Built: I would give this speaker a solid 4. picked them used for 350€ in Europe considering they were sold new around 1100€ here when it launched.The cabinet is very thick and it weighs 8,5kg which is like really heavy for its compact dimensions. I opened mine and was super surprised to see every component inside with a made in England tag unlike the new ones of this price coming from China. Bracing is spot and damping material is special not the typical foam. Even the screws are not directly bolted to the wood but to a metal thread which makes it very durable in case of repairs. Every part of the speaker screams quality. 5/5! Sound : I picked them use in a home theatre system as rears but before that I compared it to the main stereo system I have which consists of a creek destiny 2 and harbeth p3esr speakers. I was expecting it to be bass light as others say, but honestly though it doesn’t punch like a “box” it’s very smoothly rolled off making it musical. But if you are used boxes like spendor s3 or the Orginal bbc versions by other companies, this is a speaker with similar bass levels but with more detail up on the top having a more “energetic” tweeter. And that’s my complaint too. If you don’t partner them well, they can explode you with detail and makes it not smooth. With creek I had this problem and I thought the speakers were bad. Then I tried them with more budget electronics from Denon and boy I was surprised how good it sounded from it than a creek! Also tried a jolida tube and I’m they were a match made in heaven. I had a kef ls 50 before on this jolida and it was never this good. Midrange had immense detail and bass was fast though you hear the last note very faint. Soundstage is massive and these tiny boxes can fill up a room. All in all sonically with “right equipment” they sound superb. Also what you cannot miss is it’s speed: very fast decay and attack. There is literally no ringing, or muddiness within its limitations. But that also could mean another problem, if you want a sub to go deeper you need to invest good amount to get it justify the speed of the the midbass on this it’s not going to be cheap. I listened several albums and unless your music has too much deep low rumble you can pass on the sub. I am taking a star off due to its lack of partnering ability and also one more dumb thing. That woofers dust cap thing is made of plastic and can be easily squished and my friends kid squished it like a

Fake phase plug on woofer made with plastic, can be dented very easily, though it doesn’t affect the sound.but looks ugly. Bright and on the face if partnered with a wrong amp or dac or even cable. Need very good stands to bring out bass. Together I would give it 4,5 stars but not 5 but audio review website doesn’t have an option for it.

Tight and amazing sound still rockin in 2019!!!!!!!

Need sub Grey rubber that holding the mid is shitty and will need replacement for almost every used pair but after replacing will sound as new

I have been using these as studio(vs. Control)monitors and as high frequency addenda to my JBL 4430's-I am a silly fellow, but it worked in my private open, studio, where no one complained but me. Using them as close range monitors now, driven by a QSC 100W unit,(soon to be connected to a pair of McIntosh 75W tubers circa 1965). They were surprisingly vast on top of the beasts, and the "finer" highs were welcome. Now that I'm using them more properly, I'm pretty much blown away! Super tight from High to Low, and direct and clean mids, too. Can't wait to hear them thru the Macs! Very exciting! Love these little babies! If I didn't have the JBL beasts to shake the room, I'd definitely have a good subwoofer, but I love em like this.

I listened to thse a few times a best buy. In general, they have good accuracy, good imaging, good fidelity of timbre, good dynamics, and good bass within their limitations. And they are pleasingly compact. Like all BW products they give an impression of quality. You can get a decent subwoofer very cheaply these days, so I don't see bass as a big problem. However, when listening to the smaller CM1 I noticed that the litle speaker seemed to have an edge in naturalness, imaging and fine definition. Everything seemed to jell better, as if you were listening to a live performance from a distance. So I can't really recommend buying these without listening to the CM1 first. Also, there are a lot of good speakers in this price bracket, which becomes a factor.

I bought these speakers while ago to upgrade from my B&W 602 S3 and these are superb and you can see the improvement on the sound stage, more tonal balance and clarity. Build quality is superior ( real wood Veneer) to 601 & 602 and they are steady and heavy.

Just got a pair of CM2s to replace my B&W 602s and I'm very happy with this buy! They have a super detailed, natural sound, which has been ideal for critical audio listening. I use them as monitors for classical and jazz music editing and they provide every detail and subtlety in the recording! Being so detailed, it's great they are not tiring after hours of continuous listening. They do lack a bit of bass, (especially if you are listening to a full orchestra and chorus work) and I would recommend getting a nice subwoofer to boost the bass in a natural way. But for my present needs, I definitely prefer having a NATURAL bass sound, than an artificial overpowering bass sound which has nothing to do with the real recording. I highly recommend these speakers for any serious music lover with a small or medium size space. The quality build is superb; beautiful clear sound at all volume levels.

Clear mid range, highs superb imaging, Warm, deep bass, non fatiging, big performance, quality build

Color (mapple)

A beautiful speaker and great overall

Similar Products Used:

None

Clear mid range, highs superb imaging, Warm, deep bass, non fatiging, big performance, quality build

Color (maple)

A beautiful speaker.

Similar Products Used:

None

Lack of cabinet noise. Quality build. Big performance from a small box.

Lower midrange can seem slightly repressed at times. Rather narrow dispersion on the high end.

A beautiful speaker with sound to match. Best on female voice, weakest on male voice. Great overall. Depending on placement, you may need a sub. Very clean at high volume. Not the best at very low volumes, as would be expected from a small speaker.

Similar Products Used:

Many. Replaced with B&W 805s's.