Good bass for size
Excellent midrange, vocals

Bright treble if not carefully matched
Lack of lower bass control
Slightly overwhelming midrange
Not as neutral as I had hoped

Before I begin, let me stress that this is my entirely subjective opinion and I am neither a biased in favour of or against B&Ws in any way. Also my opinions are strictly in the context of my system so my opinions may differ from many of yours.

Contrary to what many people have said about the bass, I find the bass response more than adequate for a speaker of this size. I think anyone wishing for more extension will not find monitors that go considerably lower. I am using good solid stands (a must for this speaker) in a large room with the speakers far from side and rear walls. Though I like the bass punch on R&B, rock and pop tracks, I find it a little muddled and lacking in definition in the lower to mid bass region on jazz tracks with the double-bass plucked etc.

The midrange is smooth and detailed for a speaker of this price. It is especially good with vocals. I find it free from the harshness and hissy/rasping sounds in higher vocals that I tend to notice in cheaper speakers from Paradigm, AE, Mission and even B&W's own 600 series. Percussion and snare drums are fast and have a good 'bite' to them. What you will immediately notice when listening to these speakers especially when compared to lower-end or more HT-oriented speakers is the very smooth, fluid and refined midrange.

Treble, however, can be bright at times in my system especially when the volume is turned up. At higher volumes I also notice that the sound is not too well balanced overall, with midrange and lower treble being a little overwhelming.

Soundstaging is adequate though individual placement could be more precise.

The speakers are powered by an Arcam Alpha 9 fed from a Marantz CD-19. Cables & interconnects are from DH Labs.

All in all a good but not outstanding speaker. It is not totally uncoloured but those who do like its virtues will find this an enjoyable speaker. I myself am wishing for a slightly more open, natural and balanced sound.

By the way, I find it excellent for home theater (though HT is of secondary importance to me) but for the price you could do better for music. You should be able to get these at a good price new or used since they are now discountined (I think). At the full retail price, there are better alternatives.

Similar Products Used:

JM Labs Chorus, NHT (various), Mission 77X/78X, Paradigm Mini Monitor, Acoustic Energy (various), B&W 600s and N805

Amazing all-rounder for small to mid sized room. (Mine only 4x5).

None

Spectacular sound and although I am no expert, can highly recommend - if you can get hold of a pair! When I arrived home and coupled up I could'nt believe that I had wasted almost 50 years listening to garbage. Even all my old LPs.surprise me every day. Using NAD 216 THX amp and NAD 114 preamp (perhaps a little harsh?). The rest of my system not worth a mention. These speakers should be getting cheaper now. I think I got a great bargain.

Similar Products Used:

None

Detail, Imaging

Maybe Bass

Great sound stage and yes it may lack bass, but that may depend on what you are into. Great for Jazz, Classical and light Rock. I have just purchased a B&W ASW 1000 to complement these speakers and I often find myself turning down the sub because I am getting just about enough bass from the speakers.

I really find these speakers to have increased my listening experience to the point where I am always turning on the stereo every chance I have. The steps in improvement/performance seem small from sony to paradigm and then heco in comparison to the end result with B&W.

If you can get a pair of old demos or used, you will not be disappointed.

Set up with a Quad 606 power amp and Rotel pre and cd player. Biwired with MIT Terminator 4.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, Heco, Sony

Imaging, treble response, incredible resolution, midrange clarity, surprisingly full sounding and very musical.

lowest octaves are missing and this speakers is only as good as what it is hooked up to.

I have had these speakers for two years. My system has gone through alot of changes but these speakers have remained. So I can vouch for alot of it's characteristics and potentials. I have changed my amplifiers from: Rotel 970 to Marantz MA 700 mono blocks to Audio Refinement: The Complete to the YBA Integre DT. The speaker has gone from an above average performer to outstanding!

First of all, I am sharing this information because I know that the sound from all components change when connected to varying components. You can't just go buy a component and write it off as sounding like this and that. It changes with differing setups and usually in a big way.

With the the Rotel it was ok sounding and very dull with almost no bass. Vocal were and still are particularly good. (I think that this is just a strong point for the speaker).

With the Marantz I got an incredibly loud and low bass response. More than a speaker of this size should give up. But the highs were overly smoothed over. It was very musical sounding. I still felt that this speaker could do better.

Then I bought the Audio Refinement: The Complete. The sound that I got was amazingly detailed and quick. The bass was rather weak though. It seemed that I traded bass for detail and soundstaging. The vocals were now very accurate and were placed in a now holographic soundstage. I was hearing more from the cd.

Finally, I bought the Integre DT. This was were the speaker sounded like it was in a much higher league. It sounded bigger than it looked and now throws an utterly real soundstage. One that now had presence. Every nuance was extracted and the sheer tonal accuracy blew me away. The music was now life sized. Had I bought a new speaker?

(Bored yet?)

I thought that I was getting everything I could from these babies now. But two weeks ago I changed my interconnects from Kimber PBJ to Harmonic Technology: Prosilway II. Holy
SH#*! This was as significant as changing my amplifier. The sound was now stretching beyond the speakers by a couple of feet. The stage was now getting deeper. Even more detail was being revealed. Now I feel that the performers are in front of me.

In any case, do you get the point? These speakers have a lot of potential. They can sound alright in some systems or incredible in others. They are not the weak link in MOST setups. You really can upgrade all other components around it until you run out of money and still come out on top. Because of my experience with these puppies I am hard pressed to give them up until I have spent all I am ever going to spend on everything else. Then and only then will I buy a more expensive speaker and I mean ALOT more expensive!

Similar Products Used:

I have heard B&W N805 and a cobalt series JM Labs speaker.(Can't recall model)

I got these speakers a few weeks ago. It was stereophile's recomendation that encouraged me to auditon a pair. Halfway through the first track on elvis costello's "king of america", I was sold. I could not believe that such sound clarity, detail, imaging... and yes, bass extension could come from such tiny speakers! My jaw literally dropped when I realised I could really hear each note played on jerry scheff's bass...it wasn't just a blob. I didn't think I could find this sort of low-end resolution on a small, sub 5k speaker system.
anyway, what really got me thinking... and I'm sort of angry at these B&W's for this... is that not so many years ago I payed more than I payed for the CDM1SE for a pair od Bose 901's which sounded OK in the showroom, but just disgusted me after 6 weeks.

After I took these guys home, I only started liking them more. They really do vanish. they throw a huge soundstage... good images, good holography. magical midrange... they are a complete charm with accoustic music and handle loud rock pretty well. I'm not much of a classical listener, but i'd imagine chamber works would be ok, and large, dynamic orchestrations would suffer because they are so small.

here's the gear I use:

Amps:

Music Reference RM-10 or Cary 572SE monoblocs

Pre:
Musical Fidelity Nu-vista

CD:
Rega planet (modified)
Musical Fidelity x24k DAC
Kimber AGDL digital coax

Tuner:
Musical Fidelity X-plora


Kimber PBJ, Hero, MIT terminators T2 are the interconnects Imix max and switch on a regular basis.

Kimber 4PR speaker wire (23 foot run(!))

Great speakers, For the money, nothing short of a miracle! I never new music could sound like this!

My fiancee & I agreed it was time to upgrade the Energy take 5's. I purchased an ES12 sub when I bought the Take 5's knowing an upgrade would be in the future. I must say we had been very happy & impressed with the Energy's. We knew we would have to spend a few dollars to make the "wow factor" happen.
We listened to NHT 2.5, Dianaudio, Energy XL line,
Klipsch & B&W & few others. We actually purchased the Energy e:XL 26 & matching center. I can say it was an improvement but for $800.00 the "wow factor" just was not there. We returned them & listened to other lines & really liked the NHT 2.5 & matching center. The salesman was a pompous ass & we did'nt want to buy from him. Off we go to another shop. B&W was not a line I researched & we were looking for towers. Knowing the ES12 sub was home we went ahead & listened to the CDM1 SE. WOW!!!! We could not believe what we heard! STUNNING! The soundstage is incredible. This is a fantastic sounding speaker. We bought the CDM1 SE's with the CDMC SE center & the "wow factor" has arrived in our living room! We're glad we put the extra money into the mids & highs (bookshelf) as opposed to a cabinet (tower) & woofer.
We have a Denon 3200 which drives these speakers & will soon upgrade the rears. (still using the take 2's)

Coming from a heavy downsizing of audio system, I purchased a pair of B&W CDM1SE to pair a Naim Nait3/Wadia29/Michel Gyro/Cardas Heart system.These speakers need more than a month to reach their full potential, BUT, they are great speakers for the money:

PROs
Excellent tonal balance & timbre
Build Quality
Almost Universal (good sensitivity & impendance)

CONs
Not the best soundstage definition
They miss the very low end freq notes
Cant be pushed very hard

B&W's CDM1SE monitors are audiophile speakers that reward the use of quality electronics. I have recently used the CDM1s extensively to audition new equipment, primarily because they are superb monitors and are nearly identical (sound-wise) to my B&W P4 speakers. The CDM1s are true monitors, with the ability to clearly show the differences between amps and between source components. Since I am intimately familiar with the sound of the B&W P4s, the CDM1s have provided a very useful reference when auditioning.
Characteristic of monitoring devices, the B&W CDM1s possess a lean and revealing sound balance. The sound possesses no excess richness or romance, but the speakers will reveal these characteristics if they are present in the source, amp, or recording.

Like most monitors, the CDM1s possess a "dry" sound balance, indicating the rapid decay of musical energy and the lack of over-hang and coloration. The combination of the "dry" sound balance and an explicit, incisive treble neccesitate some care with electronics matching. To prevent fatigue, avoid bright and/or astringent sounding electronics. Furthermore, the revealing nature of the CDM1s will immediately identify overly warm or rolled-off electronics. Overlly smooth components result in a "dead," dull, uninvolving sound through the CDM1s.

These speakers respond well to "refined" sounding sources and amps and are capable of excellent fidelity. The CDM1s possess tremendous resolution, giving them the ability to unearth tons of detail from recordings. Furthermore, the CDM1s require a good bit of current to get them going. Though rated at 8 ohms nominal impedance, the 4 ohm minimum impedance makes the speakers current hungry.

The CDM1s possess a dramatic and lightning fast transient response (an excellent quality in a loundspeaker because transients are difficult to reproduce). Transient leading edges are cleanly defined and serve to illuminate dense musical mixes.

It goes without saying that the B&W CDM1SE is a beautiful looking speaker and is constructed from the finest materials. The speakers do require heavy, damped stands, but reward the investment with excellent imaging and terrific musical insight. Partnered with a refined sounding CD player and amps of the caliber of entry level Krell or Conrad Johnson, the CDM1s are capable of creating a big, transparent window onto any type of music that one would care to play.

Upper Orchestral Strings (midrange smoothness) ****

Vocals (midrange accuracy) *****

Treble Finesse ***1/2

Bass Rhythm *****

Bass Extension ****

Piano (midrange pitch accuracy) *****

Soundstaging *****

Imaging *****

Fidelity *****

Build Quality *****

Looks *****

Value *****

I bought the CDM-SE 1's a few months ago and I have been amazed ever since. The purity and clearity produced by the sphere-shaped tweeter is unbelievable. Subtle hi-hats never heard in songs, delicate violins, hearing someone touch the keys on a piano, strings, well I can go on like that.
Very good at jazz, vocals and classic. Dire Straits 'Brothers in Arms' CD is 55 minutes of musical enjoyment.

It has a well defined bass, not stumping and boooming, but controlled and well defined. Been enjoying the CDM-SE 1 ever since. Using MITerminators as interlinks even gave more dimension and bass. Pricing at +/- $500 a piece.


Great product, five stars

I've auditioned a lot (I mean a lot!) of bookshelf speakers before deciding on the CDM1 SEs. I started with the Paradigm Monitors, PSBs, NHTs, ARs, M&Ks, and a whole lot more. Except for the Sonus Faber Concerto/Concertino as comparison, I think this tiny bookshelf blew away the competition. Until finally, I had a hard time deciding between the Concertino and the CDM 1SE ('thought the Concerto is too expensive so I narrowed my choice down to two). Both speakers sound so clean and neutral with terrific depth in soundstaging. After so many auditions, I'm convinced that the B&W CDM 1SE is for me.