Decided on the CM Series

[SF_VR6]

So I did it. After months of research I pulled the trigger and got a pair of CM7 mains and CM center. I've been breaking them in the last 72 hours.

All I can say is that it is hard to imagine anything sounding better within this price range. More details to come and pics as well.

[hifiguymi]

Good choice. They are wonderful speakers and I know you'll love them. I look forward to hearing your report.

Eric

[DiveBaum]

congrats on your new speakers.

What was the first song you listened to?

What are you planning to do for rears down the line?

it's time to add yours to the 'pics of your setup' thread!

[Russ L]

SF VR6 - Sounds like you're enjoying the CM7s. :T Just wait till they're broken in! :dancenana: Can't wait for the upcoming report. could you let us know what kind of Amp and Source you're using? Also what type of wood veneer did you order? Does the quality and grain match the more expensive series? Is the bass tight and clean or boomy? Are they finicky about room placement eg. need to be more than 20inches (.5m) away from the wall? Don't mean to overload you with questions but my dealer doesn't carry them usually so I can't get to see them or audition them without placing an order so any help is greatly appreciated. Was thinking of placing my order this week but I guess I'll hold off to hear your review Best regards, Russ

[SF_VR6]

Hi Folks,

I'm busy breaking in my system right now with various movies and music. I'll have pics soon. until then here is what I am playing with:

CM7 main and center
Sony Bravia 46" XBR3
Marantz SR7001 (4x HDMI inputs)
Marantz DVD player
PS3
Comcast Digital cable box.

All components are via HDMI with a single HDMI output to the TV

I've played Star Wars Episode 3 (sounds amazing!)
Casino Royale Blu-Ray
Ice Age 2 Blu-Ray

I've been slowly breaiking the speakers in. They are sounding better every day.

more to come.

:T

[greenhorn]

Glad to see a post about the CM-7's.

I too just purchased (about a month or so ago) a set of B&W CM-7's. To go back a bit I posted that I had listened to them a couple of times at a dealer and wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be, was hoping to be? I already had a pair of CM-1's (which I was very happy with) and was waiting patiently till the CM-7's would be available. So the dealer finally got some in and I went in to have a listen, sounded ok, but again I wasn't wow'ed by them as I was with the CM-1's. I am just getting into the step up Hi-Fi game at this point and not the most Knowledgeable in this area, just mostly trust my ears.

Good fortune touched me and suddenly I had the $$ to get new fronts. I went back to the dealer again and demo'ed them again and did some comparison of them against the CM-1's and a few other B&W models. In comparison I liked what I heard this time and decided to get them. Actually I think the biggest problem was that I thought a good pair of speakers would make anything recording sound good. I since learned (with some disappointment) is that no matter what your playing it on, some recordings won't sound as you'd like no matter what you play them on. Also by now they had had some break in time. I didn't compare them with other brands as I wanted to stay consistent with a manufacture.

So where are we today?
As of today I'm very happy with the CM-7's for both Music and Home Theater.

With music (quality recordings) the sound quality is extremely clean, very nice separation, no ear fatigue at high volume levels. Highs ring true, there is very solid strength in the mid-range and the bass is clean, tight and fast. The detail that the speakers produce are pretty amazing, I hear things that I did not hear with my old speakers, both sounds and nuances. A fading note sustains so much clearer and longer than before. 99.9% of the time my preamp is set to 2 channel only. I now think the reality is the higher the quality the equipment, the easier it is to recognize poorly recorded music or music that is produced with more compression? I find some CD's of say rock music have almost cluttered instrumentation sound while other are far more cleaner and clear. Not saying that there has to be 100% clear separation to every instrument, but sadly some seem such a jumble or all mashed together.

On the Home Theater Front the CM-7's work extremely well. The sound is well defined with very good clairity. Left\Right | Right \Left sound movement is seamless. As with music the highs ring true and sustain very nicely. Mid-range stays very clean, no muddiness when things are busy. The bass is tight, strong and powerful. Watching a movie after we had first gotten the CM-7" (forget which one) and there was a scene where there was an off screen doorbell rung and a hello called out. I (wife and daughter also) would have sworn that the sounds were emanated in our kitchen...about 6 feet to the right. I don't specifically what function or speaker quality produces that, but it was cool. Have noticed that here and there in a few movies.

When I first had the CM-1's I had them as fronts for a few months (they are that good for the most part) and the back surrounds were old Polk Audio. Not saying it would be unexpected, but there was definitive sound break between the front and back. With the CM-7's in front and the CM1's in back the front to back sound is seamless, it's like an envelope, dome of sound.

Didn't mean to ramble, but I'm pretty high on the setup and if my descriptions seem a bit odd, again a bit new at this. Some one requested the complete setup on an earlier post, that's below. I've been putting this together piece by piece and I'm extremely happy with the setup.

Anthem AVM 20 - PreAmp
Anthem PVA7 - Amp
B&W CM-7 - Fronts
B&W CM-1 - Rear Surrounds
B&W CM Center
Panasonic TH-42PX50U - TV

To Be Replaced Eventually -
9 year old Polk Audio 90w Sub
3 year old Samsung - DVD Player

"Also what type of wood veneer did you order? Does the quality and grain match the more expensive series?"
I have Rosewood. The quality seem to be of very high order. As far as the grain, very tight and well polished. It's odd as in this day and age of cheap veneers and paper or laminate covers (for lot's of things) the high end veneer seems out of place a bit.

"Is the bass tight and clean or boomy?"
Tight and clean, no boomy. Strong clean and fast punch.

"Are they finicky about room placement eg. need to be more than 20inches (.5m) away from the wall?
Fronts are (have to be due to my odd space issues) about 20" away, can't saw what they would sound like farther back. I Don't use the bungs. CM-1's in back are only a few inches from the wall. The room they are in probably isn't well configured for Audio\Video but it all still sounds very good. Even sounds pretty good in the ajoining kitchen via open space to the right.

[RebelMan]

Fantastic choice SF_VR6 and congratulations on jumping the last hurdle! :T

Unlike the new 600's, the new CM’s are great speakers to behold both visually and acoustically. They are properly engineered loudspeakers in that they couple proven 800 Series science in a traditional yet beautifully stated cabinet. For those that care to know they are built at B&W's plant in England (unlike the new 600's).

As I have stated before the CM’s embody the soul of the 800's in ways that the new 600's don't.

By the way, Sound and Vision has a review of the new CM's in the June 2007 issue.

[Ted]

SF_VR6, congrats on the new speakers and I'm glad to hear you are happy!

Greenhorn, thanks for the detailed personal account. :T

A question I have for both of you: I've read a lot of complaints on here about the 703 with a HTM7 because of the lack of a FST mid-range on the center. Now the CM7 and CM are the same situation, do you have any problems with a lack of the FST on the CM? :huh:

Thanks and again congrats to you both!!

[SF_VR6]

A question I have for both of you: I've read a lot of complaints on here about the 703 with a HTM7 because of the lack of a FST mid-range on the center. Now the CM7 and CM are the same situation, do you have any problems with a lack of the FST on the CM?

The CM7 does have the FST driver. The CM center do not. The CM series sounds so clear and open compared to say the 600 series.

[greenhorn]

Yeah what he said... SF VR6 has it correct, the CM-7's do have the FST driver... Not that I know exactly what that is, but B&W's web site does agree with SF VR6.

Watching \ Listening to disc 2 of Led Zeppelin "How The West Was Won" :T

[Ted]

Maybe I worded it strange... I know the CM7 has the FST, but the CM center does not, much like the 703 does and the HTTM7 does not.

I have read people complain about the 703 and HTM7 combination because the 703 does and the HTM7 doesn't (because of this, people often recommend the 704 with the HTM7, not the 703), so I was wondering if you have any complaints about the CM7 and CM center not matching in their sound. I'm just curious, because I would be interested in the same set up for HT.

Do either of you have any complaints on how the CM7s and the CM match?

[Russ L]

In comparison I liked what I heard this time and decided to get them. Actually I think the biggest problem was that I thought a good pair of speakers would make anything recording sound good. I since learned (with some disappointment) is that no matter what your playing it on, some recordings won't sound as you'd like no matter what you play them on.

Thats what happened to me when I set out to buy my first audiophile setup. I had a favourite CD that sounded good on my cheap stereo and used it to audition equipment. I thought it would be high quality production as it was a Decca Classical recording. Later after purchasing my high quality Cd player and B&Ws realized it sounded truly bad. I was actually downgrading the sound of the demoing I was doing. ops: What a waste of time! Unfortunately about 10% of CD purchases are a waste as the quality is so low they're unlistenable. Compressed, etc...
thx for the answer to my questions greenhorn :T ...looks like I'll place my order this week...if I can get a good tradein $ for my 600 series speakers! Enjoy the new system, (powered by Anthem no less). Best regards, Russ

[greenhorn]

I was told (by the dealer) that the center channel was the 3rd most important speaker in a 5.1 configuration. As I am piecing my system together they are my most recent purchase, sequence was CM-1's \ Anthem PreAmp and Amp \CM-7's \ CM-Center. The CM-Center was replacing an 8 year old Polk center.

I only use the center for Movie -dialog, while I have some 5.1 Movie\Music discs (Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won, Peter Gabriel - Growing Up, Neil Finn - West 54th Street...) I prefer to listen to these in 2 Channel. Also no hybrid multi channel music only disc's. I personally think that by the time I got to the CM Center I was hitting wall of diminishing returns. I didn't find that the CM Center had quite the WOW factor that the CM-1's and the CM-7's did, but then to be honest I don't think there is as much to be wow'ed about in terms of movie dialog compared to music, I could be wrong there though.

The Polk Center did from what I can tell a decent job, the B&W does a good job. I don't know the in's and out's (going to head over to B&W's site to see what I can find) about the FST driver, so I'm not sure what benefit it should be providing to the CM Center channel output.

So far as the CM Center intergrating with the CM-7's and CM-1's sonically? I've always thought and heard the center as somewhat stand alone or independant, that there is not that much intergrated between the left front - center - right front as there is say from front to back. Movie dialog from the CM Center seems fairly well balanced and to "fit" with the rest of the speakers. I do not find it intrusive, out of character, or sticking out. The sound quailty and tone seem very precise in terms of speach characteristics and inflection.

Not sure how those who had issues with the 703 and HTM7 combination used theirs? Movie dialog, 5.1 Music Movies or hybrid multi channel music, but I think the CM Center intergrates well in regards to movies.

I looked yesterday and noticed the CM-1's didn't have the FST driver and I really can't say enough about how well I think they perform. In fact, I was seriously thinking about those for front and back, but the CM-7's were just stronger overall.

If anyone has some suggestions related to movies (or specific movie chapters) for center referencing \ demo'ing I'd be very interested. As I still have the Polk center it would be all the more interesting.

Oh and Russ L, I really love the Anthem AVM 20 PreAmp and Anthem PVA7 Amp setup ;x(

[SF_VR6]

CM Series Pics

Here are some pics of the CM7s:

[greenhorn]

SF VR6...

How is everything going? Likes - dislikes... what CD's \ DVD's are making your day, any disappointing? I've found a new Appreciation for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, they really have a great mix, sound fantastic.

Looks like you have nice space for your setup :T

[Aldo]

They look great! Congratulations!

[DiveBaum]

agreed. the speakers look great - that's the Wenge? you have a classy setup.

I heard the cm7s very briefly, and not with my music. for my approx $1800 im also considering the Dynaudio Focus 140s i'd love to hear more listening impressions.

[SF_VR6]

Thanks for the words.

Yes it is Wenge. It's very hard for me to describe the quality being it is my first HT setup. I'll do my best....

The speakers took about a week to break in. I have listened to many movies from HD channels HBO HD, DVDs and Blu-ray. The speakers are soo clean and crisp without being bright.

The best sound experience so far has been Star Wars episode 3 on DVD. The sound engineering for this movie is amazing. I am pushing these with a 110wpc Marantz THX Select2 AVR.

My receiver is:

silent at -71 on volume dial

-30 is soft listening level
-10 is medium loudness
0 is theater sound

I haven't dialed it pass +10. It's gets too loud up to this point.

The speakers really open up. No distortion whatsoever. The bass is clean and tight not boomy. I mid sized sub will go nicely to round out the lowest frequency.

What else can I say? Let me know if you have other questions that will help your purchasing decisions.

[SF_VR6]

SF VR6...

How is everything going? Likes - dislikes... what CD's \ DVD's are making your day, any disappointing? I've found a new Appreciation for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, they really have a great mix, sound fantastic.

Looks like you have nice space for your setup :T

Jurassic Park 1 DVD wasn't so impressive
LOTR DVDs were good on the sound

however anything on Blu-Ray seem to blow away past sound encoding technologies. maybe since you have more space on the disc, you can fill it up with more sound information resulting in the quality being sooo much better.

One thing is that since these speakers are so refined and clear, you will not get the smooth low frequency base if expected. I plan on rounding this out this setup with a 24hz or lower frequency sub.

maybe B&Ws to have a perfect line or go for a Velodyne. REL is also an option.

D-

[Russ L]

maybe B&Ws to have a perfect line or go for a Velodyne. REL is also an option.

:cry: Your comment made me realize theres no matching CM sub in the series. Oh well as far as subs REL or Velodyne would be a better choice than a 600 series B&W sub any way. Regards, Russ

[SF_VR6]

I am actually considering stepping up to the 700 Series subs

ASW750 or ASW700

The PV1 is really nice, but would not fit my decor. (reminds me of the DeathStar)

Actually have you checked out the new 600 series subs?
These are available with the Wenge' finish, abeit in a vinyl.

I'm looking for something that matches nicely aesthetically.

D-

[asuwal]

Has anyone compared the CM7 with 704? I was planning on upgrading to 704 but my dealer is telling me that CM7 is replacing the 704. Is it true?

[hifiguymi]

Has anyone compared the CM7 with 704? I was planning on upgrading to 704 but my dealer is telling me that CM7 is replacing the 704. Is it true?

No. They both have been in B&W's lineup together for a while now and will continue to be. Since the 700 Series is now the oldest in the lineup it will be the next to be replaced, but no word on when that will happen.

Eric

[wgriel]

Has anyone compared the CM7 with 704? I was planning on upgrading to 704 but my dealer is telling me that CM7 is replacing the 704. Is it true?

I've heard rumours (nothing authoritative) that the 700 series is on its way out, and new speakers in the CM line may replace it. However, I must emphasize that this is purely rumour gleaned from a web discussion on another site. I have no B&W contacts to confirm or refute this.

As to your first question: I spent some time directly comparing the 704 with the CM7, and it is an interesting comparision. In fact, if you can, I'd strongly recommend trying to listen to them both on the same gear because it's difficult for me to make a recommendation.

Having said that, here are some of my impressions and thoughts.

At first, I liked the CM7 better than the 704 - it does seem to have slightly better midrange detail. As I listened more and more though, I began to like some things that the 704 did better than the CM7.

The 704 simply had a "bigger" presence, and seemed to better capture the venue ambiance in some live music I was listening to (Eddie Harris, Tale of Two Cities). I liked the imaging and the sound stage better with the 704s, and of course they did have better bass than the CM7. I also preferred the 704 tweeter, but this may be simply a matter of taste.

But the CM7 is a very sweet speaker, and I would say is a better deal given the respective prices. At the end of the day, I was prepared to buy the 704 because I was offered a really fantastic deal on them and the price difference wasn't an issue.

I did make the "mistake" of listening to the 703 at that point, and of course I fell in love with it and bought it instead of the 704 or the CM7!

But I would say that you really do need to listen to both - it's not a clear cut comparison, and you might very well prefer the CM7.

Bill

[Briz vegas]

B&W do seem to have a awful lot of models but the 600 series, old CM series and 700 series have been around together for a while. I think you will find that hifiguymi is a dealer so he should have pretty good information.

[asuwal]

I've listened to the 704 before and liked it as an upgrade from 604. I'll try to listen to CM7 in coming weeks. Based on that result, I'll choose between the two.
Thanks to all who provided me guidance and suggestions.

[dknightd]

I've listened to the 704 before and liked it as an upgrade from 604. I'll try to listen to CM7 in coming weeks. Based on that result, I'll choose between the two.
Thanks to all who provided me guidance and suggestions.

Come back and let us know what you decided, and why.

[Ted]

SF_VR6: Just wondering how you are liking your CM7/CM setup? I was in another town this weekend and had a chance to listen to some CM7 in 2 channel (my local dealer does not stock the CM7's) and was very impressed for their price.

I think I may need to get a pair, my only debate is whether I should get them for my living room or to replace my speakers in my HT... HMMM decisions decisions...