B&W Website Revised - CM7 Removed

[stuofsci02]

Not sure if anyone has noticed. The B&W website was updated sometime this week. I can't say I like the new layout. If I did not know the 600 series existed I might not have found it.

Also the CM7 is no longer shown as a current speaker. The CM8 is now in its place. We all knew this was coming, but the transition was pretty quick.

Cheers!

[dan87951]

The CM7 is a good speaker I thought. I'm surprised about the baby CM8's there adding to the lineup. I wonder what made them do this..?

[stuofsci02]

The CM7 is a good speaker I thought. I'm surprised about the baby CM8's there adding to the lineup. I wonder what made them do this..?

I just picked up a pair of used CM7 today.. They are from 2008 and are marked "Made in England".

I moved my 804s out and put the CM7 in their spot and listened for about an hour... Will need to do much more listening..

I also auditioned the 804Di today and the older 803D... I can get a killer deal on the 803D (not much more expensive then a new pair of 805Di with stands)..

Cheers..

[style]

Hallo,

I agree with dan87951. the CM7 is (was ) a very great speaker.
and the cm8 are very a baby copy from the "big" CM9...I wonder too...

the CM7 is "more" in All versus the new cm8..(ok LF but dimension please!. a cm8 with 3 x LF can give a boomy effect that the CM7 dont' bringt...
and the CM5 ??? from the 5 to the 8? noo.....


@stuofsci02 YOU need have a killer price fo the 804DI :W : I have change my 803D for a 803DI :T :T

greetings Style

[emig5m]

I moved my 804s out and put the CM7 in their spot and listened for about an hour... Will need to do much more listening..

Well I want to hear your review. When I compare speakers back and forth in my own system I really notice how much better the higher up speakers are once I swap them back in. The last two speakers I really put through the hoops was the 685 and 683 and let me tell you, I was almost content in dropping towers and going bookshelf speakers because of how amazing the little 685 was, and even with both crossed over to a sub at 80Hz, the 683 still easily outperformed the 685 with more open and detailed mids. But damned, the 685 + sub package will initially impress people more since it doesn't look all that, but blows you away once you hear it!

CM7 vs 804S? Sounds interesting to me! :B My next two speakers to put through the hoops is going to be the 805S and 804S once I get a pair of 805S. I want to see if the 800 series bookshelf maintains more of that openness in the mids and lessens the difference when crossed over to a sub or if it will be basically like my 685/683 experience. Either way, I still want them for my rear speakers, but really look forward to testing them as mains first.

[dan87951]

You can definitely hear the difference in the 800 series compared to the lower lines. In my opinion the tweeter is just leaps and bounds smoother and the mids are just that more clearer.

I actually had a set of 805D's on order but when the dealer called me to say they were in I actually came home with 803D's (last new pair he had). The 803D has superior in imaging, bass, and detail. Honestly it was no contest which it should be since I'm comparing a bookshelf to a pretty big floor stander (law of physics apply). I even heard the 804Di vs the 803D and I still preferred the 803D. However I was extremely impressed with the 804. The imaging and bass response has been improved dramatically from its older sibling N804 (never likes the N804) and 804S. When comparing the 804Di to the 803D it just didn't have the imaging the bigger brother could produce. The soundstage from 803D, simply put, was breathtaking.

[stuofsci02]

I listened to both the 804Di and 803D on the same gear within 5 min of each other and it was very interesting. This is also the same place that I auditioned my 804s (same gear too).

I found the new 804Di to be more revealing in the midrange and the tweeter is smoother as to be expected. The bass response was definately improved (I was amazed actually). The one thing I found was that they voiced the speaker so that the sound stage is deeper, but I found not quite as wide. On my 804s the midrange (vocals) really comes out into the room, where as the 804Di was not so much, but I had a better feeling of depth.. I think because it is a little more laid back the soundstage does not seem as wide. I am not really sure which one I prefer.. I am so used to the 804s that I could only say it was different.. The 804Di is clearly better then 804s, but I am not sure if I prefer the new imaging.

The funny thing is I listened to the 803D right after, and it had the same voicing as my 804s where the vocals seemed more toward the listener. Also in my limited listening to the CM7 I got yesterday I found them more forward too (like my 804s).. I wonder if B&W is changing what I have found to be a "trade mark" sound.

The 803D were definately not as revealing (on the highs) as the 804Di, but I noticed they had a superior sweet spot.. With the 804Di if I moved forward or back even just a foot, the sound changed quite dramatically. Not so with the 803D. I have to conclude that the 803D might be a little easier to place.

So here is the thing.. I am not sure which I liked better the 803D or the 804Di.. This is quite amazing since the 803D is definately better then the 804s..

Remember that I am in Canada, and pricing is typcially 15% higher here then in the US.. But here is how the pricing broke down..

They would do the 803D for $7000 CAD (MSRP was $10k and you could get it last year for about $9k before the new series).

The new 804Di is about $7700 CAD :E

The new 805Di is $5200 CAD plus stands.

And the winner is... My new CM7 which I bought used (private sale) for $900... Best speaker I have bought for less then $1000...


Style,

I like the new Di series, but I will not be upgrading my 804s anytime soon.. I think for the price that I was given, I would probably go 803D anyways..

emig5m,

I will let you know what I find in the 804s / CM7 showdown I am having today.. I won't say yet what I've found..

dan87951,

I think you made a good decision with the 803D over the 805di.. The 805 is an amazing bookshelf (I spent about an hour with it about a month ago).. Perhaps it even outperforms the 803D in the top end (803D isn't quite as engaging for me). But as an all around speaker the 803D is just better, and it should be (standmount vs. massive floor stander)..