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Class D amp Yuuuk, groos, nasty expensive for this quality, D amps are cheaper but this unit is expensive. Hurts B&W name

I am a big B&W Fan. I have B&W 601s with asw300 in my listening room and also have ceiling speakers in my bedroom. Normaly you can buy B&W in any price range and you will be assured of best sound and value in that price range...BUT I was shopping for a new sub for my home theater room. Since I have B&W ceiling speakers and center channel...might as well get a B&W sub to match. Went to local shop listened to the following: ASW 600 ASW 650 ASW 675 ASW 700 After listening I took home both the ASW 650 and ASW 675. I do this all the time...guys at store know me. Burned them in for 24 hours using stereophile test cd. Hooked them up to my system and this is what I found. ASW 650 was less expensive, sounded smoother, richer, better dynamic range with music, Miles davis, Led zeppelin. It was even more obvious with movies such as jurassic park 3 and Independence day. What gives with the ASW 675 ? Well after looking carefully at the specs I noticed that it has a class D amp (as in Digital) These amps "claim" more accurate controlled sound while also consuming less electricity and making less heat. It also allows them to customize the frequency curve of the signal so that they can "squeeze" more bass out of a smaller driver. Now the thing that bugs me is that the ASW 675 is almost twice the price yet I KNOW that the material to make this is cheaper that the ASW 600 so this is a expensive Ripp off. What happens is that D class Amps do not have anywhere near the richness or dynamic range of good old fashinoned Class A or Class B. And when driven hard they distort and sound thin. After further investigation I realized that ALL of the B&W line from ASW 675 up to the ASW 855 has digital amps !!! I wanted to cry. SO IF YOU WANT A B&W SUB BUY ASW 650 OR BELOW.

Tight fast bass with plenty of oomph goes deep with precision

When played at very very high levels sub cannot be heard B&W 602s3 overpower the sub? But overall a tremendous subwoofer highly recomended for the size and performance output.

Bought this sub a couple of weeks ago. Good tight bass with music. tends to shake the floor and walls (concrete slab). Very nice looking and compact size. Sounds good with Home Theatre as well. If you are after a deep tight bass response and enjoy your music this is the sub to purchase. use it in a 35*35 foot room and can still feel the bass travel throught the house, dont be fooled by the 10inch driver it has plenty of oomph. I dont know what the other guy was saying about the noise his sub was making inside when playing it through home theatre, ive had no problems he must have got a dudd.

Similar Products Used:

M&K MX150thx mk11, B&W ASW 650,

Tight, fast bass, capable of reproducing bass as low as 20 Hz. Small box, sufficient bass output for pop/rock/dance/disco music.

Not durable enough to withstand the low frequency effects of many movies. Very unlike the quality I have come to expect of B&W.

I bought this subwoofer based on my experience with B&W products. I love the accurate music reproduction of B&W and the transparent sound quality (a feeling of hearing a live performance rather than a recorded music reproduction which only a few speaker manufacturers can claim) and so bought the biggest sub in the B&W 600 series to match my other 600 series speakers. My initial experience with this subwoofer is very good. It had accurate, tight, fast bass and can reproduce bass frequencies down to 20 Hz. However, it seemed not loud enough for my large living room (2,900 cu. ft.) so I had to place it near the corner with the driver facing the corner for maximum sound level. The subwoofer blended very well with my main speakers and produced sufficient sound level for music listening. My disappointment started when I used the subwoofer for home theater. Using the same settings as when listening to pop/disco/dance music, the sub seemed to be incapable of producing reference sound levels for movies with high levels of low frequency effects. After viewing U-571 on DVD, I noticed vibration sounds from this subwoofer which weren't present before. I returned the subwoofer since it had a 5- year warrranty. I was happy with the replacement sub which was completely new (different serial number) until I watched another movie again with high levels of the low frequency effects channel. The new replacement sub (same model, different serial number) started making cabinet noises again. This despite a setting of -12 dB in the LFE channel and the subwoofer volume placed at only 50% output. I returned the replacement subwoofer and asked for a refund and vowed never to buy B&W subwoofers again. It's a pity that such a reputable name as B&W is only good for full range loudspeakers. It seems to me B&W is not experienced with subwoofer designs. Their subwoofer drivers are not equipped with protection for possible over-driving from bass-heavy movies. Also, the cabinet seems not durable enough. I don't know why B&W shifted from ported designs to closed-box systems/designs. I blame the problem on the closed-box subwoofer design, the composite paper/aluminum/kevlar cone and the long throw drivers which cannot tolerate repeated pounding from bass-heavy movies. If you want to buy full range speakers, I would highly recommend B&W. It's one with guaranteed hi-fi credentials; (not like Bose which tries to project it is hi-fi when it really is not.) However, if you are looking for durable/high-quality subwoofers, forget B&W. I'm still in disbelief/denial as to how something mediocre can come from B&W. (By the way, the ASW 675 is the biggest subwoofer in B&W's 600 series 3 speaker system). My system: Player: Pioneer DV 667A-S Universal player (DVD-audio/DVD-video/SACD/CD/MP3/VCD) Receiver: Onkyo TX SR 701 TV: Panasonic 29" Progressive Scan/100 Hz/HD ready tv Main Speakers: B&W DM 604 S3 Center Speaker: B&W LCR 60 S3 Surround Speakers: B&W DM 600 S3 Subwoofer: Velodyne CHT 15 (returned the B&W ASW 675 after 3 months)

Similar Products Used:

B&W's (see my system above) Velodyne CHT-15 Kenwood (not really hi-fi)

Sound!!! Clean and clear tight, fast bass. Compact design, look great.

A bit pricy but if you’re picky for your hi-fi components and enjoy good sound I think it worth it.

I haven’t been the kind of a listener to use a sub for stereo. Always thought that stereo should mean stereo and doing it any other way is out of the question. Well I’m glad to admit I was wrong. After enjoying music for years, companioned most of the time, with an Audiolab 8000A integrated amp. and a pair of JBL L80 (sometimes Bose 401) I made a decision to upgrade to a Home Theater system. However, as most of the time I’m listening to music the system must perform at best in that area. As a part of that move I was to first meet both B&W speakers and the advantages of having a subwoofer. After auditioning subwoofer brands at hi-fi stores and taking some for a home audition I decided to let go of the idea, only to come back to it after I made some changes to the front of my system. And so I did. Now, having a B&W new front, consisting of two CM-4s and one LCR-60 S3, I brought home an ASW 600 to check out. As the 600 did a fine job while watching movies I felt it was not as fast and responsive, as it should be while listening to music. I could hear it was masking my mains. So it was a no deal with the 600 and I returned it. A while later I brought the ASW-675 home. The Bowers & Wilkins ASW-675 is a closed box design and 34x34x41cm or 13.4x13.4x16.2in for its HxWxD with a 10 inch driver. As I connected it I felt its responsiveness right away. This thing would produce each and every low note that’s there. I didn’t experience this with other subs I was listening to. Even turning the crossover all the way down would still give an excellent response from the B&W 675, something I could not achieve with others. This sub is fast, always keeping up the pace with music. There are no bass smearing and it sounds very tight and accurate, guess the stiff driver and the 500W power amp driving it (along with other technical stuff put into it), make sure things will happen at the instant they should while not letting them get out of hands, keeping it all very controlled. I have placed the sub inline with the fronts and it blends perfectly. Listening to music in stereo gives one the feeling as if the mains have a great bass extension. In my opinion a good sub is a one you can’t tell it’s there. The low end should be heard as coming from the same place that all other stuff is coming from. With the ASW-675 I manage to achieve that. Any of you who’s interested in knowing how deep it goes or how loud does it play, well I don’t use any measurement equipment so can’t give any exact figures but according to my ears and stomach it can go deep and if you like very loud without exhibiting distortion, just playing a clean, fast and tight bass. The sub also adds to the depth of field of the sound, contributing to the 3D sense of it. Movies? Well it’s true what they say. You really need a sub to get all that bottom end in the LFE channel that Dolby Digital and DTS formats present. The ASW-675 works great for movies. Playing bass demanding scenes seems to be effortless with it, while all the other stuff is not masked and is clearly sounded as well. Meaning the 675, as with music, does not get in the way while doing what it suppose to do. Build quality of this one is really top-notch. By just looking at it and examining it with a close look you can tell this sub means business. The cabinet looks very strong and firm. Comparing it to other subs I tested the 675 is by far more solid and well built. The looks? It’s a matter of taste you know. I think it looks great with the grill off. Anyway it’s a relatively compact size sub, which I personally prefer. I have the black ash if it matters. Conclusions: I find this sub outstanding. It gives you the option to tailor your system’s bass performance just to your liking. It is very responsive and sounds deep, tight and accurate. Whether playing low or high volume, heavy bass parts or delicate bass notes it produces all that very clean and clear with ease. Feel free to contact me if you like.

Similar Products Used:

Def Tech, B&W ASW-600, Jamo, Monitor Audio, B&W-650 ...