B&W 685 or CM1?

[bruno]

Hi,
I was thinking of buying a pair of B&W 685, but when I went to the store the other day I saw that they had the CM1s on offer (down to 575 euros from 800), which makes them even a little bit cheaper then the 685.
My first thought was to grab the CM1s, being more beautiful and presumably better, but when I had a listen I started to doubt. The 685s sounded better to my ear, more open, more crisp, more fun. The CM1s in comparison sounded pale and tired, without the "sparkle" of the 685s.
What are your impressions? Could it be that the CM1s will improve as you use them, or could it be that they were combined with an amplifier that was too weak (I noticed I had to turn up the volume when switching to the CM1s)?

In short, which one would you buy?

Cheers
/bruno

[N2siast]

Bruno, it is always best to buy what sounds good to your ears. The 685s are a great speakers for the price. They have a bright sound to them whearas the CM1s are more laid back. I had the 685s great for HT, but felt fatiuging with extended 2 channel music play. Just my .02 cents.

[sunshdw]

As explained to me in a generic term, the 600s are more about quantity than quaility. So if you listen to a balance of music and movies then either would work but if you lean more towards music go with the CM1's. Decide what you are buying speakers for and get not only what sounds best to you but also for the application

:T

[altanpsx]

I think cm1 s are equal to 686. New Cm5 is equal to 685, IMO 685's are better in all over performance. If you drive them with the right amp.(roksan kandy, rotel...) you'll have very good stereo setup, and again IMO 685's are better then cm1.

[wgriel]

I'd guess that the 685s may do better with modest amplification, whereas the CM1s would probably shine when paired with better amps & sources. That said, the CM line definitely has a more laid back character and it may not be what you like.

[KyaDawn]

I auditioned both speakers at my dealer's yesterday and I was very impressed with both.

Particularly with the 685s, for their $700 price, I think they are an excellent value. I didn't hear either speaker in the best scenario as they were set up in the main room on shelves by the wall, but I think such a set-up is pretty close to what a lot of people will have in their home. Both speakers were driven with Rotel amps and Rotel CD players.

For the 685, I was very impressed with the overall sound and also with the bass. They certainly sound "bigger" than they are, with a nice smooth and warm sound. Very pleasing to the ear, but they probably lose some resolution when compared to the CM1s.

I also liked the CM1s. I think they were more detailed than the 685s, though slightly a bit on the "trebly" side. Certainly they are dynamic speakers, though they didn't have as much bass weight as the 685s.

I think the 685s are more suited for bigger rooms than the CM1s. They could probably fill up a good medium sized room, and might handle admirably with larger rooms. The CM1, however, I think is better for small to medium sized rooms. For larger rooms, a sub would definitely be necessary, though I didn't think the 685s "really" needed a sub, particularly for music.

Since you can buy the CM1s for less than the 685s, you have a difficult choice to make. If you like just a pleasing, easy-to-listen-to sound with nice bass, then I would go for the 685s. If you want more detail in your music, and don't mind less bass OR will add a subwoofer, than the CM1 might be the one. In the end, I would give them both another listen and decide which one you like best, irregardless of price.