700 series for HT

[herotongtong]

ok !!!

[weijst]

Calm down herotongtong! Some might think differently... You cannot come in here and claim such things without motivation. You loose credibility when you start to write things down as if they are facts, e.g.

...the 703 and the 700series are really harsh and bright...

You could have written that you experienced the series as harsh and bright and that you wonder if more people share this opinion. Heck, you might even recieve some usefull comments like "try listening to them on an ... amp".

[chinets]

I thought the 700 series for HT was Exceptionally good because I had them with 703F and 704R and ASW750 and HTM1 center, but now upgraded to 800 series . The 700 series were in my humble opinion better for HT than the 800 series In many ways. Not for music though ,the 800 were much better. 700 series are more precise and aggresive because they sound as if they are comming from a box, but the 800 don't have that so for HT they are too smooth. That is my opinion Only !!!!!!!

[csuzor]

I would have liked to see this original post before it was deleted, have the courage to hold your opinion...
Arrogance in hifi is a nasty character trait, which amuses me, because no-one can judge another person's preferences and priorities.

[JetFlyGuy]

For what it is worth, All of my experiences with the 700 series, most notably the HTM7 have left me with severe listing fatigue very quickly. In my opinion, they are have a tonal quality that I find unpleasant; No amount of aleged accuracy can compensate for me being miserable! I moved to the 800 series, and I am in love!

[csuzor]

For what it is worth, All of my experiences with the 700 series, most notably the HTM7 have left me with severe listing fatigue very quickly. In my opinion, they are have a tonal quality that I find unpleasant; No amount of aleged accuracy can compensate for me being miserable! I moved to the 800 series, and I am in love!

JetFlyGuy, from your previous posts, I believe you had 70x series, and you then changed to 80x series at the same time as you applied acoustic treatment, so you weren't sure just how much of a difference was attributable to the 80x series.

I am not saying the 80x series is not superior to 70x, they are and my ears were convinced. However, they were not sufficiently superior to convince me to not finish my speaker layout with a pair 703, and spending the money elsewhere (new bike, swimming pool, holiday, etc). I have no listening fatigue with them, they are bright but I consider that a quality that brings out high pitched musical elements, and is compensated for in my room with reverberations at lower frequencies. In stereo or with plain CD I am not convinced, but for mch sacd music the whole system sounds great.

If this forum is about bashing lower-end models, or trying to convince everyone to move to higher-end models, rather than sharing information about how to get the most out of each user's setup, that's sad.

If there is any thread that I am qualified to answer with authority it is this one. I went to B&W gear from mass market stuff, and initially HATED it! I complained for moths to my dealer about how it souned harsh, bright, and every other work you can think of. My dealer came over to the house and listened, and before I even turned the system on he commented that the problem was the room. I was initially skeptical, and it made me sick to my stomach to know how much I had spent, and to feel like it sounded better before I upgraded. I eventually purchashed a whole room acoustic treatment from RPG, and the differnce was unbelieveable. My suggestion to everyone in this forum is to treat the room.... And to answer the original question, in a correctly treated room, there is nothing EXCESSIVLY bright about the b&w's... They are accurate, so they are bright if the recording is bright, and warm if the recording is warm...

The only thing I can conclude from this is that that speaker, in my room, with that amp, was not well suited to play vocals that sounded good to my ear!) The next step I made upgraded the room acoustics, all speakers, processor and amp, so I can't really say which one made the biggest difference.

[RebelMan]

If this forum is about bashing lower-end models, or trying to convince everyone to move to higher-end models, rather than sharing information about how to get the most out of each user's setup, that's sad.

It's not that way for every one csuzor. Though, you make a good point.

[chinets]

Guys, What is Room acoustic treatment with RPG mean???. What is treating a room???
I think a lot of us have trouble with this terminology here, so please could you explain what do youmean by room treatment. We know it doesn't mean disinfecting the room (kidding), but what does it really mean??? Thanks guys!!!!

[JetFlyGuy]

RPG is a company that makes products to improve the acoustics of a room (i.e. "treating the room")

Basically, when you are listening to your equipment in your room, you are hearing a combination of sound that is coming directly from the speakers and sound that is refelected off of the walls, cieling and floor. The products that RPG makes are penels and other devices that mount to the walls and ceiling that alter the surfaces so that insted of sound waves being reflected they are either absorbed or diffused (or a combination thereof). When a room is "treated" with these products, the listener hears more of the speakers, and less of the room.

Check out RPG's site at: www.rpginc.com

Now I would like to respond to anyone who thinks I have 'bashed' the 700 sereies. One of the most powerful capabilities of forums such as this one is to tap into the experiences of other enthusiasts without having to spend the time and money to do it ourselves. To this end, I wish I had had someone explain their expereinces with me before I bought my 700s... Doesnt mean they arent great speakers... Just means I didn't like them. -And yes, I am sure they would have been much better in the room after I treated it, which is why I commented that the 700s seemed very sensitive to the lively environment in which they were placed. I have no desire to offend anyone in here.. Thanks guys.

(p.s. I really enjoy this forum, and hope that I have not alienated anyone with my past posts about the 700 series!)

[EAmin]

My only complaint as a 703 owner is the fact there is not a matching center. Other than this, the 700 series is perfect for HT. I hope someday that B&W realizes that a center is needed and puts it in production --- or lets us at least custom order it. I don't want to buy an HTM1 or HTM3 as I would like all to aesthetically match. My center sits on a stand in plane view of my living room. Plus, I have little ones that would tug at an 800 series tweeter.

[csuzor]

I know exactly what you mean EAmin, but to date this does not seem likely. Maybe if we all call B&W every other day to ask, they will get the message?

Can anyone comment on the 703 Vs HTM3S? Rebelman perhaps? (didn't you have the 703 before?)

I have an offer to buy a HTM3S from a member here, but I am tempted to buy a single 703 instead, to offer a more cohesive mch system. From the specs there is just 4Hz bottom end advantage to the 703, but in reality there is probably quite some difference bottom and top end? The 703 would match esthetically and acoustically, and is cheaper, but would place the screen off-center or a little too high (I've not decided yet if either is acceptable!). I have no intention on getting a projector with screen, I am looking for a big LCD, so sound pass-through is no option.

Since mch sacd is my sweet spot, either solution may be a satisfactory compromise, but which would you choose?

[JetFlyGuy]

I would go for the HTM3. Not many people would notice the slight sonic mismatch (and given the importance of the center channel for HR playback, having the extra strength in this position will help a lot)... On the other hand mounting the TV too high would be uncomfortable and noticed by everyone, and placing the center channel off center would totaly defeat the purpose. Good luck with your decision.

[RebelMan]

Can anyone comment on the 703 Vs HTM3S? Rebelman perhaps? (didn't you have the 703 before?)

... From the specs there is just 4Hz bottom end advantage to the 703, but in reality there is probably quite some difference bottom and top end? The 703 would match esthetically and acoustically, and is cheaper, but would place the screen off-center or a little too high (I've not decided yet if either is acceptable!). I have no intention on getting a projector with screen, I am looking for a big LCD, so sound pass-through is no option.

Since mch sacd is my sweet spot, either solution may be a satisfactory compromise, but which would you choose?

Sorry csuzor, I didn't own the 703s but I auditioned them in the dealer's showroom. For home theater applications the HTM7 does a suitable job and is a good match with the 700 series line, although I too agree that there should be a center built specifically with the 703s in mind.

Being that you are multi-channel music aficionado, I second your decision to go with another 703. However, a horizontal center would probably adapt to your setup better than a vertical 703 would. In this case I would actually recommend the "older" HTM1 instead of the newer HTM3S as it would be a better match-up.

Unless... you have future 800 Series upgrade plans in mind then I would favor the latter. Although, you will notice a prominent difference between the HTM3S and the 703s. However, if your upgrade plans are short, then you probably won't mind this, for the time being.

[csuzor]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I sold the HTM7 (see other post), and WAF prevents the 703 choice (still in discussion). I told my wife, OK, I can get the HTM3S, but if it doesnt match, I may have to upgrade the L/R... she walked out of the room!
It's not a bad upgrade strategy, for mid-term future.