I use the HTM1as a center channel with Wilson Watt Puppy 7's and have been very happy with its performance in my 5 channel system driven by a Plinius Odeon amplifier which puts out 200 watts per channel into all 5 channels @ 8ohms. Dialog is very clear and precise thru the center channel and there is no "congestion" during loud playing no matter the sound levels we play the system at. Its also very musical when we listen to Blu Ray or DVD concerts played in 5.1. Buy one, you'll be very happy you did.

You Ain't heard nothing until you listen to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" in DVD-Audio with high-end amplification and B&W Nautilus 800's and HTM1 Center Channel. You just sit there with your jaw on the ground thinking that you're not believing your own ears.

As for movies, the true test for any center channel speaker is the quality of the male voice. Well, the HTM1 is the only center channel I've ever heard that doesn't make a deep male voice sound overly chesty -- like it's coming out of a empty coffee can or something. The voices are clear and correct. The HTM1 is a lifetime investment in audio enjoyment -- you will never need to upgrade uless you're an audio fanantic that can never be satisified. For most of us, the HTM1 is the last center channel speaker we'lll every buy.

imaging soundstage articulation aesthetics construction detail

tweeter is a tad bright the size may be a little prohibitive

I have had the HTM1 in my possession for 2 months now and everything about it is absolutely excellent. The midrange is very articulate, has terrific imaging, and an enveloping soundstage. Like the midrange, the tweeter is equally as proficient. The only negative comment however is that it can be a tinge bright at times, but my conjecture is this is an engineering choice because typically vocals are favored to be more _forward_ sounding, especially in the home theater environment. The rest of the sonics are very impressive. The bass develops very nicely, and it's particularly picky in terms of listenning room dimensions. The entire ensemble of the sound is very captivating and does give the feeling of true soundstage. I had a friend audition the htm1 along with the N805's with Dave Matthew's "Crash" album and he said he could almost reach out and touch each of the artists. At the conclusion of the CD he was in utter awe. Particular pieces that stood out were tracks 5 (#41) and 8 (Let you down). Each individual strum of the song "Let You Down" could be heard with absolute clarity. The drum beats were tight and the subsequent decays were present with delicate detail. In my mind, I essentially, with the help of the Nautilus HTM1's and 805's, was able to rediscover the Crash album. After finishing the brief audition my friend commented on the uncanny ability of the HTM1 to sound so warm and broad while maintaining excellent imaging. Typically characterists such as the above formentioned are trades made during the design and engineering process. It's uncanny how B&W were able to find an optimum, at least in my opinion, maximum in which _both_ qualities could be achieve without much sacrifice. Another great benefit of the HTM1 is that it shares the same tweeter with as the 803, 804, and 805 (maybe the same as the rest as well, but i'm sure about the ones i mentioned). This means superb timber matching throughout the entire Nautilus line of speakers. Currently in my 805 HTM1 setup, I am witnessing this. I do not recognize a deficiency in sound when effects or passages pan across my three front speakers. I will soon be aquiring the N803's and I am eager, and hope that this property will remain true. Overall, the HTM1 speaker is an awesome investment for people who enjoy hometheater and 5 channel surround music. I highly recommend this speaker for its great soundstaging, imaging, detail, warmth, and compatibility.

Everything

Absolutely Nothing

This has to be The Best center channel made that I have ever seen, heard or heard of period, end of story. This thing will throw a voice from a good DVD in DTS straight through you !! System: Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Amp Sunfire Theatre Grand III Processor Pioneer Elite DV47ai DVD/CD player Fujitsu 50pxha10us Plasma B&W Sig 7se front & rears B&W Nautilus HTM1 center Sunfire True Sub Signature Don't waste your time on cheap imitators. Save yourself some time and energy and just save until you can afford this speaker. I got lucky to pick up a floor model for less than the typical $2,000 retail tag.

Similar Products Used:

Klipch RC3II

Any and everything recorded on the DVD, CD, SACD, DVD-A that you just plunked down 20 dollars or more for will come out on this speaker. It won't be harsh or subtle it will be exactly what was recorded. Getting a woody everytime you watch the extra features disc of the movie star wars episode I to see that your center channel is the same one they used to mix and record the movie with. Hows that for a recommendation. Its in there in the studio with the N801's. Even George Lucas could come over and share some popcorn with ya!

For a person like me saving up the 2 grand it costs finally get one and paying my monthly insurance premium to ensure that I still have one if its stolen. My friends who constantly hog up my living room everytime a cool DVD comes out and not being able to adequately sit through a movie at the local theater without commenting that the sound sucks! My wife even loves this thing!

Holy cow!! Run don't walk to purchase this speaker. If you have any of the nautilus speakers, this center channel is absolutely without a doubt the best. I have used the HTM2, CDMNT, and the CDMCE long ago. All of these different speakers went through sale after sale. I continually upgraded from one to the next. The quest is over. I'm no millionaire or fancy smancy I probably make less than most anybody who will ever read this review but its almost impossible to say that this speaker is not worth the price of admission. This hobby becomes so addicting that if you buy quality speakers you can easily sell them and continue to upgrade over the years. I went through three sets of speakers in two years and it was worth it. There is more than 10 times the detail locked up inside of DVDs and the software that you purchased and I guarantee your missing out on it without this thing in your house. Just think that big huge thing is sitting on top of your TV. Man power!! For example in the movie T2 arnold is shooting a gattling gun at the police located down below. With all the shooting, explosions and utter chaos going on, you can CLEARLY hear the rotation of the gattling guns barrel. This sound was not even present when I had the HTM2. If this is the kind of thing that gets your pantys in a wad than this is the speaker for you. The speaker in no way sounds like a speaker. It will utterly dissappear in the room. If you turn off all of your other speakers and just listen to the center, you can still be fooled into thinking more speakers are running. The imaging is dead on. Its that good. One more note heres my system and don't waste your money on the HTM2 it does no justice to your sonic quest, the holy grail is at your b&w dealer: ROTEL RMB 985 AMP SUNFIRE TG2 processor N803's up front HTM1 (this thing is huge!) SONY SACD PLYR TOSHIBA DVD SONY HDTV PROBABLY THE CHEAPEST SPEAKERS B&W MAKES USED AS SURROUNDS PHILLIPS TIVO DSS * I gave this speaker four stars for value because 2 grand is 2 grand. Don't purchase this speaker if you have a reciever because even I'm on the limits of not having enough power to run the speaker the way the designers intended. Its like having a porsche and running it with diesel fuel. Buy some used seperates if your stretched, it'll cost you the same as the reciever

Similar Products Used:

B&W, definitive, and yes the cheapy circuit city and bestbuy products that everyone started out with before we were hooked on high end sound.

Sounds just like my Nautilus 804s...

none

If you enjoy the sound of a pair of properly amplified Nautilus 804s, you''ll enjoy the sound of the HTM1. Personally, I LOVE the way my (driven by a Bryston 4B ST) N804s sound. Like my N804s, the HTM1 just plain disappears. It''s very hard to tell it''s there. I can''t imagine a better center channel speaker. BTW, mine is actually a 2002 model.

Mid-range is good. I believe that the damping (probably both mechanical and electrical) in the mid-range element is the key point for the unbelievably realistic sound that this speaker produces.

Grille fixation (probably corrected by B&W folks to the newer models by now)

My HTM1 is great in all other aspects, but the grille drops twice per year. I play quietly (much less than 1 W), but still it drops spontaniously (even when there is no sound on - like in the middle of the night). Now I got the speaker fixed and do hope that the grille doesn''t drop off anymore. It is sad that a most wonderful product like this can have this kind a flaw.

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Chorus center

Very natural, uncolored sound. Sounds good at low sound pressure levels, too.

Weights a ton

I find this speaker to be a perfect match to my Nautilus 804 front speakers. It integrates seamlessly with the 804´s and the low level of electro-mechanical distortion makes me very happy. The price vs. quality of this product is very acceptable. The bass responce is very natural: no booming or any other colouration that is very annoying with typical center cahnnel material (human voices). I can´t hear any cross-over frequency problems with this unit, either, and I think it is the main reason for the high coherence of the sound.

The best feature of this 804 + HTM1 front system is that you don´t need high sound pressures to achieve natural sound or uncompressed dynamics. Quiet listening sessions during the night-time are reality, at last. Any quality power amplifier with a good damping factor and high tolerance for a low inpedance loads gives good results.

The biggest surprise for me was that a high quality Dolby Pro-logic mix can sound very natural with this center speaker (typically 80 % of all the material of a PL-mix is routed to the center channel only!). So don´t blame Pro-logic for the bad sound, blame your current center speaker...

A warning:
Don´t expect premium sound from a bad sounding source. These speakers don´t add ´musicality´ or any other form of distortion to the original source. The side effect of this lack of coloration is that you get awful sound from an awful mix. Burn-in time is 2 weeks minimum.

System:
- Panasonic DVD-RV60EG (digital 1.0 to 5.1 audio bitstream to the prosessor)
- Denon DCD-1550AR (used as a CD transport only)
- Primare P30 multichannel processor/preamp (all D/A conversion is made here)
- Electrocompaniet AW-100DMB 2-ch power amplifier (front)
- Denon POA-S10 monoblock (center)
- Genelec 1030A active near-field monitors (rear)
- B&W ASW-3000 active subwoofer
- Sony DAT-59ES
- Nokia DVB-9800S MPEG-2 digital satellite receiver
- Philips 29" 100Hz monitor-quality TV-set (will be replaced by a Panasonic TX-36PG50 Tau-series TV-set after 2 weeks)
- Taralabs RSC Prime 1000 speaker cables
- Taralabs, Ixos, Chord, Audioquest, van den Hul, Apogee interconnects

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B&W Matrix HTM, Genelec 1030A

Searching for the best looking and best sounding center speaker? Then your serch ends right here! I have had this speaker now for some time and i must say, it can't get any better.

It's perfect for 5-channel music and especially for movies.
It's big, but small enough for under a screen or on top of a tv.
I loved it from the first day and now, after almost three months it sounds even better.

Go for it, you won't be disapointed for sure!

Detailed microdynamics, accurate voice reproduction.

None

This is one of those rare occasions where I didn't have to close my eyes and concentrate to justify my purchase. The improvement in sound is so outstanding I'm overly pleased. The speaker simply blends with the N802s. Perfection!

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B&W cc6,htm2