804D2 vs. CM9s?
 

Anyone make this jump between speakers? I currently have CM9s on McIntosh MC601s and they sound AWESOME.

I went to my local dealer today which has a smart switching board to pop back and forth between speakers (CM9s and 804D2)

I listened to the 804Ds vs. CM9s in a blind test (someone else controlling the switch) and could barely hear a difference the two speakers. I'm not sure if this is expected though, I was pretty disappointed because of the massive price different (I just ordered 804Ds).

Maybe the switching board, amp, or the room masked the differences?

What is the thoughts on this? Maybe I'm just destined to go 800D2s :yes:


Thanks everyone! :music:


UPDATED Results:
http://www.audioaficionado.org/b-w-s...ost591513.html

I made the jump between the 700 series and the 800 series. The CM series replaced the 700's I believe so its somewhat comparable. For me the difference was huge however I was not listening to them side by side with the same equipment. For me, the change was immediate however I also changed cables, amp, pre-amp etc.

To answer your question, the amp, room, etc all will make a difference however I'm not sure if the switching board would be to blame. When i've demo's B&W speakers on switching boards in the past, I could still tell the difference in each of them.

I'd like to tell you that with more critical listening you will be able to tell the difference but I just don't believe thats the case. The 804D2's should sound considerably better.

Ultimately, trust your ears and do what your gut tells you is best. Good Luck!

MC601s would be more in line for 800D2s or at least 802D2s. Seems like overkill for even 804Ds. Great amps though.

Got to start somewhere . . . Can't dump $30-40k all at once , I need to do it incrementally.

Surprisingly, I went through a few different amps, and the CM9s SING with MC601s. They pulled out a ton of details.

I'm glad I went with those amps, and I know I will NEVER need to upgrade again :banana:

800D2 are the eventual goal, but I like to try different things along the way.

Thanks for the post Derek! When the 804D2's show up, I'll take some measurements and test them side by side against the CM9s.

Later in the month I'm probably picking up my new 802D2s to also play with. Hopefully I can get some good data for this website.

I'm confused...you did a test, couldn't hear a difference, and you bought 804's anyway?

I think it's true that 601's are overkill for that speaker, and you probably won't gain much over the cm9. If you want to play along the way to your goal, that's understandable.

But why not go for 802's? Those are excellent with 601's and you can afford them sooner, especially if your dealer has a trade up program.

Long story.
I already had them purchased before doing some detailed listening. Without getting to far into detail, I got them because I got a amazing deal on them, so I wanted to give them a shot. Worst case I can sell them to break even.

On a fun note, I searched on B&W parts list website (B&W Group North America |) and found that the FST Driver, Tweeter itself are the same for the 804d2 through 800d2.

Crossovers and bass drivers are obviously different, but still an interesting finding.

You'll undoubtedly find that's the case in a lot of speakers, i.e. sharing some of the same components.

I'm a bit confused though like Marc was, even after your explanation. You said you were probably picking up your new pair of 802's later in the month. Were you planning on using the 804's for surrounds or because of the good price you were getting them for you knew you wouldn't be out anything if you sold them so it was a nice opportunity to take them home and spend some quality time with them? :)

I suggest keeping them long enough to compare to the 802's at least, you may not be impressed by the 802's. You mentioned being destined to move to 800's :) have you had an opportunity to listen to both the 802s and 800s?

You hit it on the head. Both reasons you posted (moving to rears, or no risk since I got them for a great price). Of course I will compare them, that's why I wanted those speakers in house to play with :music:

No I have yet to listen to 800d2s yet, just 802d2s.

The problem is most high end rooms use specific paired amps, different cabling, different pre amps. So it's extremely hard to do a true A/B. Some stores will be open to changing over cabling, but the physical time delay between this is very hard to tell the advantages/disadvantages of one specific speaker.

The only "True" way to do this, is with a switching board, same everything, level matched to comp for sensitivity levels.


One big finding I have had so far, CM9s sound AWESOME once paired to high end amps. Everyone automatically assumes moderately priced speakers should sound inferior, but they never give them a "fair" comparison by giving them great wire, great amps, great interconnects, great pre-amps, etc.

So this "Audio-Adventure" has been very eye opening for me. I highly recommend CM9's to all my buddies who are getting into the hobby. If they prove to be as good as the 804Ds this will give plenty of great data to people who are budget minded for surround speakers to match their 800/802diamonds.

Cheers!:thumbsup:

All speakers in the 800 line share the same tweeter.