I have had my CDM1NT's for almost 16 years. I first powered them with my Citation (250 watts per) amplifier ... sounded fantastic ... but I recently moved from a stand alone home to a townhouse ... so I exchanged the Citation with my Adcom 535 ... a lot less power but so very smooth and detailed ... I have these paired with a Pardigm 15, sub w/ 250 watts RMS .... the sound stage is like you are in the orchestra or in the band .... I play some of my reference OMR / Telarc CD's ( yes gold cd' s sound better) ... and I can not believe it ... then I play some of my half speed masters or 200 gram EU vinyl and all are spellbound ... MY CD player is a Marantz 6005, my pre is an Adcom 750.... my TT is a Denon DP59L

Purchased a pair of CDM-1NT's and the CDM center for $620 on Craigslist. I was using a lower powered Marantz AVR (50 Watts/Channel) and they sounded good but not great. Upgraded to an Anthem MRX500 and the quality and fullness of the sound increased significantly. I agree with one of the previous reviewers that the low end at ~60HZ doesn't have a completely satisfying depth. I paired it with an older B&W AWS600 (closed box) and it complemented the CDM's perfectly. I've listened to everything from electronic, jazz (Diana Krall,..etc), rock and 3.1 "surround", they all sound fantastic, absolutely no complaints. I would suggest if you can get a solid set of used speakers, it's well worth the investment. Also, I didn't need it in this case but B&W has an extensive inventory of spare parts for older models, a great resource if a tweeter needs to be replaced.

Simply put this speaker does all that is asked of it. The detail is amazing, sound stage is unbelievable! Construction is very well done, the finish impeccable. Given this a book-shelf speaker, there are certain aspects that are lacking such as deep bass cutoff is 60Hz. With that withstanding, the mid-range is smooth with the right amount of crispness for the range intended. The upper-range is out of this world, thanks to the Nautilus Tube it's light and airy, not bright or harsh what so ever.

Payed £350 Ebay dropped in a new pair of drivers from B&W for £65 a pop so total cost of speakers £480 all in and i also have the spare drivers, as mine were fine only decided to replace them so i had spares.
I find these speakers have plenty of attack, they manage all kinds of music with ease.
I use them in a 16ftx14ft room and they are perfect for this size room.
I have also used these with a pair of subs and it was the perfect combo for me.
Saying that if you are in a flat or appartment that may be overkill (^.
These are very good speakers for the money.Highs 5 5,Mids 5 5, Bass 4.5 5.
Getting harder to find nowadays people are moving on but hanging onto these they are that good.
I use mono blocks with mine and they sound precise.I have also bi-amped them very detailed indeed.
I found these very easy to run, i bi-amped them for the sake of trial & error.

Tonal balance, smooth highs with the right equipment and cables, tight and controlled bass in small rooms

The mids get a little better with 805 upwards

2008/2009 they are still great. Now they are even higher value for money than before as you can get a pair between 400 and 700 USD averywhere in the world. At this price they are a steal. Even if you are on a budget they will take you into the Highend world.
I know this speakers very well as I owned CDM1 CDM1SE and CDM1NT before. Unfortunately I had sold my pair some years ago but bought one second hand again.
Their tonal balance is outstanding. Jazz, Sax, Vocal, Classics are their favourites.
I love them as they are easy to partner. Great dynamics also with small amps. A good match are Cyrus 8, 8vs, 8vs2 or Naim 5 amps. I have always used Kimber 8TC. The 4TC might be too bright sounding for them.
Biwire with care as the tweeter might get to forward.

With the right partners they deliver an unbelievable tight and punchy bass in smaller rooms. I prefer Cyrus amps for the extra fun factor.

Again: They must be some of the most beautiful small speakers that have ever been on the market and probably the highest value-for-money B&W has ever made. Shure the 805 are a little better and the 805S are better but remember their price.

In the end of 2008 they are still a "Best Buy"

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Many ! Many B&Ws CDM1,CDM1SE,Proac Studio,Dynaudios
JBLs,Infinitys (never again)

Super clean mids and highs with te Nautilus Tweeter, value and build quality, plus, they look cool with the cabinet styling and tweeter on top.

Low end. If you use a subwoofer or the 9NT's then this is not an issue. But hey, this is a bookshelf speaker not a floorstander.

Best deal of the century! I also have a pair of B&W 603 S2's that sound fantastic, but these are in a class all by themselves. It's hard to believe that a speaker this size can have the range that it commands. The mids and highs surpass my 603's with the incredible, realistic sound reproduction these exude. I have listened to the B&W 704's & 805's and these are better than the 704's and I can't justify the price difference between these and the 805's, they are that close in sound quality. The bass in the 603 S2's surpasses these, but the mids and highs are like butter on a hot skillet...sizzlin! From the first time I listened to them, I sat back and could do nothing but smile. The clarity of vocals, soundstage, instuments and percussion were stunning. Every sound came alive with new definition I had not heard before. This made me lust over wanting to check out the CDM 9NT's with the same highs, but with improved FST Midrange and the lows my 603's produce. B&W has created the best value of all of their speakers with the CDM NT series in my opinion. The CDM 1NT is the best value in a bookself size speaker on the market. Paired wth the CDM 9NT and the CDM CNT center channel speaker you have the best stereo & surround speaker bang for the buck on the planet.

Customer Service

The best! They usually have what you need in stock with a 3-5 business day delivery

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Kef, Wharfedale, Bose, Mission, Maggies, JBL

The CDM 1NT's are absolutly stunning!

First, they are not too bright as some might say. They reproduce clean, transparent and detailed sound. In my 28 m2 room the music is presented in a very wide and large sound frame. Every instrument is placed at a specific depth of field, making it really 3d! Bass is tight and for speaker of this size very good!

Lots of CD's sound great, but lesser recordings are immediatly recognized. My old Blue Note jazz LP's sound superb, with greater detail than I ever heard from them. Saxophones, trompets, etc... are amazing!

I've also auditioned the B&W 705 and the 805 and in my opion the CDM1NT is better than the 705 and not far behind from the 805.

Second hand this is a bargain!

Equipment used:

Rotel rb980bx
Marantz vintage amp used as pre-amp
Marantz CD67mkII
Technics turntable
Taralabs interconnect
Kimber 8PR biwired

3d sound, clear, transparent, detailed...

none

This is an amazing speaker!

It's not too bright as has been mentioned by some, but very clear, transparent and detailed. My room is 28m2 and it's 3d sound is wonderful all the instruments are displayed in a large frame, which most often (depending on the record) is wiider and much larger than the speakers. Bass is tight and for a speaker of this size it's really very good. My blue note LP's are presented with details never heard before and saxophones / trumpets are out of this world!

I've listened to the B&W 705's and 805's as well. It's better than the 705 and a small bit behind the 805...

The cdm1 NT is a real bargain when bought second hand.

My setup;

Rotel rb980bx
Marantz vintage amp used as preamp
Marantz 67mkII
Technics turntable
Taralabs 200a interlink
Kimber 8pr biwired

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sound clarity, quality, imaging, apperance

lacks very deep bass

These are by far the best speakers I've ever had! I just unpacked these babies, and my music came to life. I never realized there were so many different instruments and sounds effects in some of my songs. It was like I bought a completely new system. The B&W's made me feel like I was in a live performance. Although if the source was recorded poorly, these speakers will show it. They will reveal exactly what was recorded. In my opinion they are very attractive speakers. The only thing lacking is the bass, and I can't wait to get the CDM 9NT's and move these to surround channels.

clarity good with analogue source

equipement - sensitive

Often I hate this speakers, such a beautiful mid, but the highs did my ears bleed. A bad speaker? Surely Not!!! These speakers are (very) detailed, so the source is very important. I have never been satisfied with them when I listened to CD's, to my taste the highs were to hard(a bit scharp). Not so with a analogue source, warm sounds warm, and the highs do not sounds hard or scharp. Ironicly I own 600 CD's and 30 LP's, but that will change soon. LP's deserve to live, I have no experience with super audio CD and what's next, nut I don't care, I thing I go back in time. Enjoy. But since I bought a phono-amp and I

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dynaudio, linn, mission