Buying B&W Speakers Online

[Creeping Deth]

Does anyone know where I can buy B&W Speakers Online? I've looked around and just can't seem to find any websites.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Creeping Deth

Does anyone know where I can buy B&W Speakers Online? I've looked around and just can't seem to find any websites.

B&W wont allow dealers to sell over the internet. You will have to negotiate with your local dealers.

[Creeping Deth]

Originally Posted by callas01

B&W wont allow dealers to sell over the internet. You will have to negotiate with your local dealers.

Really? Okay, that would explain why I couldn't find any online. Thanks for the info.

[talstarone]

Those are,indeed,some Incredible Speakers.
In sound quality and in build quality,B&W Speakers are set apart by their Extra Touches and Attention to Detail,not seen in many other speaker brands.

And B&W's are also some of the nicest speakers(on many levels) that are priced to make some of their models and lines affordable by more audiophiles then many other High-End Brands.

I Wish You Much Success in Locating a Good Dealer.And find yourself able to add a set of these outstanding Speakers to your System.

[Creeping Deth]

Originally Posted by talstarone

Those are,indeed,some Incredible Speakers.
In sound quality and in build quality,B&W Speakers are set apart by their Extra Touches and Attention to Detail,not seen in many other speaker brands.

And B&W's are also some of the nicest speakers(on many levels) that are priced to make some of their models and lines affordable by more audiophiles then many other High-End Brands.

I Wish You Much Success in Locating a Good Dealer.And find yourself able to add a set of these outstanding Speakers to your System.

I totally agree with you. Besides the sound quality, the build quality and the attention to detail are what really drew me to B&W. I found a dealer close to where I live, and I'm going to try and go over there this week an listen to the speakers I'm thinking of getting.

[Beta Man]

What ones are you looking at auditioning? You can get a decent break off of MSRP, but also Audiogon is a great way to go too (wish I would have went this route)

Good luck!

[Creeping Deth]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

What ones are you looking at auditioning? You can get a decent break off of MSRP, but also Audiogon is a great way to go too (wish I would have went this route)

Good luck!

The speakers I'm thinking of getting are the B&W 683 or the 684. For a center channel I like the HTM61 or HTM7. For the surrounds, I already have Polk In-Ceiling Speakers and In-wall speakers and I love the sound they produce, but would like B&W all around. So I'm going to get the B&W CCM65 In-Ceiling and the CWM800 In-Wall.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

What ones are you looking at auditioning? You can get a decent break off of MSRP, but also Audiogon is a great way to go too (wish I would have went this route)!

I have shopped audiogon many times, but I think there is a time and place to buy brick&mortar. I really feel strongly that if you go to a retailer/dealer and audition speakers--especially if you have a good experience and get a good demo--you have an obligation to buy from that retailer/dealer. That's how I bought my first B&W speakers and VAC amp.

The reason I think this is important is because audio is such a subjective hobby and retailers that allow you to sit in a room and compare speakers serve a truly important role. To then use the retailer to decide which speakers you like and then audiogon to get the lowest price does a disservice to the whole process. The retailer has to pay to keep his store open, lights on, employee hours, etc., and we have all made use of that when we shop there. To then deny the shop a sale is dishonest, I think. Many audio shops have gone out of business already because of online shopping. As more brick&mortars go under, it becomes increasingly difficult to audition gear.

I hope the day never comes when we have to choose our gear based not on what we hear with our ears but on what someone emails us or posts online. Retailers really do serve an important purpose in audio. The only times I buy on audiogon are when I do not use a retailer to audition the gear and have made up my mind what to get based on spec's or word of mouth.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Creeping Deth

The speakers I'm thinking of getting are the B&W 683 or the 684. For a center channel I like the HTM61 or HTM7. For the surrounds, I already have Polk In-Ceiling Speakers and In-wall speakers and I love the sound they produce, but would like B&W all around. So I'm going to get the B&W CCM65 In-Ceiling and the CWM800 In-Wall.

If you go with the 600 series for your L/R, you probably will want to stay with the matching center (HTM61 for instance) Not as important as the timbre matching, but the HTM7 looks vastly different than the 600's, and you'll find that some of the finishes of the 700's (Rosenut for instance... which is what I went with) aren't available in the 600 series...

Are you set on getting in-walls/in-ceilings for the surrounds? If so, that's fine, but you should also audition some of the nicer in-walls for the fronts.... they do offer some pretty nice ones.

Originally Posted by Gremal

I have shopped audiogon many times, but I think there is a time and place to buy brick&mortar. I really feel strongly that if you go to a retailer/dealer and audition speakers--especially if you have a good experience and get a good demo--you have an obligation to buy from that retailer/dealer. That's how I bought my first B&W speakers and VAC amp.

The reason I think this is important is because audio is such a subjective hobby and retailers that allow you to sit in a room and compare speakers serve a truly important role. To then use the retailer to decide which speakers you like and then audiogon to get the lowest price does a disservice to the whole process. The retailer has to pay to keep his store open, lights on, employee hours, etc., and we have all made use of that when we shop there. To then deny the shop a sale is dishonest, I think. Many audio shops have gone out of business already because of online shopping. As more brick&mortars go under, it becomes increasingly difficult to audition gear.

I hope the day never comes when we have to choose our gear based not on what we hear with our ears but on what someone emails us or posts online. Retailers really do serve an important purpose in audio. The only times I buy on audiogon are when I do not use a retailer to audition the gear and have made up my mind what to get based on spec's or word of mouth.

I certainly agree with this..... I would pay more at my local shop which has treated me VERY well in the past, but if a pre-owned set of speakers becomes available for half the cost, I certainly can't dismiss that though. My future audiogon purchase will likely be a pair of Thiels though..... as my local dealer hasn't been able to come up with a pair of them for me yet.

[MAL01]

Originally Posted by Gremal

I have shopped audiogon many times, but I think there is a time and place to buy brick&mortar. I really feel strongly that if you go to a retailer/dealer and audition speakers--especially if you have a good experience and get a good demo--you have an obligation to buy from that retailer/dealer. That's how I bought my first B&W speakers and VAC amp.

The reason I think this is important is because audio is such a subjective hobby and retailers that allow you to sit in a room and compare speakers serve a truly important role. To then use the retailer to decide which speakers you like and then audiogon to get the lowest price does a disservice to the whole process. The retailer has to pay to keep his store open, lights on, employee hours, etc., and we have all made use of that when we shop there. To then deny the shop a sale is dishonest, I think. Many audio shops have gone out of business already because of online shopping. As more brick&mortars go under, it becomes increasingly difficult to audition gear.

I hope the day never comes when we have to choose our gear based not on what we hear with our ears but on what someone emails us or posts online. Retailers really do serve an important purpose in audio. The only times I buy on audiogon are when I do not use a retailer to audition the gear and have made up my mind what to get based on spec's or word of mouth.

Gremal,
I respect what you are saying and for the most part agree, but let`s be clear what we are talking about, new vs. used. If you go to B&M stores checking out NEW stuff, taking their time KNOWING you aren`t going to buy from them only to run home and buy online then you are absolutely correct.

I had a good audition ( Two of them ) at a dealer and was looking to buy CM9`s. He didn`t have those so i listened to everything from 705 to 802D`s. He was to contact me when he got the CM`s in. He never did. I ultimately got 802D`s off of Agon. Yes i increased my budget alot, but i never would have bought the 802`s new anyway.

Most of the hi-end stores are gone and will only continue to wither on the vine. It`s sad but true. Who knows, one day one might only be able to buy B&W online, as long as they offer 30 days return its all good

I don`t feel obligated to buy anything from a dealer just because they let me hear their expensive speakers. IMHO it`s the dealers job to audition speakers. Some buy, some don`t, it`s business.

Anyway, just some of my thoughts.

Thanks.


Lee

[Gremal]

Thanks Lee and beta-man for the honest discussion. I bought my 802Ds online via ebay from an authorized B&W dealer in a different state. B&W does not allow this, and the reason I felt ok about it was because a) I did not go to my local B&W to hear the diamond models and b) my local dealers never budge below list price. I rarely make a big purchase without doing hours of listening but in this case I knew I needed to sell my N802s and get the 802Ds based on the opinion of Kal Rubinson...there are few reviewers I absolutely trust but he is one of them. If I did go to a local shop and demo the 802Ds I would not have felt ok about buying them online.

Originally Posted by MAL01

Most of the hi-end stores are gone and will only continue to wither on the vine. It`s sad but true. Who knows, one day one might only be able to buy B&W online, as long as they offer 30 days return its all good

There are many reasons B&W does not allow online sales--not only will it be bad for us if b&m dealers dry up (because we can't audition the gear), it will be devastating for manufacturers for a variety of reasons. For example, my speaker arrived with defective housing on one of the tweeters and it was very stressful to not have a local dealer working with me on the replacement. The out of state dealer sent me new housing and instructions on swapping out the tweeter. As you know, the diamond tweeter is very expensive and fragile--about the consistency of an eggshell. If you break it, the speaker is worthless.

I was very freaked out about removing the tweeter from the housing and installing new housing. Had I bought from a local dealer, the speaker would not have been delivered in that condition and new parts would be installed by the dealer under warranty. They would have either sent a tech to do the work at my home or taken the speaker back to the shop to complete the work. Luckily I kept my hands steady and figured out how to swap out the housing. The directions didn't mention that I needed to take out the midrange unit too, but that turned out to be the only way to access the nut under the tweeter housing and remove it. The procedure wasn't as easy as the out of state dealer made it seem. I could have balked at that work and shipped the speaker back, but that would have been an even bigger PITA.

I don`t feel obligated to buy anything from a dealer just because they let me hear their expensive speakers. IMHO it`s the dealers job to audition speakers. Some buy, some don`t, it`s business.

I hear you, but a lot of the shops are barely squeaking by month to month and most shops are more like a labor of love than a lucrative business. No one should feel obligated to buy, but if a dealer goes to the trouble to close off his demo room for you with a handful of your reference albums so you can decide whether you like a speaker and you leave the shop knowing you will buy them, the dealer really has earned and deserves your business. He is providing a service no online seller is prepared to offer.

[MAL01]

Originally Posted by Gremal

Thanks Lee and beta-man for the honest discussion. I bought my 802Ds online via ebay from an authorized B&W dealer in a different state. B&W does not allow this, and the reason I felt ok about it was because a) I did not go to my local B&W to hear the diamond models and b) my local dealers never budge below list price. I rarely make a big purchase without doing hours of listening but in this case I knew I needed to sell my N802s and get the 802Ds based on the opinion of Kal Rubinson...there are few reviewers I absolutely trust but he is one of them. If I did go to a local shop and demo the 802Ds I would not have felt ok about buying them online.



There are many reasons B&W does not allow online sales--not only will it be bad for us if b&m dealers dry up (because we can't audition the gear), it will be devastating for manufacturers for a variety of reasons. For example, my speaker arrived with defective housing on one of the tweeters and it was very stressful to not have a local dealer working with me on the replacement. The out of state dealer sent me new housing and instructions on swapping out the tweeter. As you know, the diamond tweeter is very expensive and fragile--about the consistency of an eggshell. If you break it, the speaker is worthless.

I was very freaked out about removing the tweeter from the housing and installing new housing. Had I bought from a local dealer, the speaker would not have been delivered in that condition and new parts would be installed by the dealer under warranty. They would have either sent a tech to do the work at my home or taken the speaker back to the shop to complete the work. Luckily I kept my hands steady and figured out how to swap out the housing. The directions didn't mention that I needed to take out the midrange unit too, but that turned out to be the only way to access the nut under the tweeter housing and remove it. The procedure wasn't as easy as the out of state dealer made it seem. I could have balked at that work and shipped the speaker back, but that would have been an even bigger PITA.



I hear you, but a lot of the shops are barely squeaking by month to month and most shops are more like a labor of love than a lucrative business. No one should feel obligated to buy, but if a dealer goes to the trouble to close off his demo room for you with a handful of your reference albums so you can decide whether you like a speaker and you leave the shop knowing you will buy them, the dealer really has earned and deserves your business. He is providing a service no online seller is prepared to offer.

That sucks about your tweeter, glad it worked out. I actually bought my 802D`s off Agon from an authorized dealer. They were ones he was breaking in to be demos. It was sort of nerve racking to spend that kind of dough through the net.
There are three dealers in my area and only one of them is a full retail dealer and it is an hour drive for me. I went there TWO times, even taking my wife the 2nd time. They didn`t have the CM9 that i wanted to hear, but were suppose to be getting them in soon. He was to call me when they came in but he never did, haven`t heard from him to this day. If he had contacted me and i liked the CM`s i would have bought them. I got tired of waiting and eventually discovered Agon and the rest is history. I feel the dealer dropped the ball and lost a potential really good customer.

I have added an HTM1D since that i bought from one of the other dealers that are a little closer. I bought new because (1) i didn`t think i could find one in rosenut used and (2) i wanted to develop a relationship with a local dealer. I`ll probably use him when i add my rears.

Talk at you later!



Lee

[Beta Man]

Lee....

Pictures.... I love the Rosenut finish!!!!


Gremal.....

Yeah, That's a great point.... Actually buying my speakers locally has saved me quite a bit of cash in the long run...

So Far (knock on wood) My dealer has GIVEN me 2 tweeter assemblies for the 700's, 1 tweeter assembly for the 600's, and one new Grille to replace a broken one...

I figure $100 each or so if I would have had to purchase the tweeters, and they charge about $40 just for a grille

All they ask, is that I bring back the broken ones, and I have to give them my serial numbers..... piece of cake! Great customer service.

[Canada]

I love my B&W set up. I would not buy them online though.

[ssmith3046]

I really love my 685's and HTM62 in the front and 686's in the back. I have a medium size room and they really fill the room. The 685's and my Marantz CD are great for music CD's.