i wouldnt be ashamed to share this review. this one is one of the best I;ve tried so far.

Window Installation CT

Plays good to all type of music 🎶 I can still listen to them for ours, sounds near to studio monitors

They need a strong amp to really control the lower bass

A lot has been said about their sonic qualities and I can only concur with most of them. These are the best vintage speakers for music listening under 5k per pair I have heard. Very precise and life like reproduction, great sound stage. There may be others that excel in particular areas (esp for the lower frequencies) but the B Minor had the best overall performance and relatively easy placement.
My best result is to drive them with my old Sansui CA3000 preamp and my trusted CJ MV75 tube amp.

On the down side I was surprised to find out that Snell didnt use the high quality drivers one should expect in this price category, I guess the excellent design made up for that.

Try to get a pair around $1,200-1,400 and you wont regret it.

very accurate speaker. Easily discerns differences in components. Superb spectral balance. Can play very, very loud without distortion. Very articulate sound, even at very low volume. Very musical -the closest thing to "live" I've heard.

Needs very high power to produce bass and kick drum slam.

Let me start by saying that there just isn't a better all
around dynamic speaker than the Snell B-minor. It is very accurate, open and detailed. This model is a true reference loudspeaker, easily discerning differences in components and recordings. This is the first speaker that I've owned that sounds very close to "live" as I've ever heard. It also has an amazing ability to sound superb way off axis; no more having to sit in the "sweet spot" to enjoy your music. You can be anywhere in the room, sitting or standing, to enjoy your system. I've also been amazed at how loud and utterly clear this speaker sounds when driven to high volume with super power amps! But what it astonishing is how articulate this speaker can sound also at low volume. Like others before have said, it's hard to part company with this speaker for under $10,000. If you are lucky enough to find a used pair -you'll have difficulty ever replacing them as these loudspeakers are truly an extreme high end, high value bargain!

Associated equipment:

Aragon 8008ST power amp
Aragon 28K preamp
Cal Tercet
Kimber Heros Interconnects
Kimber 4vs spkr cable

Similar Products Used:

B&W 802 S1 & S2, Klipsch LaScala.

My first really good speakers. Talk about beginners luck!They do all the things that I really wanted. They sound articulate at low volume, and excel when driven with power. I chose them over the Snell CV's, Theil, Logans, and a lot of others listened to. They have a great mid and a really nice pace and rythm to them. They're revealing too (this can be a tradeoff on bad recordings).
I think I got a great speaker without overpaying, and when I compare my B-minors to some others in much higher price categories, they more than hold their own.
I guess I'm just a Volkes?(the designer) fan. I like his Revel products also.

The bass was a little slow and not as tight as I wanted it, nor as tight and quick as the Snell CV's with two 8" woofers. The 12" woofer is just a different kind of driver
and requires plenty of power.
I also found that when I got rid of my tube preamp and went Levinson solid state, they improved a LOT in this area.

They love the bryston 4b-st,and will handle more power.
Biwiring ALWAYS helps. I use MIT 750's (2 pair)
Use only the BEST tube equipment if you prefer tubes, or just go quality solid state.

Very nice highs, sweet but detailed and dynamic, can play loud without getting harsh or distorted,reasnable soundstage,deep and powerfull bass

can not produce the ultimate slam of a bass drum, needs a big powerfull amp for decent bass, needs to be played loud to get the kick of drums, bass not as quick as some speakers

I have listened to many speakers over my 30 years of trying to achive the live sound of music in my listening room. These speakers are the best so far.On a really good recording of a big band they come awfully close to live. They are the only speakers that have produced the power of the band without being harsh. Strings sound sweet and detailed and are only harsh on bad recordings. The only thing they lack is the ultimate slam on bass and kick drum. I replaced my apogee divas with them, I switched back and forth for a year before deciding on the B-minor. I have listened to Dunlavy IV, Aeial 10T, B&W 802, Genesis 300,and avalon speakers to find better, but for the price the B-minor is a better all around performer. They need top quality electronics to sound right. A used pair at 1500 will beat any speaker under 10000, but you need a Krell, Levinson or equal amp and Levinson cd or equal or they can sound harsh instead of detailed.

Similar Products Used:

Apogee divas, scintalla

After listening to many, many speakers such as ML Requests, NHT 3.3, Hale Transcendance 5's, Aerial Acoustics 8's, Legacy Sig III's, Definitive Tech 3003, and others. I bought a pair of the B-Minors. They are great. soundstaging - excellent, accuracy - excellent, depth - excellent, and they are smooth, very easy to listen to speakers. Great high freq response without edginess. I rate these a five, if you can ever pick some up used, get them. I bought mine new. They are a deal

Lifelike reproduction,detailed,flat/wide frequency response

Snell doesn't make them anymore.

These speakers are great. I happened to stumble (long story)across someone that recommended them while I was auditioning other speakers in the $5-$7k price range. I saved a lot of money and feel I got a better speaker. I was fortunate that the only pair I could find for sale (Snell discontinued these,big mistake in my opinion)were in excellent condition. They are very lifelike with the right source. The guy selling them just purchased the Martin Logan Prodigys ($10k) and still had a hard time parting with these, after hearing both in his system I could see why. If you're in the market for speakers grab these if you can find them then put the money you saved towards upgrading your other eqp. because the Snells will reward your efforts. Oh well ..my wife just left so I have the house to myself and you audiophiles know what that means.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Aerial, Theil

The B minors strenghts are: Imaging,detail,easy load (although the amps I've used were Adcom 555/Bryston 4BNRB/Bryston 7BST's (the Brystons are the Snell's soul mates)) The B minors are very revealing of what you are feeding them. Very addictive to listen to you'll want to keep looking for your best recordings to see what the snells do with them.

Weaknesses (if you want to call this one) They needed the Brystons to push the bottom Hz out but other than that these speakers are excellent and I not even considering the price. The Only problem is ......I'll explain below.

My Snell B minor problem.... I get what I call the "audio equipment hots" every once and a while when I want to upgrade something in my system and the B minors have been very difficult for me to replace. I've changed other eqp.(recently stepped up from the Bryston 4BNRB to the Bryston 7B ST's (worth the $$$)) & cables as a result of looking to find speakers I liked better then my B minors
but not finding anything ($ value considered) I was exicted about enough to make the change. Speakers I've auditioned are:
Dunlavy SC4A, Aerial 10T, B&W Nautilus 802, Wilson Cubs, Martin Logan re quest and a Theil (I forget the model). The Dunlavy's were my favorite out of these but I realized later that what I liked about them is that they reminded me of the B minors.
I've heard a lot of great thing about the Dynaudio Contour 3.3's and the Confidence 5's but no dealers close enough to
easily audition. If there's any B minor owners (or if your real familiar with them) out there that has heard the Dynaudios I'd like to see your comments are comparing the Snells with the Dynaudios (maybe you could do this in a snell b minor review). I guess part of this hobby is that you never want to be completly happy with what you've got because then the game is over.

Very very very accurate. Non powered speaker. Low and high volume is represented well. Great looking cabinet.

Unlike some of the new powered speakers, the correct room is needed to space these properly to get the right sound. Not much of a weakness.

I listened to many different speakers at many different audio stores and I was dissapointed with most. I couldn't find a speaker that was better than my 1974 Snell Model 1's. I began to realize how good the Snell speaker is. I almost went for the Type A reference but I didn't have the correct room for them and I'm not real excited about powered speakers. The B Minor's ended up being perfect and I lucked out and got them on close-out. It's a shame that Snell does not product them any more.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list. Last speakers were Snell model 1's. I still use them in another room and love them.