Sound, looks, build

Need high class equipment

I have second pairs this speakers. First I sold because I need money, but if I brought some money I bought they first of all. B&W 7NT sound really excellent, with contur, quite bass (I like it!), nice and cleary mid and wery wide high , strange detailed without granulation. I don''t do copy in my review about sound and look from other people. I only say - strong recommendation

Similar Products Used:

B&W602,5 ; B&W603 ; B&W Nautilus 801 ; B&W Nautilus 802 ; ALR Jordan Entry 5m ; Elac 207 ; Dali Evidence 470 ; Cabasse Bali 352 and others

Super sweet sound throughout the audio spectrum

price, looks

I looked seriously at these speakers when I finally purchased the Klipsch RP-3s, so I do not actually own a pair. I did feel that they were incredibly silky smooth throughout the frequency spectrum. The mid and low bass were somewhat better that I had imagined that B&W would let their speaker sound like. Wonderfully warm and smooth.

Why did I not buy them? My experience with B&W speakers is that while they clearly and accurately reproduce the full spectrum of sound, they cannot distribute this sound throughout the listening room well. The speaker does not bring the performers into the room. This is something that Klipsch does well. Since Klipsch's Reference series is a little less harsh than older models, I went with that instead (despite almost overwhelming bass).

Another strike against this B&W which is peculiar to the individual is the god awful looks of this speaker. I understand the technical aspects of the look, but it looked just too ugly for me.

Finally, the exchange rate for the British pound vs the American dollar seems to drive this speaker a few hundred dollars higher than I am willing to pay for sound that I can tune into a speaker which is at least four to six hundred dollars less.

For anyone who does not like the Klipsch sound (as I know there are many), but would still like better highs than most speaker brands (almost all speakers to me sound a little muffled in the high end except for B&W, Klipsch and a few older Infinity models), this is the speaker for you.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602s1, Klipsch Heresy, Klipsch Reference RP-3

Imaging, 2 channel music playback, bass extension, neutrality.

none

My last pair of mains were the Paradigm Studio 60's...they replaced a pair of Studio 20's which I preferred to the 60's. Compared to the Paradigm on movies, the B&W's are only slightly better with more natural pans across the front. However put in a well recorded CD and be ready to be blown away. When I bought the Paradigms I listened to the B&W 6 series and at that time the CDM1SE and CDM7SE...both of which sounded sterile and harsh. I really wasn't planning on liking these speakers because of the performance of their predecessors...was I wrong. It was love at first listen, wonderful sweet highs and the silkiest midrange...and with the right electronics, imaging to die for. I would be less enthusastic in my review of the CDM1 NT's as I felt they lost a lot of the midrange smoothness and transparency due to the woofer being over-worked even with a sub. The CDM9 NT's were even more gorgeous sounding, but the price was a bit too extended for me, and I loved the 7's. On discs like Fiona Apple's When the Pawn, the paradigm's muddied and blurred the midrange, and threw no soundstage. The CDM's bring out Fiona's raspy and sometimes fragile voice beautifully, just as she sounds live, and the staging is incredible. I would definitey put these at the top of your list to audition if you are in the market for speakers that are reference quality on movies AND music. I auditioned the CDM NT line with Mark Levinson and Meridian equipment, but the following is my current system connected to the 7's and it sounds incredible if not quite as sweet...too bad I can't afford $6,000 electronics...

Rotel RB985 5-channel amp
Rotel RTC965 Pre-pro
Velodyne FS12 sub
CDM CNT center
MIT Terminator2 Bi-wires
Denon DVD 2500
Kimber Cable interconnects
Panamax Line Conditioner

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Studio 60, Definitive Tech BP8b, PSB Stratus Silver

Silky highs, open midband. Great bass in the right setting.

Sensitve to upstream equipment.

Wow!!!...everyone is buying these on here. Well I am another, and now I am broke again. Oh well, I am really happy with my purchase...now comes the tricky part...telling the wife. Wish me luck everyone :-)
These speakers have a great sound mainly as I think they reveal every subtle nuance that was in the recording, completely masked by some other very expensive speakers. I think the imaging is a stunner, as well as the high end and mids. The bass has quite the slam provided one experiments with the room. I found the front end equipment has to be right for these to sound right. I find Creek and Quad sound superb on this system. You have to love the styling, great finish. Oh oh...here comes the wife, time to take the dog out...for a week!

Similar Products Used:

Magnepan. Bryston. Creek Audio.

Crisp clean highs, great sounding mids. Sound is bright, pure, and as if you were sitting right in front of the performer. Listen to something like DMB or Eric Clapton unplugged and hear them rock

None that I can tell

Okay...I am a fool. I accidentally posted my review for this speaker on the B&W 7 SE review page. Now that everything is all straightened out...here is my opinion of this speaker.

All I have to say is WOW! These speakers are probably the best sounding speakers I've ever heard. When I went to buy speakers, I looked at a lot of high end stuff--but really focused in on NHT and B&W. The BW speakers just did it for me. I closed my eyes and almost thought that I was at a concert. They are great for all types of music--but anything with a little acoustic guitar sounds incredible.

These speakers bring a brightness and a crispness to the sound, unlike anything I have ever heard. I bought mine from a high end store in Toledo. They were floor models for only a couple of weeks. Included in the price was a set of Transparent cable--which pleased me immensely. All I can say is MAN what a great sound. 100X better than the Bose setup I had before.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 501, Paradigm, NHT, Polk Audio

Transparent, mids are involving and emotional, Highs are clear and not overpowering, clarity, mid-bass is punchy dynamic and responsive

Low Bass is weak but with a sub these speakers are incredible. However the amount of Bass they get out of such a small driver is amazing.

Denon 4800 Receiver
Toshiba 6200 DVD
Velodyne CT120 Subwoofer
Tara Labs Prism 2+2 Bi-Wire
Monster Power HTS 3500 Power Conditioner
Monster Cable 1000i Interconnects
Monster Cable 351i Subwoofer Cable
Monster Cable Digital

These Speakers are amazing!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

CDM Center speaker, B&W DM640's, Polk RT20001's

This is a follow up after 4 months of use of this speaker...

I have read the reviews by some individuals that these speakers are "too bright" or "harsh". My question to those individuals is, what setup are you using?

As I pieced together my system, I was running the speakers of of a Yamaha RXV992Z receiver (as a preamp) and a Sunfire Cinemagrand Amp. High grade monster cable was used from the preamp to amp, and Transparent Musicwave Plus was used from the amp to the speakers. I was playing music off of a Sony 200 disc carousel. Granted, those of you who are audiophiles, this is no the ideal setup, but hey it was "a transition piece". With the set up, I noticed that both guitar and vocal highs seemed a bit harsh as well. If I cranked up the volume, certain recordings were a bit fatiguing on the ear. Bass was lacking, and there was noise in the mids. While it beat the pants off my former Bose speakers, the sound was not as good as I would have liked. Nevertheless, it was not as bad as some of you have indicated.

In the past few months I have pieced together my permanent system. I am using a Proceed AVP as the preamp, the Proceed CDD as the cd transport, Transparent Digital Link reference between the transport and preamp, and balanced Transparent musicwave super interconnects between the preamp and amp (still Sunfire cinemagrand). I am still using musicwave plus as the speaker cable. After breaking in the cables I have noticed a tremendous difference in the quality of sound, as should be expected. NO LONGER is the sound harsh. Highs are crisp, clean, and non-fatiguing. Bass has been boosted substatially, and mids are very very clear. Soundstage is near holographic. The speaker is a different animal with proper cables and the Proceed setup.

For those of you considering this speaker, here is my advice-- the 7 NT speakers (LIKE ALL B&W speakers)IN GENERAL tend to be tweeter oriented. There is a focus on highs--ie, every symbol crash and guitar strum is heard precisely. Without the proper setup that high sound CAN become fatiguing. If you do not plan in investing in proper cable, preamp, and amplifier set up, then be advised that the speaker will not perform as well as other speakers. However, with enough power, a clean signal, and good DACS this speaker ranks up as one of the best I've heard in this price range.

To sum it up-- a $1000-3000 reciever and monster cable will simply NOT cut it with these speakers. You'd be better off buying NHT or Paradigm. If you want unbelievable sound...invest in the high end equipment (Proceed, Sunfire, Transparent cable) and you will have a system that will blow people away.

Clear soundstage; warm bass and mid; outstanding highs; outstanding detail

None really, but poorly produced music won't sound great.

I made the big decision to upgrade my mains, and headed out to the dealers to try out various brands. Paradigm, PSB, M&K, others. I used Mozart's Reqieum Mass (John Eliot Gardiner version), Ashkenazy's Mozart Piano Concertos, the re-mastered Who's Next, Dark Side of the Moon, and Pat Metheny's 1999-00 for test music. Speakers that could do well by all these are worth listening to, I figured.

These speakers stood out among the (similarly priced) group. Paradigms were the closest, but the CDM7-NT7 sounded clearer, as if the Paradigms were behind a screen that was blocking some of the sound. The CDM7-NT even sounded better than bookself B&W Nautilus speakers that cost about the same (I forget the model number).

It's now about eight months and I am still impressed by the depth and clarity of these speakers, after breaking them in for a good month or so (definitely an important step). Tiny background details jump out: the click and scratch of a pick on a guitar string, air breathed through a saxophone, a member of the audience coughing on a live symphony recording. I am driving the speakers with a Harman Kardon receiver at 80 watts a channel, but I don't play them loud very often. The clarity is there at low volumes.

The speakers seem best with classical music, maybe because the highs are so crystal clear. Hearing an entire symphony orchestra arranged on a tight soundstage is a real pleasure. Jazz sounds great too. And some other artists come through well, Lucinda Williams and Eric Clapton, for example. But as other reviewers have noted, these speakers are merciless with poorly produced music. The U2 Beautiful Day CD sounds as if it were recorded in mono, no soundstage at all. Destiny's Child (played by my teenage daughter) sounds horrible, and the highs cause fatigue. Linkin Park is all noise and no sound. These are not speakers for a rave party.

On the other hand, great speakers should cause poor production to be heard for what it is. And likewise for good production. Listening to Miles Davis's re-mastered "Kind of Blue" was tremendous, like sitting in the studio with the sextet. On Bill Evans's "Sunday at the Village Vanguard," Scott LaFaro's bass strings crack against the fretboard during his solos, just like the sound of live jazz. And that was recorded in 1961! These speakers are a great reason to rediscover all those CDs, albums, and tapes you've collected and not played for a long time. Listen to them through these speakers, and breathe a sigh of satisfaction for money well spent.

I suppose it's worth saying that these speakers are excellent for home theater too. Any speaker that can do so well with music probably would be. But I listen to about ten times as much music as I watch movies, so the music's the thing.

If you find higher-quality speakers for this price, let us all know.

My set-up:

NAD 561 CD player
Harman Kardon AVR25 MKII receiver
Sunfire Junior subwoofer
Infinity RS-1 rear surrounds.

Similar Products Used:

Genesis

Focus, soundstaging, incred. detail, smooth. LOOKS!

None for the price.

I originally listened to the CDM7SE and was a little concerned about the high frequency roll off and Harshness.
However, with the changes made in the CDM7NT, and the use of the Natulis Tweeter, the improvments in the High freq. and upper mids is incredible. It is very smooth and detailed. Bass is not overly large, but well extended and defined. I was using a B&K amp and B&K pre-amp setup. I felt the Bass was more extended than the Naut.804's at $1500. more.

Similar Products Used:

Snell, Energy, B&W 600series,sound dynamics

Quality of materials and craftmanship, nautilus tweeter and excellent bass response.

None for the price.

This speakers are great and outstanding, with totally neutral, beautifully voiced, excellent hi-end, midrange, excellent bass response for such a small tower speaker.

The best speaker I ever had. If sound is important for you , consider them in HT and stereo.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 640, Infinity Cappa, B&W 805