Just added the HTM1..Oh Baby!!!!

[Britchie]

In the short time I've been playing with this thing I can come to only one conclusion....Amazing. This Bad Boy really bring music to life. The speaker drivers are identical to the 804's but the sound is different. Must be the cabinet. Vocals/Voices are much louder and sharper than the voices coming from the 804's.

I can't wait to watch a few movies tonight.

The HTM1 really brings out the best in an 804 configuration. If you have the room (and cash) I highly recommend adding this speaker.

[jlee]

Hi. I have the identical setup as you. The HTM1 is a bit more efficient, so yes it will sound a bit "louder." It will also sound a bit different due to the speaker configuration, the closed box design, and required positioning in the center of the room as opposed to nearer the walls (mainly in the bass.. the treble and midrange should sound about the same in theory ). One way to get the 804 sound a bit closer is to plug the bass ports with bungs to make it closer to a closed box design. This will make the bass a bit tighter. I used bungs from the 700 series speakers (you can order these through your B&W dealer).

I am surprised you find the voices clearer from the HTm1. How do you have yours mounted? I have mine mounted on top of a 40" Sony TV and although it's angled down and decoupled from the TV, the TV will still resonate and color certain frequencies. Therefore, I have personally found that some voices are NOT as sharp as with the 804. They sound deeper and most people would not notice this as coloration... some people have even commented this sounds better, but I know otherwise that is not how the actors should sound!

[sikoniko]

What kind of amp do you have jlee?

I have mine on top of my tv. I took some pics last night. mainly for insurance purposes with the coming hurricane, wish me luck ( I am in N Fl. so it shouldn't be bad, but we are supposed to get the storm surges).

anyways, I hope to post them soon.

I did buy the crutchfield tv shelf to sit it on the tv to prevent coming home and find it fallen on the floor. there is a lot of velcro between the tv and the shelf to help hold the shelf on that is probably providing some absorbtion.

the htm1 is an amazing center. very full, and very dynamic.

[jimmyp58]

Hope you can weather the storm ... sorry! Anyway, take care and I hope all is good after Frances blows through.

[jlee]

Currently running a 1095 amp... just bought a 1080 for rears... and am experimenting for the fronts and mains... anybody got a Classe CAM-200 and a CA-201 for sale?

[jimmyp58]

jlee:

Surprised that you aren't running the RB-1080 for your mains? Not that you can't do it the way you are doing it it's just that being it is a stereo amp, most folks use it for their mains because of its musicality. Keep experimenting.

Jim

[Azeke]

Currently running a 1095 amp... just bought a 1080 for rears... and am experimenting for the fronts and mains... anybody got a Classe CAM-200 and a CA-201 for sale?

Yes I agree, try the RB-1080 for your fronts, I believe it will make a world of difference. You may even be able to delay the Classe purchase for a while.

Congratulations on you HTM1 Jimmy.

Regards,

Azeke

[jlee]

Reason is because I wanted to situate the amp in the rear and run only 17ft cables for the rear speakers instead of 33 ft cables from the front. I can also get away with a 4m interconnect instead of 6m. I compared the 1080, 1095, and 1090... 1090 was a clear step up from the 1095 and 1080... but I'm not yet convinced the 1080 is better than the 1095 in 2 channel. I found the 1095 did some things better, the 1080 did some things better and so far, it's about a wash. I plan to do a bit more testing.

I also plan to trade in the 1095 for separate amps for center and mains, but for now, the sound is improved because I'm only using 3 channels. The distortion is a bit lower at high levels and I'm getting better channel separation front to rear.

[gostan]

As you all know, the HTM1 really sounds fabulous with 804's or 803's. I have been experimenting with different placement(s) as the HTM1 is difficult to situate properly with my Sony GWIII 50" rear projection LCD monitor. When I first obtained the HTM1, The speaker was too big to place on top of the monitor, and too big to fit on the shelves of the Sony stand, so I took out both of the shelves from the stand and placed the speaker on the floor (on top of some granite tiles to tilt it up to my listening position).

Today, I rearranged my entire listening/viewing room and decided that I will order the HTM1 speaker stand and place the HTM1 in front of my monitor. It will be a little forward of my 803 fronts, but it will be at the perfect height and I can reclaim the two shelves on my Sony stand (which I desperately need). I may need to order the stand as it is not a stock item at my dealer.