Sorry I´ll tell you a short history firs:
I am 30, 10 Years ago as I was serving in the Army I was the victim of an accident, a bomb exploted a couple of meters away from my right ear. At that time I was anreally Audio Enthusiast.

What can I say I was lucky because I didn´t loss my right ear! but the accident didn´t allow me to hear music intensive long times as I used to without some kind of pain so I would not ever be able the hear the sounds as I´d like to.

Years after the accident I avoid in some sense the contakt with the "audiophile world" so I decided to buy a normal Hi-Fi equipment to hear music sometimes.

Last year my 5 years old son set up the volume of my amplifier so load that he broked my Pioneer loudspeakers.

What should I do? I decided to think about it, what about to buy a good pair of
speakers and feel the old good feeling of hearing music and to repeat the experience to hear good pair of speakers after 9 years? said I to me.

OK, What I needed ist a good pair of Speakers which must be able to sound good at a normal volume, also nice and warm!! (not loud)

I just took a whole Saturday to hear speakers in many different shops round the city but allmost nothing convenced me so I decided to buy any speaker!

Yesterday, I went to a Profesional new shop near my house where they sell everykind of good speakers, and suddendly I thoght I could not believe it I found what I was looking for so long time!.

I heard the DM 602 SE and the CDM 1 SE.

Bouth sound good really good, the CDM 1 SE cousts twice as much as the 602 SE but the CDM 1 SE sounds AMAZING a really unbelievable speaker, a great nice sound, sorrunding bass, everything sounds lovely. From Rock to New Age. It is a very flexible speaker.

Why didn´t I found it beafore?
Can anyone tell how can so a small speaker play such a beautiful sound? In case you are looking for an outstanding, nice, good and warm sound do not doubt it the CDM 1 SE ist the one for you.

When I was back in Japan a few weeks ago, I had a chance to listen to those speakers along with Japanese speakers. There are many speakers that I don't see here there, but they sucked real bad compared to cdm1. They were just outstanding. The voice coming from cdm1s was sooo clear and smooth... just unbelievable. They were also cheap (around $700 for new one). 5 stars for B&W CDM1 se and Sansui pre/main amp!

I bought some of these speakers a couple months ago. When I auditioned them they blew me away so I bought them on the spot without going around and listening to their competition.
I have now been listening to them for awhile. They are very ambitious speakers. The quality and exactness of the sound is that of speakers costing a lot more. Imaging is also very good.

My one problem with them is the highs are a touch too harsh for my tastes. For instance when a singer sings a "Shhhh" or "sss" syllable it feels like your eardrum is getting rubbed with sandpaper. The highs are much more revealing than almost any other speaker, I agree with Warren below that other speakers sound like they are behind a curtain by comparison. But they may go overboard in this regard. I have heard them with several different amps and always noticed this. The amps were all stereophile class C level I believe (decent but not top). The B&W Nautilus speakers I heard with some of the same amps were not as harsh.

The bass is great for a bookshelf speaker. Of course its nothing like a floorstanding speaker. *No* bookshelf has the bass of a good floorstanding speaker. I mention this, which is probably obvious to most people, because I have heard many claims to the contrary. Its not just how low the bass extends; you just don't get the quantity of bass that is there. But your ear can adjust pretty well to the balance, so thats what matters in the end. Electrostatic speakers on the other hand are so anemic in the bass that they do not satisfy.

I compared them with my new floor model speakers, some Vienna Acoustics Mozart speakers ($2500). They had more definition in the highs (but with the harshness), less bass of course, and a more on-edge as opposed to the more natural sound of the Mozarts. I am enjoying the contrast of the two different sounds (one in office, one in living room) and plan to keep these guys for the long haul.

Just got these babies and I havn't let them rest.Other speakers sound like they are behind a curtain. Very sweet highs and very detailed bass that goes much deeper than the spects would lead you to believe. I thought I would need to use my sub with these but havn't had the urge. Excellent tone,piano sounds like real piano.All that and great fit and finish. Highly recommended.Five stars.

I auditioned these at a friendly local shop, but found that they require careful paring with a amp. The spakers have a wonderful soundstage, and are full of detail. They sound bright, and need a very good sub to match well with them. Why do you ask did stereophile give them a class B rating? Simple these would be a very good speaker with medium power tube equipment, especially since they are about 90db/w efficent. Without a warm source these can sound bright and cynical. With the right amp they can sound VERY special, some may want the CDM7 SE especially since you dont need a stand and get more bass.
**** four stars for tubed use
*** 3 stars for Solid State

I would highly recommend these to the budget shopper who still wants fine speakers.
These sound best when paired with a quality subwoofer (particularly for Home Theater), but do a fine job of reproducing quality source even w/o one.

Be wary of skimping on the subwoofer and going for the 7SE instead. Although the 7SE is a fine speaker, its case WILL cause the highs to sound a bit more blurred then the 1SE. If you enjoy accurate reproduction for a sane price, this is your speaker.

Purchased a pair ~6 months ago. I was moving to a new apartment that has strict noise restrictions, so I needed a pair of smaller speakers. (Sold my sub and former speakers resoning that the walls here are actually pretty thick, so it was just the deep base that was to be avoided.) After a two week period of breaking them in at a friends place (gradually increasing the volume to high levels) was absolutely amazed at the performance. I liked the sound of them at the local audio shop, but wasn't sure if I could get that kind of performance from my equipment (Rotel amplification, Pioneer Elite PD-65 front end, and transparent cables). The sound is of a high resolution, yet it's still easy on the ears. They like to be away from the walls, and are placed on heavy, sand-filled, spiked stands. There are times when i wished I still had a sub for the deep bass, but I think that adding one would actually take away from the woderful clarity of the sound. They are very sensitive to their supporting equipment and cables. Highly recomended.

Let me begin by saying this: reviews are absolutely useless. Components, and perhaps speakers especially, depend on a myriad of circumstances such as room size, placement, and furthmore, the gear used with them. So unless you have the same equiptment as the reviewer, or at least similiar sounding equiptment, and above all, the same prefrences, it seems to me that reviews become nothing more than subjective drivel. However, I don't think this is the case with the CDM 1ses and this is why I'm writing. But just for the record, this is where I am coming from. I've got an Audio Analogue Puccini SE amp, Paganini CD player, and JPS cables connecting everything. My room is more or less about 10x10. First off, these are absolutely the most amazing of smallers speakers I've had in my room. And for that matter, they're the best in their price range that I've heard in any listening room. The CDMs are fast, dynamic, and punchy. Others have complained about the bass, but it is tight and quick and more than adequate for a small sized room such as the one I've them in. My advise is to couple them with good stands that can be filled with sand or mass loaded with leadshot or something of that sort. Also, if bass is a real concern, good subs start at 1,000 or so. I think Sunfire just came out with a newer smaller true sub. Be careful with matching subs though as the B&Ws are real quick and any bit of a slower pace will be obviously evident. But overall these should prove to be good all around performers. They've handled about everything I've thrown their way and that means lots of noise and things that scare my parents. Well, you get the idea, I like these a great deal. Goodluck with your purchase and remember, the best reviewer is you!

The B&Ws are very fast and neutral. They possess a very clean accurate sound. They are very well engineered and the construction quality on my pair is excellent.

The flat extended treble response could be irritating on harsh (read most solid-state) electronics.

The B&Ws continually amaze me with the quality of their sound. As an audio electronics technician, I use them to evaluate my audio construction projects. The B&Ws can clearly and easily allow me to discriminate differences between different amplifiers, preamplifiers and even different brands of tubes employed in my home-brew preamps. I appreaciate this neutrality as it is easier for me to change the character of the sound in the amplification.
The B&Ws have a characterless(in this sense a positive term) chamaeleon-like sonic signature that allow you to hear the true nature of the recordings themselves.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM302
Paradigm Active 20
Carver 5.1
ADS L400
Dayton Wright minis

Looks cool

Almost in every technical aspect

Let me start by saying that I'm a blunt but honest reviewer. This B&W model is the epitomy of deliberate alteration of the frequencies to induce impressive effects on audiophiles. The sound is too airy, flat, and unnatural. You can get all the warmth and smoothness you want from it, but you're farther away from reproducing live music. I could not believe how bad this speaker is considering the price and the cool look. Oh yeah, try playing a real rock piece and check out the woofer. It's a sad sight. You do not want to use this brand for testing purposes. I guess it can pass for soft musics if paired with tubes. But what I want is an all around speaker that can reproduce music accurately. This is an excellent example of the recent letter a reviewer wrote to the Audiophile mag. Speakers of today are designed to impress so accuracy has been forgotten. Heck, my old Energy C-2 sounds similar to this. There are far better choices out there. I'd recommend Dynaudio but they're a bit overpriced if you don't get the kit version. If you still want warmth and air, the cheaper Mission 731Pro is a better alternative. For something more expensive, some unknown German brands and Acustik-Lab have better frequency "plays".

Similar Products Used:

Dunlavy, Dynaudio, Totem, Newform, Energy... typical audio freak's experience.