Everything

None so far.

Outstanding out of the box. Time will tell for sure. Clarity is remarkable. Placement is key. Extremely articulate speaker. I look forward to posting a follow up review in a few months. This is really an amazing speaker. I didn't notice as vast a differance in sound as I did in price between the 9NT and the 804. This is a wonderful speaker. No complaints at all.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Monitor 100, CDM 7NT, B&W 804

Construction, Very Detailed sound on tweeters and midranges everything

None

I bought these a couple of weeks ago. I have used them for about 8 hours, still need to break in, but has improved very noticeable the sound quality for both music and Home Theater.

After comparing between Dynaudio,Monitor Audio, Snell and other good brands I liked the CDM 9NT better for Latin-Jazz music, Acustic and Movies. And for the price I can't complain.

I am using:

Denon 5700
SonyDVP-S9000ES
CDM 7SE rears
All cables DH-Lab (bi-wired)

I'll give it 5 & 5, for price

Similar Products Used:

Nautilus 804 & 803

This is a great sounding speaker. Great highs and midrange. I was surprised at the base. Beautiful to look at, which is a bonus for the beautiful sound they make.

None so far

Ok I just set them up about 3 hours ago and I haven't stoped listening yet. They sound great. I just upgraded from the Klipsch, and obviously there is no comparison. I brought a surround sound receiver(NAD T770) about a year ago and didn't have enough money to get all new speakers. I bought the CDM SE Center channel with the LM1 for my rear. Yes I know they don't mix well with the Klipsch, but I had no choice. Because of the mix, I found myself listening to music in the NAD EARS surround mode which made most of the sound come from the center speaker. Now B&W offers the NT, so I finally made my move. Now I only want to listen in stereo. What awesome clarity on such music as Charlotte Church singing Pie Jesu. WOW there is a God!

The sound is full and balanced in surround mode as well. The Matrix just jumps out from all directions.

I love these speakers. I can't wait until my new JPS Labs speaker cables arrive. I can't imagine how much more presentation will be portrayed with these cables.

My system: NAD T770 Receiver
SOny DVP-7700 Dvd

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch KG4

Very balanced high/mid/low output, incredible soundstaging, build quality, aesthetics

Biwire terminals are a bit too close together to allow use of heavier gauge cable

Where to begin...this speaker is everything one would expect from the Nautilus 803 with only moderate lessening of presence. Initially, I went for the CDM1NT but decided against use of a subwoofer with music. So I upgraded to the 7NT and was very satisfied...until B&W announced the 9NT. I was drawn to the similiarity to the 803s which have, in my opinion, a most beautiful, natural sound. So, working with my audio mentor Jonathan at Sound Advice, I upgraded to the 9NTs.

This has been a beautiful experience. The clarity throughout the frequency range is well balanced and natural, with ample bass and mids. Of course, with the Nautilus tube similar (but not of the same materials) to the 800 series, the highs sing through. While my preference is contemporary jazz, I also get an occasional hankering for a bit of Zappa, Zeppelin, Stevie Ray, or Type O-Negative; the speakers perform very well in all formats. In home theater, simple adjustments between the output levels of the center and rears allowed the 9NTs to fit in very nicely.

I did encounter a bit of a problem trying to run an external biwire, as the terminals are just a bit too close together to all easy use of spade connectors. This could easily be remedied by employing banana plugs, but my Analysis Plus cables have the massive T1 spades that are just too good not to use. I have also placed the speakers on Lovan Jazz 6" stands, and that has improved bass response even more.

I am a firm believer in B&W, and the performance of the CDM9NT has reaffirmed this belief. For one-half the cost of the Nautilus 803, this speaker is simply splendid.

My system:
Sony STR-DA777ES Receiver
Sony CDP-CX240 CD Player
Pioneer PDR-555RW CDR/RW
Monarchy 18B D/A Converter
Sony DVP-S330 DVD Player
B&W CDM9NT Main Speakers
B&W CDMCNT Center Speaker
B&W LM1 Rear Speakers
Sunfire True MkII Subwoofer
Analysis Plus Silver Oval Speaker Cables (highs)
Analysis Plus Oval 9 Speaker Cables (lows)
Interconnects by Delta Labs, Stealth, Canare, Monster
Power Cords by Stealth

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601, CDM2SE, CDM1NT, CDM7NT

Soundstage, smooth accurate sound, clean and deep base, best sounding speakers for under $5000

Price

These are literally the best sounding speakers that I have heard for under $5,000. Separation of vocals and instruments is amazing, base is crisp and clear and the soundstage makes these speakers truly disappear. Wonderful with all forms of music from rock to classical. Soundstage, base, highs and mid clarity is far superior to the CDM 7 NT's. Definitely worth the extra money. I actually like these better than the 803's for a thousand bucks less. Great looking too.
The Def Techs produced more sound, but very difused and boomy. No where near as enjoyable to listen to, but very effective for home theater. The CDM9NT's are fantastic for home theater with the CDMC providing a perfect match. This is the best combination music/home theater speaker I have ever listened to. Sounds great with decent receiver as well.

My system:
Sony STR-DB 930
Sony DVP-C650
B&W CDM9NT
B&W CDMC
Def Tech PF15TL+
B&W VM1 Surrounds

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech BP2000, Paradigms, KEF, Atlantic Technology, B&W CDM 7NT

Clear, Accurate Sound, Nice looking

Not enough bass for FULL sound

Overall, these speakers are a great purchase for the average listener like myself. If you have average/lower high-end components these speakers are perfect. I do tend to use an M&K sub to balance out the lack of bass the speakers put out, but aside from that I really have no complaints, especially for the price. The highs and midrange are awesome. I also find that it helps greatly to have them bi-wired. I listened to them both ways and found that when bi-wired with Kimber Kables (or any other cable I suppose) the sound resolution is much improved. Now if you have high end components like Levinson, Pass, or the like, and have a higher credit limit you may want to venture into the higher end B&W line-up or perhaps some Dynaudios. All and all, I would say you couldn't go wrong if you purchased these speakers. You would get great dynamic sound (with less bass), a nice looking speaker, and still money left over to buy a few discs to break them in with.

Similar Products Used:

Snell

Crystal clear highs & beautiful cabinets

None detected so far

I previously used 602s, 603s, and 604s as my front speakers in a Home Theater setup(although I also use the room for two channel music listening as well).

I upgraded to the CDM 9NTs after being concerned about the slight harshness of the 604s with certain CDs. The Nautilus tweeter technolgy enticed me but the fact that some reviews mentioned that they were a bit bright worried me a little. After hooking them up, however, I was suprised by their clarity and lack of over-brightness in the treble range.

I bi-wired them to my Sunfire amp using the current source(a warmer more tube like output)for the high frequencies, and the voltage source(typical solid state output)for the woofers. Out of the box these speakers were amazingly better than the 604s they replaced. The sounstage became more open and detailed without the harshness that the 604s sometimes exhibited. These speakers are worth the extra money over the 600 series and the cabinets are absolutely beautiful.

I have run them for about 18 hours and I expect them to improve even more as I approach 50 hours. I highly recommend these speakers to anyone looking in the $2000-$3000 range. In my opinion, not only will you get a great sounding speaker, but a beautiful cabinet that will make the Significant Other happy, as well.

DJ

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602, 603, and 604

THE MIDS, THE HIGHS!!!

B&W has outdone themselves this time! I've played with the whole 800 Nautilus line time and time again, but could never justify spending the money on a pair of 803's or 802's. But the CDM9NT is worth every penny!

Out of the box, these speakers came ready to rock and roll. I popped in Dave Mathews Band, Crash CD and played "Drive in, Drive out" and was mesmorized. You could here every little note blasting through: the plucks of the guitar strings, the high sax notes, the drums pounding, just unbeleavable! For the next few hours I went from CD to CD rocking out to songs I thought I knew. Playing old remastered hits, you could point out the flaws in the recording, something I only assumed one could do with ultra high end components and high end speakers.

The Nautilus tweeter is just something else. It's one you can't just sit and read about in reviews or listen to other poeple talk about, you actually have to sit and listen. Though most poeple have seen and heard a lot about the 800 Nautilus series but the CDM line is well worth taking a look at. For starters, everything playing through the tweeter is crisp: there's no harsh brightness or display of high pitch. There's a nice airy open feel to it, displaying a great soundstage. Play any song you know to the "T" and you'll find something new on the first listen, the tweeter is that amazing.

Something I didn't really noticed but caught me by suprise is the midrange. It's the FST from the 800 Nautilis series but when they say "fixed" they mean it's fixed. It sits on a rod that is attached to the rear of the speaker and is screwed in on the back. At any volume setting the midrange doesn't move or excurge, it vibrates, creating some magical effects in the midrange. Play a live album (personally, I can't stand them but try "Phish, A Live One") and you'll see, you can hear the crowd chant and rave loud enough it almost takes away from the music itself.

What impressed me the most was the bass - these speakers don't look like they can hang with the big boys but just pop in "Hotel California" and crank it. The bass is loud and quick, no muddy follow through or boomy effect, just crisp and hard! Add this to the already flawless midrange and sweet nautilus tweeter and you're talking the most bang for the buck!

All in all, if you're looking for a great pair of main speakers, the CDM9NT are so worth it. And for their price, I'm not sure you can find a pair of speakers that could beat them.

Audio Set-up:

H/K Signature Series 2.0 Preamp
H/K Signature Series 2.1 Amp
H/K FL8550 CD Player
B&W CDM9NT Fronts
B&W 602 Center
B&W 603 Rears

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Studio 100, BW 604 & 605

Detail, neutrality, full sound

For the price none

The 9s are great speakers for the price. I have auditioned several speakers in the price range and none besides the 7s could match their sound quality. They sound very detailed and natural while offering a broad soundstage. The highs are sweet, the midrange is crisp, and the bass is full and tight.

What I really like about the 9s is there versatility; they sound great on any type of material, HT, Rock (the new Creed album sounds spectacular on these speakers), Pop, Opera, and classical music. The main difference between the 7 and 9s is the slightly fuller and deeper sound of the 9s, so if you have the extra $600 to spend...

The main difference between the above mentioned Nautilus speakers and the CDM 9 is a more refined sound of the Nautilus series, while having almost the same amount of detail and the same neutrality. For some reason, the 804s sound a bit smoother and more integrated then the 9s; maybe it is the matrix construction of the cabinet since they both use the exact same drivers?

If you go further up the ladder to the 802s, the sound becomes even fuller and more natural while being more relaxed and without any strain. But at this point you can already buy 3 sets of CDM 9s for the same price and it becomes a question of how much is that improvement worth to you; the law of diminishing returns has definitely kicked in at that point.

My system:
B&W Nautilus 802 (main) - I could not resist and had to blow my budget
B&W HTM2 (center)
B&W CDM 9NT (side)
B&W ASW 2500 (sub)
B&K AVR 305 - will by a separate amp for the 802s at some point
Technics A10 (use it for CDs, DVD-Audio and -Video)
JPS Ultraconductor interconnects and biwired cable for main and front speakers; DH Labs Q10 for side speakers

Similar Products Used:

Nautilus 802, 803, 804; auditioned NHTs, CDM 7NT and several other speaker brands in the 9's price range

Fantastic bass (not boomy but just deep), midrange to die for, wonderful high all integrated oh! so well.

B&W quote 15hrs break in - Nonsense! This baby needs at least 100hrs to really hear it sing.

Current system:
NAIM CD 3.5
Rotel RMB 1095
Tag McClaren AV32R
QED Silver Spiral connecting Pre to power amp.
Chord Carmeleon connecting CD to PRE.

I have used the CDM 7SE for two years and have been quite happy with it. I decided that I would like to upgrade my existing system to get even more sound. As the CDM7SE was the oldest piece of kit I had, I decided to upgrade to something new.

Off I went to my local hifi shop Billy Vee (London) and after a couple of conversation we arranged for me to come in to demo some speakes.

I initially tried the CDM 7NT which although slightly better than the CDM 7SE felt more like a sideways move.

I then tried the CDM 9NT and boy! what a shock. I remember saying wow to one of my favourite tracks - Miles Davis "Blue in green" of the Kinda blue Album.

This speaker has amazing resolution - instruments take on a much more real sound with trumpets piercing right through you. If you've ever been to a live jazz concert in a small venue trumpets piercing through you is one of the key characteristics.

Bass is pretty fantastic too - with it just going deep without any boom whatsoever. Midrange is also excellent in that Female vocals are resolved with the sort of accuracy you would expect of much more expensive speakers. Cassandra Wilson is alive in my room and she's singing folks.

One thing though - on first switching this speaker on the treble sounded very harsh but it soon settled down to produce some of the sweetest highs I have ever heard. A good CD to test the high and mid range of these speakers is Coldplay - Parachute.

Another thing - put in a bad recording and be prepared for some serious ear ache. These babies simply don't lie, they tell you exactly how it is.

The question is are there better speakers for the same price? I am sure if you look hard enough you'll probably find some. Will they look and sound and gorgeous as the CDM 9NT's not so sure. These babies sit well in any living room.

Go get one folks - these are simply very honest sounding speakers.

Similar Products Used:

CDM 7SE