Bowers & Wilkins. Great. Just great.

[Scooby Blu]

I live in a small apartment so I had to tone it down a bit I have the 686's for my L/R and the HTM62 for my center. As you said jaw dropping sound ! When I move I will upgrade to the 683's and the HTM61. Great tonal quality and just pure fun for blu's and music! I still like to listen to some good old Rock and Roll or Metal ! Have fun with your new speakers. They are worth every penny. They sound really good after a couble of liquid blu drinks from my post yesterday !

[Beta Man]

I am waiting for my new John Coltrane "One up, One Down" to come in the mail...... I usually listen to old worn-out Grateful Dead, and other newer jam-bands.... but I've collected a LARGE catalog of Blues/Jazz CD's and SACD's mainly due to my new appreciation (always liked Jazz and Blues before, but with the new speakers, it all sounds just SO GOOD) for the genre....

I've upped my classical collection to.

Someone put it this way ... "my new audio equipment rejuvenated my love for music in a time when it was waning" Not sure that applies to me.... but it's certanly increased my listening time.... that's for sure. I don't watch T.V. much at all... it's either Blu-Ray, or Music.

When I move I will upgrade to the 683's and the HTM61.

I think the HTM62 will match well with the 683's, so why not use it, and just move the 686's to the rear??? I wouldn't rush to upgrade the center.... it's not a "must upgrade" immediately.......


Yeah... I was drooling over the 800's and the voice of reason (the wife) talked me off the ledge.... I don't really have any regrets, but we both know an upgrade in the future isn't out of the question

[musicman1999]

Sorry but i just don't get peoples fascination with these speakers, i have done a lot of listening to the 600, 700 and 800 series connected to some very nice gear. I found some 800's to to be OK but they were $5,000 a pair and for that they can be beaten. The 600 and 700 i found to have alright bass but screechy highs and no midrange. I know people like them and to each his own but what do people compare them to?

bill

[tegal3]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

Sorry but i just don't get peoples fascination with these speakers, i have done a lot of listening to the 600, 700 and 800 series connected to some very nice gear. I found some 800's to to be OK but they were $5,000 a pair and for that they can be beaten. The 600 and 700 i found to have alright bass but screechy highs and no midrange. I know people like them and to each his own but what do people compare them to?

bill

+1 , I have listened to many speakers & for some reason I never really like B&W that much (this is just my opinion, i am NOT an audiophile). For me (again, this is my opinion) there are many other speakers that sound better than B&W like magnepan MG 1.6, MG 3.6, Legacy Audio Focus or Whisper, Dynaudio, etc.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by tegal3

+1 , I have listened to many speakers & for some reason I never really like B&W that much (this is just my opinion, i am NOT an audiophile). For me (again, this is my opinion) there are many other speakers that sound better than B&W like magnepan MG 1.6, MG 3.6, Legacy Audio Focus or Whisper, Dynaudio, etc.

I happen to agree with you re: B&W's, but this only serves to demonstrate that speakers can be a very personal choice. There's a fun thread running right now over on AVS about what constitutes a "neutral" speaker and do/should folks actively seek speakers which exhibit those neutral characteristics. Needless to say, opinions vary widely.

Hopefully, folks will take the time to listen to and compare a number of speakers in their price range, so that they may find the very best-sounding speaker for them. Speaker choice and room treatment have the greatest impact on audio quality - everything else is secondary.

[tegal3]

Hopefully, folks will take the time to listen to and compare a number of speakers in their price range, so that they may find the very best-sounding speaker for them. Speaker choice and room treatment have the greatest impact on audio quality - everything else is secondary.[/QUOTE]

Good advice

[Beta Man]

very good advice..... I always opt for an in-home trial...... I'm going to see how my speakers perform in their "new home" soon..... should be fun!

[prerich]

Originally Posted by RUR

I happen to agree with you re: B&W's, but this only serves to demonstrate that speakers can be a very personal choice. There's a fun thread running right now over on AVS about what constitutes a "neutral" speaker and do/should folks actively seek speakers which exhibit those neutral characteristics. Needless to say, opinions vary widely.

Hopefully, folks will take the time to listen to and compare a number of speakers in their price range, so that they may find the very best-sounding speaker for them. Speaker choice and room treatment have the greatest impact on audio quality - everything else is secondary.

+1 RUR!

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by RUR

... There's a fun thread running right now over on AVS about what constitutes a "neutral" speaker and do/should folks actively seek speakers which exhibit those neutral characteristics. Needless to say, opinions vary widely.
...

Do you mean this thread? I am now reminded why I hardly go 'over there' anymore. This post was really funny though

[RUR]

Originally Posted by HDJK

Do you mean this thread? I am now reminded why I hardly go 'over there' anymore. This post was really funny though

Yup, that's the one. The best of the lot is PULLIAMM, who posts endlessly that his Alesis monitors are the best speakers ever - simply can't be beat at any price and don't anyone dare contradict him.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

Sorry but i just don't get peoples fascination with these speakers, i have done a lot of listening to the 600, 700 and 800 series connected to some very nice gear. I found some 800's to to be OK but they were $5,000 a pair and for that they can be beaten. The 600 and 700 i found to have alright bass but screechy highs and no midrange. I know people like them and to each his own but what do people compare them to?

bill

What comes to mind when I listen to B&W is 'restrained'. I can understand why Skywalker sounds uses 802Ds for monitoring/mixing, they are great revealing speakers. Personally (if I had that kind of spare cash) I would chose something else for my listening pleasure.

[Woody]

Originally Posted by musicman1999

Sorry but i just don't get peoples fascination with these speakers, i have done a lot of listening to the 600, 700 and 800 series connected to some very nice gear. I found some 800's to to be OK but they were $5,000 a pair and for that they can be beaten. The 600 and 700 i found to have alright bass but screechy highs and no midrange. I know people like them and to each his own but what do people compare them to?

bill

As people have said, speakers are extremely subjective. B&W's don't rank particularly high for me, but neither do Focals. (the only ones I thought were decent were the electra 1037be, and they were way overpriced) *shrug*

B&W's are supposedly one of the best selling speakers on the planet. They must be doing something right.

[Beta Man]

This is why I always say "listen to them yourself" and when someone wants to know "what is the best for me" I always give more than one option for them to look into (I don't just say... "get xxxxxxx because they're great"

[Woody]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

This is why I always say "listen to them yourself" and when someone wants to know "what is the best for me" I always give more than one option for them to look into (I don't just say... "get xxxxxxx because they're great"

Exactly, recommendations are great, but they should only start your "journey". Buy what you like.

Even though Von Schweikerts are the best speakers in the history of mankind. )

j/k

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by RUR

Yup, that's the one. The best of the lot is PULLIAMM, who posts endlessly that his Alesis monitors are the best speakers ever - simply can't be beat at any price and don't anyone dare contradict him.

What a Clown...

Originally Posted by Woody

Exactly, recommendations are great, but they should only start your "journey". Buy what you like.

Even though Von Schweikerts are the best speakers in the history of mankind. )

j/k

NOOO! Alesis are!!!

[btf1980]

I'm a B&W guy myself. Personally, at this stage in my life I want a loudspeaker that doesn't add or detract from sound. B&W loudspeakers fit that mold for me. The other being Sonus Faber. I just love the Cremona M. Many other speakers just add too many variables into the mix. It colors the sound. I'm sure many people like "warm" sounding speakers, but I just want to hear what the sound mixer was conveying as is. I don't want to add my own flavor. It's another reason why I prefer solid state amps to tubes. Some people like the warmth of tubes, I don't care for it.

I hate to use the word "neutral" because many people use it incorrectly. The word sounds clinical and mechanic, not full bodied and lively. I think a better word is accurate. B&W are very accurate speakers. A bad record will sound bad, a good record will sound good. Some people are taken aback by this because they are used to speakers being abrasive and in your face...i.e Klipsch where everything is just boom boom boom with no separation or detail. No thanks.

[musicman1999]

Originally Posted by Woody

As people have said, speakers are extremely subjective. B&W's don't rank particularly high for me, but neither do Focals. (the only ones I thought were decent were the electra 1037be, and they were way overpriced) *shrug*

B&W's are supposedly one of the best selling speakers on the planet. They must be doing something right.

Agreed, speakers are subjective for sure. I have not heard the 1037be's but have spent some time with a set of 1027be's and was very impressed with them.

bill

[Scooby Blu]

I think the HTM62 will match well with the 683's, so why not use it, and just move the 686's to the rear??? I wouldn't rush to upgrade the center.... it's not a "must upgrade" immediately.......


Yeah... I was drooling over the 800's and the voice of reason (the wife) talked me off the ledge.... I don't really have any regrets, but we both know an upgrade in the future isn't out of the question [/QUOTE]

Good suggestion Beta ! What is this you speak of "not a must upgrade" I have never heard of such a word ? Ha ha ! Thanks !

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Proud owner of the M-1 satellites here. Considering the relatively small size of the speakers themselves, they offer eargasmic quality! The only problem is that I mounted them a little bit too high. But, I'm trying to remedy that by creating an elevated platform for the couch, thus allowing for a second row of seating without having people's heads in the way.