703 vs. 683?

[mechadsey]

A local dealer has one demo pair of 703's he will sell me for $2,600. List is $3,000.

I went in looking for 683, which list for $1500pr. What is the groups opinion on the 683 vs. 703? Dealer is out f 683 so could not listen to both.

[sunshdw]

A local dealer has one demo pair of 703's he will sell me for $2,600. List is $3,000.

I went in looking for 683, which list for $1500pr. What is the groups opinion on the 683 vs. 703? Dealer is out f 683 so could not listen to both.

For the money you'd spend on the 703's I'd go for the CM9's which , in my opinion, are better than the 683s and 703s

[Hoopofficial]

Whatever you buy, go to Audiogon.com and buy used. There is a wide assortment of quality B&W equipment there. Be careful because the B&W sound is quite laid back based on my brief experience with them.

[ray5]

Hi! Don't get sucked into this game. Buy what you like. The deals can be very treacherous and you always fall for it. If you like the 703's go for it and negotiate more. You are already shelling out more than you thought you had gone prepared for. I was a sucker a few months ago and fell for this game, though I am happy and broke but I grin at the mind games one goes through with this! Good luck.
Ray

[wgriel]

If you can't listen, it's pretty tough: all you've got are the opinions of other people you don't know and that's not usually worth too much.

In any case, I'll give you mine: the 703 is much better than the 683 (and better than the CM9, too). At $2600.00 it will hold it's value better as well, should you decide to sell them down the line.

I assume you listened to the 703s? If so, did you like them?

[Dmantis]

For the money you'd spend on the 703's I'd go for the CM9's which , in my opinion, are better than the 683s and 703s

I 2nd that opinion.

[mechadsey]

Thanks to all that provided input. Yes, I listened to the 703's and did like them. I guess the "stigma" of a discontinued model might be impacting my thinking.

I am going to try and find a retailer who has the 683's this weekend. Not as good as side by side, but at least I can make some judgment.

[wgriel]

Thanks to all that provided input. Yes, I listened to the 703's and did like them. I guess the "stigma" of a discontinued model might be impacting my thinking.

I am going to try and find a retailer who has the 683's this weekend. Not as good as side by side, but at least I can make some judgment.

Good plan - it's not the same as a side by side, but you at least need to listen to the speaker to see if you like it.

And, all speakers become discontinued in enough time: don't worry about that. Buy what you like!

[hifiguymi]

The 703 (which retails for $3300.00 so $2600.00 is a pretty good price) is better than the 683 and I have no doubt you will like them better overall. One thing you have to consider is the rest of your system and your electronics. Is this going into a home theater or a two channel system? If it's going to be part of a home theater what do you plan on for a center channel? Are you using a receiver or separates and does your dealer have that same brand for you to audition the speakers with?

It's such a personal preference with speakers that you need to listen, as you have already, and match them up with the rest of your system.

Eric

[wgriel]

The 703 (which retails for $3300.00 so $2600.00 is a pretty good price) is better than the 683 and I have no doubt you will like them better overall. One thing you have to consider is the rest of your system and your electronics. Is this going into a home theater or a two channel system? If it's going to be part of a home theater what do you plan on for a center channel? Are you using a receiver or separates and does your dealer have that same brand for you to audition the speakers with?

It's such a personal preference with speakers that you need to listen, as you have already, and match them up with the rest of your system.

Eric

These are excellent points! If you are planning on doing a 2 channel system, the 703s will be fantastic. If you want to move to a surround setup, you are going to have a more difficult time finding matching speakers for the 700 series.

And, even in a 2 channel setup, the 703s will probably benefit from beefier amplification than the 683s would require.

[mechadsey]

I will use them for both HTS and music. Right now I have a Denon 2807 but was planning to migrate to separates soon. Rotel probably.

My current system is DM601 S3 and the matching center chanel for these. I was hoping to keep the 601's as rear surround speakers and then set up to listen to music only 2-channel.

Am I crazy?

[aquaanox]

Actually, i think the 703 has better build quality overall from the CM-9 (i currently have the CM-9 and trading in for 804s). Off which is the better sounding speaker, only you can be the true judge of that. the CM-9's do sound really good, they have a much clearer presentation than the 683 which a freind of mine recently bought and ive heard a lot. if i was to do it over again, i would get 703 over CM-9 anyday.

Plus the 703 is made in England, not assembled in china like the 6xx and Cm series.

[wgriel]

I will use them for both HTS and music. Right now I have a Denon 2807 but was planning to migrate to separates soon. Rotel probably.

My current system is DM601 S3 and the matching center chanel for these. I was hoping to keep the 601's as rear surround speakers and then set up to listen to music only 2-channel.

Am I crazy?

If I read you correctly, you will be going with 703s as your L&R, 601s as surrounds. That will work just fine. Will you use your current center channel for movies? If so, that could be a weak point, but you can always try a phantom center (which some people like a lot).

Personally, I'd like that setup quite a bit: but I'm fairly biased towards 2 channel music and put less emphasis on multi-channel music and movies.

[mechadsey]

Yes, I feel the center channel is already a weak point. Only part of the system that I have a problem with.

Thanks for the suggestion.