Upgrade from B&W 685. 703? CM5 S2.

[Mark_89]

Hello,

as a long-time fan of B&W I have enjoyed my 68x-series theatre (fronts: 685, center: htm62, rear: 686 with a BK XXLS400 sub on a Marantz SR5003) for many years now. However, recently I have upgraded my job and now it's time for the speakers to follow suit. I absolutely love my 685s but the only gripe I have with them is that they do not sound as good at higher volumes. I have planned on buying a Marantz MM7055 to feed them more power but I think I need new speakers to fully remedy the problem.
Which brings us to the next problem: which speakers to buy. I have been looking at CM5 S2s but if I want to upgrade my entire theatre it'll cost me way way too much. The next logical step would be the 705s. Trouble with that is that I will have to buy them second hand and thus it'll take me a long time untill the set up is complete (I want 1 HTM7 and 4 705s). BUT... I keep hearing about these speakers being waaaaay too bright.
Thus the question: in my 4 by 4 meters room with limited space (back speakers positioned right up against the wall; these'll need equalizing to compensate) with an SR5003 as pre and a MM7055 as power, would the 705s (coupled with the XXLS400) be an upgrade to my 685s in terms of quality and high volume output (fronts have breathing room all-round; 50 cm back and left right)? Or would I be better off buying the CM5 S2s?

Regards,
Mark

[Mark_89]

And would it be possible for a moderator to change the title into "Upgrade from B&W 685. 705? CM5 S2?"? Made some mistakes there.

[TomScrut]

Why not CM5S1s then? They aren't bright. I haven't heard the 705 so I cannot really pass comment on that. You would perhaps get better benefits from buying CM1s for your rears if you go down the CM route as they are a lot smaller and less bassy, so you won't need as much eq

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[Mark_89]

Why not CM5S1s then? They aren't bright. I haven't heard the 705 so I cannot really pass comment on that. You would perhaps get better benefits from buying CM1s for your rears if you go down the CM route as they are a lot smaller and less bassy, so you won't need as much eq

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I wonder how much of an upgrade the CM5 S1s will be compared to the 705s. The non-boxed shape of the 705s coupled with the tweeter-on-top design and the larger cabinet just seems like more of an upgrade to me. And I need them in black. Only black version of the CM5 is gloss. And I absolutely loathe the scratch and fingerprint attracting magnetism of a gloss black finish.
Too bad I can't compare them.

[TomScrut]

Yeah I dislike gloss black too. Even the marlan heads on my 802s annoy me for dust etc it amazes me that people buy the whole speaker in gloss black!

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[sgtjim57]

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649162795-bampw-bowers-amp-wilkens-htm-7-center-speaker-and-703-speakers-maple-mint-condition/

Opportunity if near Rochester NY

[dan87951]

If you're looking for more control at higher volume you shouldn't be looking at a bookshelf speaker. The 685 can play pretty loud at a reasonable volume while still having control. Since loudness is what you want, I'm curious what size room you are trying to fill? In my opinion, the sweet spot in the B&W line up is the CM9's. These speaker will blow the doors off a set of old N804's any day and there not that much more on the used market than a pair of new CM5's.

[TomScrut]

I don't think the CM9 (S1, I haven't heard the S2) is a better speaker than the N804. Better bass perhaps (bass being almost non existent on the N804) but everything else the N804 does better IMO. The CM9 is a good speaker though, I just think that the N804 is better. I did only own them 2 weeks though as I got chance of a pair of 803Ss straight after I bought them and that was a completely different level. I find the S1 CM9s a bit laid back for my liking though so that's maybe why.

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[dan87951]

I don't think the CM9 (S1, I haven't heard the S2) is a better speaker than the N804. Better bass perhaps (bass being almost non existent on the N804) but everything else the N804 does better IMO. The CM9 is a good speaker though, I just think that the N804 is better. I did only own them 2 weeks though as I got chance of a pair of 803Ss straight after I bought them and that was a completely different level. I find the S1 CM9s a bit laid back for my liking though so that's maybe why.

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I'm surprised to hear you say that. The N804 is not good at anything. It lacks bass and depth and is just too bright of a speaker for my liking. However, the 804S is a much, much better speaker than the N804 ever was. so hopefully we are not getting the two confused. In my back to back tests with friends we found the CM9 to have a huge lead in bass, depth, and a bigger sound stage when compared to the N804. So to me the CM9 is a much better overall package than the N804. However sound is all subjective so definitely buy what you like.

[TomScrut]

Yeah I wasn't arguing with you more saying it's more a matter of opinion. I just preferred the brighter presentation really, despite the lack of bass. And no the 804S is easily better than both of them, it was S series I wanted really, but I couldn't find any at the time so got a pair of N804s cheap and then two weeks later someone who I had approached about some 803Ss finally got back to me so I bought them and moved the 804s on. They were way better in every way!

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[Mark_89]

Allright; back on the forum after a while. I ended up buying a pair of used 703s and the HTM7 center. Still restlessly scouring the second hand market for a pair of 705s for use as rears.
First impressions: treble prominence. Not sharp; just a lot of it. But dem details.. h: Songs like Avalon from Roxy Music sounded incredible with all the details. But I am still getting used to the sound. Starting to like it more and more though. Very detailed; as if every slight sigh and whisper can be heard. Soundstage is awesome too. What I did notice was that with a pillow behind my head (I'm sitting 10 cms from the back wall) the highs softened to a degree that they.. uhm.. stayed in the plane of the speakers and not so much were playing in front of the speakers and almost inside my head. I intend to use this knowledge and use sound-dampening material on the back wall.
What I did notice is that because of the slighty overblown highs the speakers tend to sound more analytical than the warm sound I was used to with the 685's and perhaps a bit.. yeah well boring. To rectify this I am thinking of installing the sound-dampening material as well as upgrading my receiver. I was thinking going Rotel and getting the RSP1572 and RMB1555 second hand. Other suggestions are welcome. What I demand in a replacement for my SR5003 is: 1) separate preprocessor and power amplifier of the same brand; 2) a nice match with the 703's; 3) modern processor with HDMI 1.4 and EQ possibilties; 4) future proof 5 channel amplifier; 5) second hand total value around 2000 euro's (2400 dollar's).

Room size... yeah. 3,5 by 3,5 meters of ye olde brick and wood.

Photo made using my potato:

[JamesCanning]

You may need 683's

Hello,

as a long-time fan of B&W I have enjoyed my 68x-series theatre (fronts: 685, center: htm62, rear: 686 with a BK XXLS400 sub on a Marantz SR5003) for many years now. However, recently I have upgraded my job and now it's time for the speakers to follow suit. I absolutely love my 685s but the only gripe I have with them is that they do not sound as good at higher volumes. I have planned on buying a Marantz MM7055 to feed them more power but I think I need new speakers to fully remedy the problem.
Which brings us to the next problem: which speakers to buy. I have been looking at CM5 S2s but if I want to upgrade my entire theatre it'll cost me way way too much. The next logical step would be the 705s. Trouble with that is that I will have to buy them second hand and thus it'll take me a long time untill the set up is complete (I want 1 HTM7 and 4 705s). BUT... I keep hearing about these speakers being waaaaay too bright.
Thus the question: in my 4 by 4 meters room with limited space (back speakers positioned right up against the wall; these'll need equalizing to compensate) with an SR5003 as pre and a MM7055 as power, would the 705s (coupled with the XXLS400) be an upgrade to my 685s in terms of quality and high volume output (fronts have breathing room all-round; 50 cm back and left right)? Or would I be better off buying the CM5 S2s?

Regards,
Mark

I just read your post. Maybe a good fit for HTM62 center and 686 rears would be 683's in the front. I formerly ran almost the same thing. I am running 683's in the back out of necessity, but prefer a smaller speaker that can be mounted higher, on the wall. Interested in 683's in pristine condition? (Ash Black), maybe a trade for your 685's could be made.....

James