b&w help, cdm1nt vs 7 or 9nt (1 Viewer)

[David_Way]

Current set up is B&K Ref. 30, with dm602s2 as fronts and surrounds, lcr6 as the center, and a pair of svs 16-46's for the subs.
Looking to upgrade and am pretty sure that im going to get the cdm1nt for the rears (and maybe for the side surrounds for 7.1, budget allowing), the cdmcnt for the center, but I cant decide what to do about the fronts. Im waffling on the cdm line, between the 1nt's, the 7nt's, and the 9nt's. Part of this is that after reading threads about bass management, ive pretty much come to the conclusion that setting all speakers to the "thx small" setting on the 30 is the way to go. So if I do that, is it overkill to get either the 7's or the 9's, as most of the bass is routed to the subs anyway? Primarily this is for HT, but I do listen to the occasional cd here and there. And there is a pretty large price difference between them as well.
Any thoughts?
Thanks for the input.

 

[Ryan_D]

If you are going to use the subwoofers for music as well as HT, you should probably get the 1NT's. I doubt there would be much difference between them and the 7's and 9's since your receiver will be cutting them off at 80Hz anyway. The 9's have the FST mids, but so do the 805's for less money.
I went with the 9NT's because I like to listen to music on full-range speakers without a sub.
------------------
My HT Pics

 

[Henry W]

I would buy the best you can afford. You are better off to spend money on speakers than on any other single part of your system. The better the speaker the better your system will sound. Most people have far better main speakers than surrounds. Speakers will last for ten years and even longer.
Best regards-Henry
------------------

 

[Robert George]

Well, I don't know if this sort of advice is what you are looking for, but I happen to have just gone through the very same decision process.
I use the B&K AVR-307, and I decided that B&W speakers were what I wanted for my system. The first model I auditioned was the 7NTs. Loved them. Then figured I could stretch and get the 9NTs. After a day or two of consideration, I decided if I was going to do B&W, I might as well go for the gusto and get something from the Nautilus line. I was all set to take the N805s home, then decided if I was going into debt for speakers, I should get what I really wanted so I grabbed a pair of N804s and a HTM-2 center speaker and haven't regretted it for an instant.
IMO, the CDMs are nice speakers, but the Nautilus are a definite step up.

 

[David Judah]

I'd say go with one of the floor standers. Now, that is not to say bookshelves can't make good MAINS. In fact, I used the 602s as fronts for awhile and upgraded to 603s, 604s, and now 9NTs, but remember that 80 Hz crossover is a slope not a brick wall. I also think it is beneficial to have the extra cabinet volume and several drivers to share in the load below 200 Hz.
With the 9NTs you do get some of the Nautilus technology and many B&W dealers have an upgrade policy if you decide to go with one of the Nautilus' down the road.
Good luck,
DJ

 

[David_Way]

oh boy oh boy...
I was *really* hoping everyone was going to say "Yea, great plan, sounds excellent, save the money"
Dont get me wrong, I had planned all along to get the 9nt's, then with the threads about bass managemnet, thought it might be wiser to not go all the way with the 9's, and get the 1's. I thought with the money saved there, I could sell off my rotel rb-985 at 100x5 and bump up to the rmb-1095 at 200x5 and really make the 1's sing.
But i'll admit, i've been ogling the 805's, the 804's, and the htm-1 also. But i've really really really been trying not to open up that can of worms.
As to the upgrades, my dealer offers that too. As long as I double in price within a year, I get to upgrade once. I sold off a pair of the 302's today, so im short my rears. I'm going to upgrade the lcr6, and the last pair of 302's all at once as they are comng up on the year deadline. Was going to get a pair of 1's and the cdmcnt with the upgrade. They are letting me slide on the double up rule. Then get another pair of 1's new, and upgrade them to the 9's with in a year.
OR (open that can of worms)
Trade out the 302's and the lcr6, upgrade all that to a pair 805's to run as mains. Buy the C and the 1's new, run the 1's as rears, and then upgrade into the htm1 and the 804's next year. Anyone see a horrid problem sonically with this scenario?
Anyhow, looking at the bankbook, I wonder if ive lost my mind.
thnaks for all the valuable input, its much appreciated.

 

[Mark C.]

Great Plan! Excellent! There, are you happy? Actually, the 1NTs should be fine with your subs. My first HT system was made up of the CDM 7SEs for the main LR. Then I added a subwoofer and realized that the floorstanders were too big for my listening area. I sold them and bought the CDM 1SEs (the SE line is the predecessor to the NT line). I honestly can't tell the difference. I have all my speakers set to small, and the combination of my 1SEs with my Sunfire sub is fantastic.
I admit I still miss the look of my 7s, but the sound quality is still there. Of course, I went ahead and purchased Nautilus 804s for a music-only setup.

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

David,
I, too, am a B&W junkie
I just bought a new RPTV, but it was almost a pair of Nautilus 804s.
I started with a pair of 602s in the front, moved them to the back...put 603s in the front, upgraded to 604s 6 months ago, with an LCR6 in the center and a DS6 in the rear center. My dealer will accept exchanges for a year as well.
My 604s are on their way back about Christmas time to be exchanged for the 804s. IMO, there is nothing like those Nautilus 804s for less than 4k. They are very, very good speakers, and very much a step up (to the top of the hill) from the CDM series, which is a step up from the 600, which is a step up from 300...yada yada.
If you can afford to open that can of worms, do it The 804s allow you to see the sounds!
JustMHO
Jeremy "B&W Freak"

 

[Dave Morton]

If you're thinking of the 7nt or the 9nt but are going to be setting the speakers to small, I would suggest that you just go with the N805's. I went through this in December and thought the soundstage was better and clearer with the 805's and the cost is the same. I paid $1800 for the 805's The only caveat is stands for the 805's. The ones from B&W are ugly, imho, and are extremely expensive. I made my own using the 805's as as template and they turned out really well, for about $30. I
btw, my system is 805's for mains, htm-2 for center, and ds6 for the surrounds.
------------------
------ Dave ------
------------------
Link Removed

 

[Alan Kurland]

Definitely compare 9NT with 804s!!!!
I thought great, I'll go with the 9NTs, or 7NTs and save some money on the front speakers. When I listened to the 9NTs compared to the 804s, there seemed to be no comparision. Much, much better sound -tighter, more open and presentable. 9NTs sounder muddier, and loose with sound. (MY opinion) For the few hundred dollars more (7-800), for the long term, the 804s are really the way to go. Especially if any 2 channel music is involved.

 

[Steve_D]

Just agreeing with everyone who thinks the 800 series is a bigger step up then the modest price differential would indicate. I would go with the 805, center, use existing surround, save, 804 plan

 

[Frank_S]

David, I think your plan to go with 805's for your mains and hmt-2 is a good one. You really would want more amp power to run the 804's to their full potential so save your money and double your amp power and get the 804's next year along with the amp and move the 805's to the rear, good luck!

 

[Henry W]

Go with the HTM-1 center channel irregardless of any other decision you reach. The center channel is the single most important channel for movies and this one is the best.
Best regards-Henry
------------------

 

[Derrick G]

If you are going to use the subwoofers for music as well as HT, you should probably get the 1NT's. I doubt there would be much difference between them and the 7's and 9's since your receiver will be cutting them off at 80Hz anyway. The 9's have the FST mids, but so do the 805's for less money.

Just to clarify the 805s do not have the FST mids. That being said they are still incredible speakers. I would use them in a heartbeat. My original plan was to get the 805s for mains and surrounds. Then I listened to the 804s. If you demo the 804s more than likely you will start trying to figure out how you can swing it. I set up a demo with the 804s and HTM1 up front and 805s for surrounds. Words can't describe how awesome this setup sounded. If you can swing it financially, I would go this route.
Derrick G
------------------

 

[Gil D]

David,
I don't now your music to movies preference but if it's 90% movies I think the CDM1NT is fine. If you use it more for music listening I would try the CDM1NT at home and see if your satisfied with the sub blend. I tried to blend CDM1se with a sub some years back and didn't like the sub integration at the time, albeit with different equipment than I have now. If I were debating between the 1 and 7's I'd lean toward the towers since you don't need stands and could use them w/out the sub for music if you desired.
If you want to step up then compare the 9's to the N804s. IMO the 9's are good value. I wish they were available a year and a half ago as I would have bought them.
Personally I would use the existing 602s for the rears, upgrade the LCR to CDM-CNT (or HTM2 if you don't like the appearance) and get one of the CDM towers, but that's me.

 

[David_Way]

Well everyone, I must thank you for all your input on my question. I found it all very insightful and it was quite helpful in evaluating the speakers.
After waffling back and forth, and knowing I liked the 1nt's since I had demoed them for a week, I decided the only way im going to figure this all out was to go take half a day or so and critically listen to them all.
First I A/B'd the 1nt's and the 805's. I really was expecting to like the 805's more and be blown away by them. Quite the opposite. When I first starting switching between the two, I thought there was something really wrong, like a missed connection, or some bad wire going to the 805's. Where the 1nts were light, smooth, and balanced; the 805s mids seemed almost forced to the forefront, at the expense of the highs. There was a tad more bass in the 805's, but combined with the mids, it really muddied up the sound. It was very clear cut to my ears, the 1nt's were a much better sounding speaker. I think even my dealer was surprised, as he found he liked the sound of the 1nt's better and was expecting the 805's to be better as well. Even though he had never directly compared them. But he was quick to admit, while that the sound of the 805's wasn't bad, it had never really grabbed him. So 1nt's it was for the surrounds.
For the mains, we then A/B'd the 1nt's and the 9nt's. Back and forth between the two was smooth and clear, with no great discrepancies. The 9's, as expected, had greater low end depth, and the fst mids provided a more clearer and expansive midrange. For fronts and surrounds, they would match up perfectly.
Then for grins and giggles, we A/B'd the 804's and the 9nt's. Again, there was a level of refinement increase with the 804's. Bit more expansive midrange again, and tighter low end. I preferred the 804's over the 9nt's as I thought I would, but will have to decide how to swing it.
So, finally, I ended up getting the 1nts all the way around, the cnt for the center. The dealer worked a deal where he will let me upgrade the center to htm in the future, and I still have an upgrade for a pair of the 1nt's to go to 9nt's or whatever the budget allows in the next year
Again, thanks for all the input, just thought you might like to know the outcome.
David

 

[David Judah]

Congratulations! That's a great speaker system--enjoy.
DJ