B&W DM 302 Floorstanding Speakers
B&W DM 302 Floorstanding Speakers
[Dec 01, 1998]
Chris
an Audiophile
Awesome image and soundstage . . . nice bass (considering the size) . . . sweet midrange (try some Sarah McLachlin Surfacing track 7) . . . for $250 NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING can touch them . . . I have listened to alot of speakers and, unless you are into music that has a ton of bass, there is no need to spend more!! |
[Nov 27, 1998]
Dan
an Audio Enthusiast
My 2 cents on the 302's. A little light on the bass, as is to be expected with a small and inexpensive speaker. They don't rock, and they can't do justice to opera, but for jazz and lighter vocals they are wonderful. Nice soundstage, and they practically disappear. For the money, they are tremendous value (you need to spend a little on some decent stands to go with them) - I have paid a lot more for a lot less. Given the way the exceed expectations, they deserve the full five stars. |
[Dec 14, 1998]
David
a Casual Listener
I don't have a lot of room, so I'm looking at buying 302's as front speakers. Without a sub, I thought they sounded better than NHT Super Zero's. I'm fairly set on buying the 302's, but I question what to pair them with to finish off a mini home theatre setup. I know I could buy the matched cc3 (center speaker), but I don't want to buy a second pair 302's for the rears and just plain don't know which sub to get. |
[Dec 20, 1998]
dj
an Audio Enthusiast
For the money these are the best value in speakers...For those of you looking for more bass... More means more...you pay more you get more... These speakers are accurate, present a great soundstage and dissappear in my listening room...I really like my Paradigms which are very good speakers, But boy do I love these little Gems...This is the first piece of stereo equipment I have ever owned that I questioned the pricing... How the Engineers at B&W could get so much out of so little is amazing...If you have trouble understanding why we love these speakers treat your ears to an old 50's Jazz recording(preferably live,Stormy Weather:Ben Webster Zoot Simms) and this will clear things up. There is nothing like closing your eyes and feeling like you are there. Hearing valves on a saxophone opening and closing, listening to the air rushing through the horn and hearing fingers thumping the strings on bass..Enough said..... |
[Nov 28, 1998]
Jim
an Audio Enthusiast
I've just listened to the 301's, which I've been comparing to Castle, Definitive Pro Cinema, and Boston Acoustics Microseries 90. I'm looking for aSub/Satellite system, and the 301's @ $320 have excellent highs and midrange. Also thinking about a Paradigm PDR-10, or M&K V-75, for about $650 on the sub. Add a B&W center for $250-$300, and for $1300 I've got a great sounding speaker system to go with my Denon AVR 3200. |
[Dec 25, 1998]
Mark Glodfelter
a Casual Listener
At first I thought buying a pair of speakers would be simple. Was I ever wrong! So the search began. |
[Dec 30, 1998]
Cr
an Audiophile
I hate to flame on a review, but you've got to be kidding me, Steve! What was the purpose of that so-called review? That was completely worthless here. |
[Jan 04, 1999]
Jerry C.
an Audiophile
After 6 to 8 hours of in store auditioning with a few hours of A-B comparisons, these are the best $250 speakers that I've heard. I did not, however, hear the Mission speakers that other reviewers mentioned. I did audition the Paradigm and a/d/s speakers in stores, but not in an A/B comparison. They sounded good, but not as good as the B&W. I performed A/B comparisons with the NHT SuperZero ($250 list) and SuperOne ($350 list). I liked their naturalness and spatial qualities very much, but the SuperOne didn't have enough bass and the SuperZero had zero bass. Paired with a subwoofer, I would choose either of these over the B&W. However, that is not the comparison. The B&W performed better as a semi-full-range speaker standing on it's own. I compared the B&W 302 with the $250 PSB Alpha. I brought them both home, and my sister and I did a 2 hour A-B comparison with symphonies, classical sonatas, jazz instrumentals, female & male jazz vocals, and female and male pop vocals. I rated the B&W preferable (but not more accurate) on 55-65% of the cuts and my sister rated the B&W preferable on 65-70% of the music. Even though we didn't choose the PSBs, it was very close. The PSBs sounded a little flatter (frequency response), crisper on the vocals, and sharper on guitar. The B&Ws sounded a little more natural on piano and more pleasing with most classical. Certain instruments sounded more rolled-off or rounded-off, giving it a cleaner sound, but probably less accurate. The PSBs actually started sounding better with time and in a few more hours I might have changed my mind. I would wholeheartedly recommend either of these over the impressive NHTs without a subwoofer. I can only give them 3 stars because I don't believe ANY $250 speaker deserves more. 3 stars on my scale might equal 4.5 on some other reviewer's scale. If I rated just value, they would be a 5. You should be able to get the B&Ws for $215-225 and the PSBs for $210-220. |
[Dec 27, 1998]
AB
an Audiophile
Steve, honestly that wae the WORST review or should I say NON-REVIEW of a piece equiptmwnt. I think the 302 by B&W is wonderful especially for the price at 250 it's a steal. |
[Dec 27, 1998]
Steve F.
an Audiophile
System Economics - For Better Sound at a Reasonable Cost.Let's talk about speakers and sound. I've listened to all the so called great speakers, and a lot of it is advertising hype, that people pay big money for, to believe it sounds better. What about speaker placement in a room? Just remember the store you've listened to these great high priced speakers in, is the perfect atmosphere. Do you really understand where the best location is, and why? Or do you have them in the corner of an outside wall? People tend to laugh at using lamp cord for their speaker wire, but even the Advent people have this as a recommendation in their old Legacy'instructions. It works, however, we can do a little better than that, without running up the national debt. Other considerations for speakers should be: the cabinet quality, the acoustics in the cabinet, and the connectors for the wires. |