B&W CDM 9NT - any good?

I have a simalar scinario to you and ended up with the monitor audio gr20 my room is 16 x 12 widescreen tv in the middle laminate floor + big rug etc the ma's can go within 8" from the rear wall and i am chuffed to bits with the performance and they are not run in yet! there has been a good few sets on ebay funny about the b&w as there was a set for sale round the corner from me

 

...because? Would Compact 7's not go well with the Quad/Bel Canto then? Or is it because of the close proximity to the rear wall?

Matt.

 

Im guessing because they have a very different sonic character.. i.e. if you like one you probably wont like the other..

 

Ah - well I've never listened PMC's or Meadowlarks so I don't know whereas I was a previous Rogers and Spendor user so I figured Harbeth would be along similar lines.

Matt.

 

PMC - muddy, IME. Lots of bottom end welly and not much else. Probably good for rock music and loud volumes. Swifts - see my comments above. (I auditioned Swifts a couple of years ago, looking for speakers that would work in my room with my then-Sugden gear. No idea if the pair I heard were run-in or not, but I wasn't impressed enough either way to buy a pair. A grand can get you some serious speakers after all.)

Probably need to listen to a few things before taking any notice of what anyone else says, mind you. And even then probably best to ignore everyone else anyway. So go and listen to Harbeth and ATC

-- Ian

 

what about

B & W 805 signatures, there's a set on hi-fi for sale for £1900, don't know if that's a bit steep but their gorgeous in the tigers eye. Agree with sideshowbob about the PMC's, listened to them and wasn,t that impressed

 

If you really prefer the Meadowlark, PMC or B&W side of things, I don't think Harbeth will offer you what you are looking for. I wouldn't normally say that, but your mind looked quite set..
You say you are a former Spendor owner. Were those Spendors the stand mounters or floor standers?
If you are interested by Harbeths go and listen to pair, that's all you have to do. Myself and at least one other C7 user on here keep our C7s pretty close to the rear wall FWIW. THis does depend, however, on room-speaker interreaction, so YMMV.

 

They were the 2030's - two way floorstanders in a sort of dark grey (only finish available). Quite laid back sound but very likeable. Bass possibly a bit 'thumpy' if that makes sense.

Previous to that I had the little Rogers LS4a - great speakers for the size/money.

Matt.

 

Matt,
In which case, go and get a listen to some Harbeths / ATCs and also Spendor "classic" stand mounters (but not the 3/1 - which has a whopping great hole in the back). Details like amplification etc can be sorted out later.

 

Whatever you do, don't listen to the floorstanding Spendor S6s (part of the new range). I heard these today, mein Gott they're so bad they actually gave me a headache, and they weren't even playing that loud...

-- Ian

 

I wonder what the Harbeth floor standers will sound like? AS claimed to have stumbled upon an idea from the 50s a while back, which I suspect may be not unconnected with bass control. We'll see.
Ian: serves you right for listening to those things. They are not good speakers.

 

Thanks Joel. Amp is already sorted out though.

I've long been an admirer of the Spendor classics - in fact there are a pair of SP2/3E's on ebay and they look like they won't go for a lot. If they were in cherry I'd buy them no doubt but they're rosewood and this is no good for me I'm afraid. What's annoying is that the guy used a standard Spendor picture (showing cherry ones) in the add so I thought "Yes - I'm in here" - it's only when you page down that you find out he's actually selling rosewood ones!

Matt.