very detailed,open and accurate sound

needs good amplifying(read quality)and placement
i dont know if thats a weaknes

i was very pleased when i heard the 9's in the store and was captured by his very lean and clean sound .
i was wondering how it sounds with my ATC SIA2-150 and Harmonic Technology pro9 biwire cable...Better?
indeed it was sounding better more open and detailed then at the store(playing with Classè and Siltech)however the 9'S prefer better amplification and better cables it makes the difference in a good sounding system ,every bit.
it was playing much relaxer then with the 7se and the whole sound picture was getting to a higher stage,i know now i am going for it,this speaker is standing in my room before Christmas.

!i can see that a lot of people share the same feelings about the 9NT ,that indicates the real audio-enthusiast and audiophiles

Similar Products Used:

cdm7se,virgo,tempo,audience.

Incredible separation and Soundstage, very precise and detailed.

May come across very harsh and bright if not matched with the right receiver or Amps.

Well, since I've had the speakers for almost 2 months I thought I'd revisit and update my review.

I was originally just using my Denon AVR-3300 and the sound was a bit bright and forward in the mid-range using just the receiver as my source. It did have the power to drive the 9Nts, 1NT rears , CNT center and a sub.

I got an excellent deal on a Rotel RB-985 5 channel 100W/Channel Amp. So, with using the Denon 3300 as the pre amp and the Rotel RB-985 amp my sound stage opened up dramatically. Better separation and a very robust bass.

Total power output on the Denon 3300 receiver is around 5.7 Amps. The Rotel RB-985 has total power output of 40 Amps. Even though it is rated at 100W/Channel vs 105W/channel of the Denon receiver, pushing more current to the speakers makes a huge difference as far as range and separation.

It just goes to show that finding the "right" source is critical to getting the most out of any speakers.

I still have not invested in "high end" speaker cables and have my 9Nts and CNT Bi-wired with Home Depot oxygen free 12 gauge copper speaker wire. The rears have a single run of 14 gauge oxygen free copper wire because of the distance from the amp. (Any recommendations are welcome) email me!!

I also agree with Pradeep's views on the 804Ns they do sound a bit better but were not worth the extra $1000...Best sound for the price...

Bottom line- I friggn love these speakers!!!

Similar Products Used:

B&W 605 S2

Execellent sounding.More open,Stunning beauty,that a certain
owner could be proud of.

None at all!!!...

The only thing that I could say to these speaker is that I am very much impressed with the performance, without a doubt.I don't mind if this is a little bit costly,but it's
worthy to own.The bottom line is, this the best of the best.
Reviews:
Power amp- Rotel five channel
Processor- Rotel
Dvd player-Panasonic
Cd player- Marantz
Cables-MIT
Surge protector-Panamax
Center speaker-B&W CDM CSE
Main Speaker-B&W CDM 9NT
Rear speakers- B&W CDM 2SE
Subwoofer-B&W ASW 2500
VHS- Panasonic Super VHS
Video cables- Monter & Tributaries

Similar Products Used:

I've tried bunch of brand and different power handling, all
of those no one could match except to some B&W speakers.

Looks,sound.

None.

Previously owned the original CDM 1's bought from a friend of mine who owned a high-end audio store.Finally bought a surround reciever,Denon AVR-3300 & added the CDMC NT.What a difference !!! Immediatly had to upgrade to the new CDM 9NT's. They are absolutly splendid.
A little background here.I purchased a used Perraeux classA pre-amp & 100 watt amp/tuner at the same time.Learned how to bi-wire & the B&W's were just outstanding!! Blew all of my friends away!!(and a few neighbors!)Got married to a wonderfull wife who loves music & can play piano & the harp.She KNOWS good sound!!She bought us the Denon for watching movies etc, so we bought the new CDMC NT because it matched myold CDM's.Or so we thought.Then I was Told to go buy the new CDM 9NT'S !!
The friend I bought the original equipment from came over & brought some type of speaker wire (shotgun cable?)It's the size of a garden hose. Put the spikes on the new 9's & then put them up on outdoor concrete pads. My wife wanted to know what I did because of the difference in quality sound.
Another friend of mine who used to sell $100,000 systems says it sounds as good as ANY he ever sold.
It makes a huge difference to have a good amp /reciever with enough REAL power to make B&W'S shine like they were mean't to be heard.Also,I do have a velodyne sub for movies to make my house explode when it needs to.
The detail is unbelievable,especially on female artist recordings.These speakers are just unbelievale for the money.

Similar Products Used:

CDM1,CDMC NT

Detail, Precision, Tight controlled Midrange

Take a long time to settle in, Can sound Bright,

I used to have my P4's as main the HTM as centre and 603's as rears, since purchasing the CDM9NT they have become the mains and the P4's have gone to the rear,

The system I have is also for listening to music, but played through my Denon AVCA1 amp and played off of a Music Fidelity Xray CD Player, They sound great, although as said before they do need a lot of running in, I ran them for a week solid just to bed them in, just recently I have been away and on comming home I found they sounded rough for quite a while before they again began to loosen up.

The soundstage for my DVD movies is fantasticand spacious soundingand detailed, if I had more money I would replace the rears with some more CDM9NT's and buy a better Centre. I never knew what a difference this would make, I had the choice of upgrading the amp to the newer Denon at 2500 pounds, but I would have been left with the old speaker arrangement, this is probably the biggest upgrade overall.

So if your looking for huge soundstage with control and tight bass, then look no further,

Other Equipment,

Denon AVCA1 AV Amp
NAD 216 Mono Bridged Centre Channel
B&W CDM9NT's Front
B&W P4 Rear
B&W HTM Centre
M&K V75 Sub
M&K VX7 Sub
Cables Nordost Solor Wind Biwired
Pioneer 737 DVD Player
Millenium DTS Decoder
Music Fidelity XRAY CD Player,

Similar Products Used:

B&W P4, B&W HTM, B&W603

Fantastic sound stage, great highs and mid-range

Bass somewhat limited but my REL Stadium III takes care of the bass!

I am quite concerned about the previous viewer's comments and low grade. Does he have any ears? I find these speakers to be enjoyable to listen to hour upon hour. I never even had much of a break-in period. They do like power which I supply with the Denon flagship 5800. I placed the supplied spikes down to stablize the speakers since they are so narrow. Other reviewers have used other commercial spikes that they claim will help the sound. (Any others have comments about the spikes?)

I have the natural Cherry which my wife likes very much. What else can I say? I hope this review and many others can offset the poor grade from the tinty ear of the previous reviewer.

Similar Products Used:

Still have my old JBL bookshelves in the rear

clarity, soundstaging, imagery, air

need careful partnering with amp source

I am using these with REGA 2000 and the Mistral LFD LE 75w integrated and this combination has me smitten.

I've read several magazine reviews on this product and most of them describe its characteristics correctly. If you get the right combination you will surely be happy.

Here are some observations:

1) Likes high current amps
2) Picky with amps (so take your time)
3) Warm sounding amps are the best
4) You will need an amp that will bring out the bass in these speakers because they are there
5) Punchy bass
6) Very sweet treble and midrange (see 2)
7) Sweet spot is nearer to the speakers
8) 7ft or more gives way better soundstaging
9) Needs good placement
10) Again, your source determines how it will sound

Superb detailed sound. Smooth clear midrange and treble. Excellent tight deep bass. Gorgeous cabinet of real veneer.

A little expensive here in Monaco.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I adore these speakers. They throw a wide soundstage across the living room , with imaging so accurate, one can pinpoint every nuance. I find the midrange a highs to be silky smooth, and the clarity is astonishing. Bass is so quick, deep,and deviod of any boom. The design cosmetically is without doubt stunning, in real wood veneer finsh. (I chose natural cherry). Listening is a joy for hours on end trying all styles of music, hearing for the first time, ambience around intruments. I would not hesitate to recommend this speaker to anyone. If you need a smaller design that is less expensive, I suggest the B&W CDM7NT, also a superb design. Voila! have fun with your music!

Incredible separation and Soundstage, very precise and detailed.

May come across very harsh and bright if not matched with the right receiver or Amps.

I traded up for my DM 605 S2's and am glad I did. Initially investing in the B&W speakers was a very good decision. I got full value back for the 605's and paid $400.00 difference for the 9NT's.

I agree totally with Herman. The CDM series requires careful choice of what Amps or receiver you use with these speakers. I just have a Denon AVR-3300 right now but it is enough to power the speakers and produces a nice warm sound which compliments the CDM series nicely. Next upgrade will be a more powerful receiver or a good 5 channel Amp.

Best break-in for these speakers was to play DVD movies for a week to break in the subwoofers on the 9NT's. After only a week I noticed a difference. I don't regret giving up the powered subwoofers in the 605's at all.

The separation, detail and resulting soundstage are incredible. There is a huge difference in moving up to the CDM series from the DM series.

I traded in my entire DM series speaker set and now have the 9NT's for fronts, a CDM CNT center and CDM 1NT's for rears.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 605 S2

None

First off, I upgraded from CDM 1SE purchased a year ago, which sounded fantastic on movies but when listening to music I just wasn't satisfied. My intent was to upgrade to the 9NTs and not use the sub for music. Of course B&W's break in period is long and out of the box the bass is a little lacking. So the sub stayed on, just had to adjust the frequency to a lower value.

Now that the speakers have had a couple hundred hours to break in the sound is amazing. I'm still using the sub though. Still needed but not a problem. The sub is a Velodyne FSR-12. With the CDM 1SEs, I was just making the sub do to much work, it couldn't keep up. Now it has a easier job and performs it much better.

I have found any music in my collection that this speaker setup can't play amazingly. The sound stage was also vastly improved.

Setup:
Sony db-930 receiver
Sony 850 CD changer
B&W CDM CNT center
CDM 9NT mains
Bose 301 rears (Next replacement Bose Sucks)