Detailed mid range. Quite transparent soundstage. Extraordinary build quality and appearance.

Thin base. Their biggest weakness, as noted by other reviewers, is a "hot" upper mid-range.

When I auditioned them in the store, they sounded quite good and I was interested in them as front main channels for an HT setup. They mated well with the CDM center channel in the store and produced a very nice and musical representation of both soundtracks and the jazz music I heard. At the time, I realized that the electronics in the store were of a higher quality than my own.

I held off buying the CDM1SE's and used my EPOS ES-14's as main left and right channels with the CDM Center and B&W LM1's as surrounds. My strategy was to set up an "entry level" audiophile HT system while waiting a few years for the general level of HT technology to improve and drop in price. The EPOS worked well, but I wanted my main speakers to be more compatible with the center, so I bought a pair of CDM1SE's through Audiogon.

The CDM1SE's do not really compare to the EPOS. Despite the fact that my ES-14's are ten years old, they are a far more musical speaker than the B&W's. I had hoped to utilize the CDM1SE's as speakers for music as well, but this is very hard to do with my current setup. The main problem with these speakers is the frequency response "bump" in the upper mid range. This tends to thin the sound and create an irritating and fatiguing hot zone that severly limits listening time. For me, low distortion, accuracy, and detail in the mid frequencies define high end audio, and I was really very disappointed to hear such poorly implemented mid-range in these B&W's. I think the nonlinear mid range response does "bring out" the sound stage and mid range detail more, but creates a grating mid range with lots of grain and sibilance in the system.

Having said all this, I know I have to upgrade my source (I am using a Sony multichanger with a musical fidelity X-ACT DAC). The connection to my DAC is through TOSLINK, and this exacerbates the problem with the CDM1SE's mid range. Also, my ROTEL 985 5 channel Amp added some sibilance as compared to my trusty old Eagle 2A. The preamp, an Audio Research SP9 MKII should be capable of bringing out the best in the B&W's.

My recommendation to audiophiles that are interested in the CDM1SE's is to ensure that your elecronics are not bright, and possibly even "warm up" the sound (tubes). Do not buy these speakers if you have a medium or large room, as the bass is too thin.

In sum, B&W has built a beautiful little speaker that can produce a very detailed soundstage and create "audiophile" sound. I think these speakers were over priced at $1100 given their mid range flaws. They are working OK used solely in my HT set up, but I won't keep them very long and I am looking at major upgrades throughout my system.

Hope this helps.

Similar Products Used:

Epos ES-14, Linn index

Clarity, depth, seamless translation of music

Likes lots of power (not a weakness with the right amp)

I wasn't looking for new speakers, but happened to stop at my local stereo store for cables and started browsing. I really like my little Bostons, nice clean sound, detail. They have served me well for the past 6 years. Worked very nicely for HT, but musically they just didn't move me. I liked the Paradigm very well, and thought I could con my wife into a tower speaker in the living room (yea, right) Then I saw these little speakers in the "other" listening room. They had the CDM1NT & CDM7NT and the CDM1SE for demo only (I guess to show the great improvement, but weren't for sale.) I started with the 7s. Very nice, rich sound, much better than any of the others I listened to. Then we switched to the 1s. Went back and forth between the NT & SE. All I could say is wow. Incredible bass, smooth, warm mids, and high frequency that just reached out and grabbed you. Both were EXCELLENT sounding, but I thought the NT's were just a little too bright on the tweeters. No matter, I thought, I'll just tame them down a little with the EQ since the SE's weren't for sale. So I went home to do research (mainly this board) and decided I'd go back the next day and buy the CDM1NTs. But low and behold, I found a pair of SE's on Ebay for $500 and bought them immediately. The sound is just incredible! I don't care what type of music you listen to (jazz, rock, classical, bagpipes) these speakers will deliver a performance that beats anything I have heard. Wide soundstage, dynamics like you wouldn't believe. Put on some Harry Connick and you'd swear he was singing in the same room. On the Eagle's live version of Hotel California, I got goosebumps. These are the type of speakers you could listen to for hours and not notice the time pass. One word of caution. As with any high quality audio piece, it will dramatically show holes in your system. Replace all my interconnect & speaker cables with Monster Z series and the sound continued to get better. Even that $5.00 power strip from Radio Shack can seriously choke your audio system. The saying a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link is so very true when it comes to audio equipment. Anyway, BUY THESE SPEAKERS if you truly want incredible sound.
My System:
Marantz AV 600 pre and DP870 DD processor
Rotel RB956AX amp (50wx6)
Onkyo DVM301 DVD
AudioControl Octave EQ
Monster Cable Z series connectors
Billy Bags speaker stands

P.S. My wife still hasn't noticed I got new speakers :)

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustics CR-8. Auditioned Paradigm Phantoms, Energy Veratis, Paradigm monitor series, B&W DM,CDM1NT, CDM7NT, and the list goes on & on.

I have listened to these speakers at a local store and I want to purchase them. But in Canada the prices are too high.
I would like to know where could I buy them online at a discount. I have been looking but can't find any sites. Please email me if you know of any.
Thank You

Impressive soundfield-incredible highs/detail.

As other reviews have stated they are lacking on some lower
frequencies-I supplement with a sub.

I have four of the CDM1se's for home theater-I supplement
the bass with a Velodyne FSR-18.The soundstage and detail
are incredible-many friends are blown away at the sound.
With high end-clean power these speakers love to play
loud and clear.I have been into audio for many years-I
am truly impressed with these speakers.
Highly recommended!

soundstage, fast sound, looks, build.

bass

These are great speakers with an open, airy and fast sound. Their only drawback is that they don't have the deepest bass around (for stand-mounted speakers)

Look at my site, it's all about B&W

http://medlem.tripodnet.nu/spk/index.html

Similar Products Used:

Dynaudio Contour 1.1

some are saying the cdm- 1 is better than the cdm-1 se.no way. the old speakers crossover is a first order, this sort of crossover is supposedly more clearer sounding, but i swear, i cant hear it. also the old crossover lacks bass very much. i have had 2 other sets of speakers with first orders, they sound excellent, but only in a teeny-tiny room, & a tiny room speakers will not image. asmall room can have more bass. i am telling you, the new version is better. some say the new ones are harsh, they are not schrill on your ears, which is bad. they are dynamic, which can be bad or can be good. your speakers have to be positioned right in your room, have the right acoustical material, the right size room, & a concrete room will absorb sound for better bass.this setup will give you the right kind of dynamics. i like the new speakers better cause they have more dynamics. and i think more dynamics is the most important trait about speakers. let me give you an example. the new audio dvd players, coming out at the end of year, that is going to blow away cd players, has a higher dba dynamic sound level. these speakers are not schrill harsh, which is is bad. they are dynamic harsh, which can be very good.

Exceptional mid range clarity, build quality, transparency

very placement critical/ input critical.

I love the transparency possible w/ good bookshelf speakers. You might sacrifice a little with the size of the soundstage but for overall purity small two way speakers can be magical. After putting together a pretty good home theatre system, I was very dissapointed with it's lack of musicality. I became obsessed with having a simple, affordable 2 channel listening room. I started with finding the right speaker . Loved the Tannoy 8 inch bookshelf speakers, but despite their wonderful imaging would lose mid range clarity when more than a couple of instruments and voice were thrown into the mix. My musical preference is all kinds of jazz so this speaker couldn't work. I next spent some time with a very well reviewed Joseph Audio mini monitor. Loved the detail but for $1750.00 didn't fit with affordable and impulsive. Likewise the Nautilus 805's, though punchier and maybe a little more dynamic, didn't let me justify spending almost double. Finally the CDM 1 SE. Punchy, great midrange, strong tight bass clear high's and very affordable. Had to have them. Well I took them home bi wired them as recomended and hooked them up to the old Kenwood integrated amp that had been gathering dust since being replaced in my home theatre system and thud, not what I expected. They sounded ok but lacked the brilliance and transparency I had heard In the audiophile listening room. Well, one more trip back to audiophile nirvana. Brought home a Golden Audio integrated tube amp rated at 50 watts per channel hooked it up and, better but muddy bass and though very warm no brilliance in the midrange and highs just not what I was expecting. One more trip, this time a Classe Cap 151 integrated amp. Wow, these speakers came alive. By now they had at least 50 hours of listening and were breaking in. The sound stage was huge in width and depth and the sounds coming from these little speakers was transparent and pure and very "real". I love them now whether listening to cds or to analog vinyl on my 15 year old "new" Luxman turntable. If you want to spend more you certainly can, but if you are looking for the best value in an affordable and attractive audiophile small speaker, look no further. Just make sure you are ready to upgrade your whole system if you don't have high quality components! Now, if my new Osiris reference speaker stands would only arrive!!!...

Similar Products Used:

Triad, Velodyne, Tannoy, B&W, Joseph Audio.

Great sounding speaker. Has to be one of the best looking speakers I have ever seen.

It is not a weakness, but at times they can be too honest with not so well recorded materal.Need time to run in.

At first they sounded a bit bright. I had them bi-wired with 3.1 cable talk and have now changed to Kimber cable.
What an improvement!!!
I used to have the Kef Q65s(a bit slow sounding bit quite good)but I am so pleased I bought the CDM1SE. They can sound amazing with the right recordings.They are even better on Home Theater with a good sub.

Excellent highs and mids; great soundstage, quality build and looks

Not enough bass, but then they ARE bookshelf speakers

I bought these as dealer demos as the SEs were being closed out for the new NTs. I had been using the B&W CDM7SEs for HT and music for more than a year and loved them, but the layout of my family room made for awkward placement. With these little guys, I can put them on stands on either side of my TV without causing space problems. Combined with my Sunfire True Sub Jr., the 1SEs sound equal to the 7SEs. Visitors to my house can't believe the quality sound coming from bookshelf speakers. With a good sub, these speakers sound phenomenal. Highs, particularly female voices, sound very natural. Even at high volumes, highs won't pierce your eardrums. The mids are also fantastic. I don't know if I would have paid full list for these, but for the price I paid they are fantastic! I would buy them again. If you're looking for a compact speaker that can handle both music and DVDs with equal ability, check these out. There are many used sets for sale at this site and others. BTW: These speakers were built to be biwired. My value rating is based on the price I paid rather than the list price. My overall rating is based on the assumption that there is always something better out there.

The rest of my system:
Nakamichi AV-10 DD/DTS receiver
B&W CDMCSE center channel
B&W 601S2s rear speakers
DH Labs T-14 biwire speaker cable
Pioneer DV-525 DVD player
Marantz CC-67 5-disc CD changer
JVC HR-S7600 S-VHS VCR

Similar Products Used:

B&W CDM7SEs

- detail, looks, doensn't get on your nerves, smooth sound, delivers brilliant sound for all kinds of music

- bass (consider this a weakness for music that needs a large bass), placement

First of all, I want to thank everyone whose review is in here – these pages were the best help for me on deciding how to upgrade my system… I’ve started reading these reviews a week ago – before that, I had almost no idea of what was out there and almost found myself buying one of those Bose-Satellites for $500… Now I can just smile about this idea of mine…
That was pretty close…!

Well, here’s my story:

Old system (6 years old):
- harman CD 7225 + Receiver 3350 (In my opinion, best buy out there at that time to start with hifi…) + Speakers MB Quart One

This system served my needs pretty well [soft bass, not too much because of neighbors (…!), pretty clean sound for that money]

I only wanted to get new speakers… and ended up with buying the CDM-1SE and a Rotel RA-385BX.
I’m pretty happy now, also not having spend to much money.


Here’s my opinion:

B&W are definitely excellent speakers (although I admit not having tested the Dynaudio-Series which I “replaced” by reading the reviews… I know, I know… But the vendor gave me the B&W’s for a bargain, so I took the chance.) They sound somewhat neutral and “old-fashioned” when you first hear them.
To those recommending a sub:
I want to assure everybody who wants to LISTEN to music and doesn’t need a humming bass that you WILL be fine with these speakers !!!
…and if not, you can still get a matching subwoofer afterwards… ;-)

I listen to all kinds of music, and everything works just smooooooth…..:
- Rock / Pop, Radio
- TV-sound is excellent
- Classics (this speaker is made for classics!)

But there are definitely two things those speakers are built for:
- chopin/piano music
- female singing voices (e.g., Musicals, Cranberries… *wow *)

They are not made for:
- large bass. Although you should be fine when you turn up the volume a bit ;-)


Also, I had the choice between the Marrantz-PM68 and the Rotel-935BX. I tested both of them at home, and the B&W’s just started to fly with the Rotel amplifier. In fact, the Marrantz was pretty poor.
I’m aware that I could have got a bigger Rotel, but I didn’t want to spend too much – and I think the Rotel does the job very well. It made the Marantz look very bad in comparison.
[Maybe the Marantz PM-7000 would have been a even better choice – I don’t know. And my wallet didn’t want to know either, to be honest.]


Here’s my general advice for beginners going out shopping for a stereo (like I was!):

- Bring your own music, but don’t forget: a good piano recording, a female and a male singing voice, an orchestra composition, Michael Jackson [everyone owns a CD of him and they among the best pop recordings, that’s why I put it here…]. Be sure they all are good recordings, since bad ones will sound worse on better systems (because those show you every detail) than on mainstream consumer products.

- I’ve read it here before: When you hear speakers for the first time and you are stunned by them right away, it’s very probable they aren’t that good at all. A good speaker doesn’t sound spectacular, it “just” reproduces the recording as it is.

- Never trust any salesperson, forget about the hifi-rankings. Trust your ears and these pages here. That’s all you need.

- Take a recording with a talking voice. I don’t know where I read it – probably on this board… Normally, every human is very good in judging whether a human voice sounds natural or not.

- My dealer used a good metaphor: shopping for loudspeakers is a little like shopping for perfume…


If anybody’s interested in mailing me…
I’d be happy discussing more about this subject: steuerreform@gmx.de [For those of you speaking German: this is a pretty dumb e-mail address, I realise that ;-) ]

- A. Herzog, Germany