Very detail and neutral sound. Tight and solid bass. Beautiful finish.

VERY LONG break-in period! Need matching speaker cables.

I tested the CM series (CM4, CM2, CMC) against the CDM series before I decided to purchuse the CM serie. Although I use them for both music and movie, I put more weight to music sound quality. Over all, they share similar B&W characteristics. Both CM and CDM have very detail high and sweet mid range. Although some people say that CDM NT''s elevated nuatilus tweeter sounds better, I could not tell the difference. The CM produces more neutral and reserve sound with excellent bass control, while the CDM sounds warmer. (I think the CDM is color, but my friend put it nicely that it has more character!) I decided to go for the CM series becuase of its neutal sound and tight bass. When I brought a new set of CM series home and set them up, I was very disappointed that they didn''t sound like what I heard in the store. The bass was very lean and the high was too bright. I kept the system running continuously for a week, its sound improves just a little. The high frequency became less bright, but the bass was still lean. I let it run for another two weeks, then the CM''s true quality began to shine. The thin lean sound was replaced by a sweet detail and well balanced music. So please be patient with your CM series. They really take LONG TIME to break in. You may also want to match your speakers with a good pair of bi-wire speaker cables. Subject to personal taste, I found Audioquest a better match than MIT. System Front B&W CM4 Rear B&W CM2 Center B&W CMC Sub B&W ASW 1000 Denon 3802 A/V amp (for center, rear, sub) Classe pre & power (for front speakers) Marantze DVD 18 Audioquest Quartz Audioquest Crystal

Similar Products Used:

CDM7NT, CDM9NT, CDM1NT, CM2, CMC

Depth and clarity. Bass response. Wonderful perspective

Placement. Also had some problems with the jacks, contacts not functioning properly.

These are excellent spekaers in terms of sensitivity, clarity and depth of sound. They easliy handle everything from Mozart''s requiem to Cassandra Wilson''s vibrant voice in New moon Daughter. Only problem is placement since they need at least 50 cm distance to the back wall.

Vinyl lovers delight, looks, they go easily loud giving you deep layers of sound and 3D stage images, tight bass, liquid treble... ohh, I''m getting excited by now...

Positioning, they are back ported, so... No black-ash finish. Too frank for your average compressed poppy album. For some styles, a good sub is a must.

When I knew that my local B&W dealer got the new CDM-1NT''s, I asked for an audition, since I wanted to up-grade my beloved pair of CDM-1SE''s, I moved to a bigger place and I felt they were not enough for their new placement. So I arrived to my date and the first thing that I noticed at the shop was a gorgeous and bloody good transparent sound, these guys had a set-up of some Denon''s fine receiver and DVD-A feeding a pair of CM4''s and oh dear... I just loved the sound, I sat down and relaxed, listen to some blues and some alternative music, my jaw was hitting the ground, anyway I asked for the real thing I was interested in... nah, the new CDM''s sounded great, but not as deep and real as the CM''s, they may be clearer, because of their tubed tweeter shape and more advanced technology-design, but those are technical specs, I prefer to buy with my ears than with my brains (dangerous thing...). Yes indeed, CM4''s need a long time break-in to start doing the business, but it''s worth the waiting and they need lots of space, audition with care, but if you like them, you will never regret. Another fact is that as almost any B&W design, they are so revealing that you will stop listening to cra..y recordings, specially mainstream pop or too old poorly mastered cd''s, but that is not a bad thing, it will even improve your tastes and fine tune your ears... well I hope so. If you can add a good Sub, try so.

Similar Products Used:

B&W CDM-1SE

Clarity, image, tight bass, great looking

placement sensitive, long break-in

After living with the B&W 602s2 for almost a year mainly used for home theater purspose. Gradually, I discover the joy of music and listen more rather than watching movies. After a while, it seems like there is something lacking in the sound of the 602s2. The bass is not as tight as it should be but that is to be expected in bookshelf speakers. Until I have a chance to compared it with the used B&W P4 which I retrograded to the back when my ear is still "naive" to the sound of music :). I should also mention that was the time when I used my DVD player which also doubles as the CD player (shame on me). So I pull the P4 to the front and what a relevation it was. With my new CD player, the distortion previously heard on the P4 is gone. The bass is way more tighter than the 602s2 and the mid range is so open, I realized what it is that was missing on the 602s2. While very good, the 602s2 sound restraint as if there was a veil between the listener and the speakers. Even as the P4 is better sounding than the 602s2, its highs still lacks the extension that the nautilus tweeter on the 602s2 which I was fond of. So I began to search for a replacement between $1500 and $2000. In the span of 2 months, I auditions quite a few in these range and when the dust settle the CM4 emerged as the overall winner. The CM4 while not as refined as the CDM7-NT, is so close that the 1/3 difference in price was not justifiable for me. Its sound is very open with solid image and depth. The presentation is more forward than the other B&W models. The CM4 is a very accurate speaker and will tell you what''s wrong in the upstream. Its explicit sound can be mistaken for coldness and sterile but when a nuance is present in the recording, you will hear it. It does not mask the music and portray it as it is. It is not difficult to drive these speakers but the impedance can dip quite low so a good amp is needed to make the best of them. It is also placement sensitive, in the wrong placement, the high can be emphasized and sound bright. The speakers should be separated by a distance of at least 5 and not more than 10 feet. It also has the longest B&W speaker break-in time that I have done. After 200 hours, they finally started to sound great. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titan V2, B&W 601, 602s2, P4. Product compared before purchased: B&W 603s2, 603s3, CDM7-NT, DynAudio 122, 62, 72, Totem Hawk, Forest, Paradigm Reference 80, 100, JM Labs Cobalt 816, 826

Very nice highs and mids. Precise imaging.

If you intend to use this in a surround set up, you will definitely need a subwoofer

If you want to buy B&W because of the reputation they have built, you can't go wrong with these. They look beautiful, and are much more affordable than the CDM Series. I am using it for my front in a surround setup, and 2 channel music. They are very versatile for a small room (as in my case) and can go up to much larger.

Definitely get a subwoofer, I picked up the REL Q150, and I am so happy with the result and how they blend so well together.

Similar Products Used:

DM601S2, CDM7SE, NHT Super Zero

BEAUTIFUL speakers. Very good imaging. B&W quality.

For the money, this is one of the best speakers I have listened to. I have about 50 hours on them and they are just really starting to loosen up. One of the most important things to remember when purchasing quality audio components is to demo them AT HOME. Some speakers just don't work well in some rooms, depending on space, floor covering, furniture; etc. I really enjoy the CDM series, however, they almost sound too big for the room that I would put them in, so I decided to go with the new CM's. No, they don't produce the bass of something with an 18" woofer; that's not B&W's style, with anything they produce (except subs, ofcourse). However, the speakers produce nice, tight, accurate bass; as well as outstanding mids and highs. These are great speakers for someone who wants the quality of good equipment without spending everything you've got.

My list(almost there):

Center: B&W CMC
Mains: B&W CM4
Rears: B&W CM4
Sub: Velodyne VLF1012
Rec: Denon AVR3801

Similar Products Used:

I have the advantage of working for a high-end audio retailer. I have been able to demo most of the B&W, Linn & Dynaudio product lines.

B&W sweetness, mids, dynamics, beauty, play loud

hmmmm.... long break-in, I guess

Okay, let me start by saying that I though that I'd listen to these in the HT setup more than music, but I was quite mistaken. In fact, music makes up more than 90% of my listenting time and I'm glad that I went with these over the def techs which I thought would be much better for HT.

That said, I cannot say how much I love the sound these make. The coherence, presence, and volume these can belt out is amazing given their size and delicate appearances. Quite stunning, actually. HT is quite convincing, too, although the CMC tends to make voices sound like they come from it instead of my TV, which is problematic. Suggestions?

I've had my pair for more than 3 months now and can honestly say there was a time when I wanted to take them back. They actually hurt my ears for a time between 2 and 3 weeks old. After breaking in, though, all that is gone and only bliss remains. I'm not looking for justification for my money, but I think if you're in the market for $1000-1500 you should give these a serious audition. Personally, I couldn't be happier.

I've find them great with classical, jazz, vocals, and well recorded rock. If you find crappy recordings, you won't want to listen to them on these babies.

As for stars, have to give 4 for bargain - they're good, but at $1300 they have some competition. As for overall - gotta go with 5s. I'm just too fond of their performance.

Similar Products Used:

tested Klipsch, Paradigm Studio, Def Tech

Probably the most beautiful speaker ever, sound that is more beautiful than the cabinet.

Fairly long break-in time, hard to locate a shop that has them in stock. Rear-firing ports don't make neighbors too happy.

I got into hi-fi with B&W speakers, and love their sound. But once my appetite for upgrading had grown, I started looking around at my favorite store. They had a long line of floorstanding speakers set up in the main showroom, and in the rows of black and brown boxes there were these two wonderful pieces of furniture called the CM4. I was initially drawn to them because of appearance, but was sold on the sound.

I was used to the normal "B&W Sound" of slightly rolled off highs and round mids, without any loss of detail. The CM4's do not have the traditional sound, the are brighter, clearer. The bass is tight and controlled, but it can be hard to place the bass guitar in the image on some recordings. The kevlar mid, once properly broken in, is incredibly even sounding, making male vocals sound extremely lifelike. The image is thrown fairly high, so that it sounds like the lead singer is actually taller than the speaker. I never had to look up at the singer while listening before I had the CM4's. The soundtage is also very deep; when properly recorded, drums are way back and vocals are far forward. Instruments are defined and clear, and the spaces between them is black. In complex recordings it is possible to still hear individual strings on acoustic guitars and hear the reed in woodwinds. But mostly, they just make music fun to listen to.

I have found that tilting the speaker back a bit improves the sound. Just a few degrees back, and the sound brightens up and becomes slightly clearer. Some bass is lost, but there is a definite gain, at least in my circumstances and listening environment, in detail and accuracy.

The CM4's are the first floorstanding speakers I have owned, and the first expensive ones. While $1500 may not be expensive to some, college students like me have few excuses to spend large amounts of money. I absolutely love the CM4's. The sound has explained to me why people spend as much as they do on speakers and hi-fi gear.

System:
NAD C541 CD player
Kimber PBJ
NAD C350 In. Amp
RadioShak 14ga "homemade Biwire" speaker wire (soon to be replaced with a product of quality)
B&W CM4

Clear detailed rendition. Strong treble

Lack of Bass

I auditioned these at a local dealer. The dealer raved about this speaker. I had a selection of recordings ranging from Classical to Alternative rock. These speakers were outstanding with good classical recordings. A Mozart Piano Concerto sounded fantastic. With poorer quality rock recordings I was embarrassed to be even listening to them. This struck me as lacking the key quality of versatility I look for in any component I would purchase. The salesperson suggested that these speakers would be fantastic with a REL subwoofer. That may be, but for the price range, I would expect a complete package. Hence my search continues. The Totem Forests have sufficient bass in a two way speaker package, albeit at a higher price. I may sink my money into these.

Similar Products Used:

Totem Forest, Paradigm Studio Reference, Martin Logan Aerius, B&W Cdm7nt

aesthetics, sound, wife is ok with them

Fear that dog will scratch them

I waited a very long time to get new speakers, mainly due to indecision (fostered in part by the widely divergent reviews that listeners give each speaker on this board) and the I'm-getting-screwed feeling I'd get when talking to speaker salesmen at hi-end audio stores. Rather than continuing to wrestle with the unsettling responsibility of self-determination, I suggested to my wife that speakers would make a good gift, and she picked up the CM4s.

I think she picked them because they look good and don't stand out too much in the den. I like the way they look, too, and love to listen to them. Soundstage, imaging, burn in, whatever--they sound great. The only audiophilesque observations I'd make are (1) their best and highest use is jazz (I decided to post something on this board after Sonny Rollins magically appeared in my den when I put "Saxophone Colossus" in the CD player), and (2) they require more juice from my amp than my previous speakers (I believe the initiated refer to this as "efficiency"), which probably suits my 200 watt amp better (this one goes to 11).

If divergent audiophile opinions are getting you down and you find yourself caught in a speaker-purchase-decision malaise, check these speakers out.

Similar Products Used:

George Foreman grill, Ronco dehydrator, sea monkeys