried driving them with a $700 Denon HT receiver, it just wasn't the same.
Enjoy those puppies!Leave a comment:
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Received a reply back from Stephen at B&W in relation to what series and model would be a worthy replacement.….Yes I spared him the melodramatics!
“It is difficult to describe an exact model as what we have today are quite different to your DM3000's. However, I am confident that a model from the 700 series should be on your shortlist, for example the 703's or 704's as either model is a worthy replacement”.
Just thought I'd share!Leave a comment:
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Get me a tissue... I think I'm gonna cry after reading this tear jerker.Leave a comment:
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Just thought I'd Share - DM3000's
Does anyone out there own or ever listened to the B&W DM3000? I stumbled across a pair 2 days ago in an ad which had just been listed so I immediately made an appointment to see them. They were in excellent cosmetic condition considering their age but more importantly the drivers looked perfect. They had definitely been treated with the respect they deserve. The guy even had the original brochure. It took 2 minutes of auditioning and my offer was on the table and reluctantly accepted. After we loaded the last speaker into my van I looked at the gentleman as he gave his babies a last silent farewell. He turned to me and said in a soft spoken voice almost teary eyed “good times, very very good times”. As there was no appropriate verbal response, I silently assured him with a facial expression that suggested his babies were going to be looked after.
Now these speakers really are in another league compared to what I have been listening to. I won’t even attempt a review suffice to say that the definition in the mid to upper spectrum of sound is just so detailed, so clean and so neutral. Bass is tight and authoritative. The overall sound imagery just draws you into the music. I managed to listen to some Diana Krall, Stacey Kent, Fourplay and even a little Satriani and every track I played sounded like I was listening to it for the first time. The best way to describe it is that I found myself listening to the music as opposed to scrutinizing my sound system.
I now understand why Bower & Wilkins are at the forefront of speaker development. If this is what they were capable of 16 plus years ago then I can only imagine what the nautilus range sounds like today. I believe that original year of manufacture was mid 80’s using laser optimized Kevlar driver units, electronic time delay, computer-optimized crossover network ensuring accurate classic 4th order Butterworth characteristics etc, etc,etc.
As I have never had the pleasure of auditioning any of the B&W range I am in no position to draw a parallel comparism. I would however for the sake of knowledge be very interested in getting some kind of comparism between the DM3000 and its equivalent within the B&W range today, if anyone out there cares to share.
Leave a comment: