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Am I the only one who thinks B&W is mid-fi?

I know that title sounds pretencious. By all means, everyones taste is different and I can grasp that. However, I find B&W loudspeakers to sound extremely Mid-fi ish, designed with sort of a boom and sizzle quality making it not much better than retail quality brands. At price point there is always something better than it, something musical, where the goals of preserving the naturalness and tonal balance of sound is understood. I am getting tired of people buying for the name, not the sound. I find it is letting the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In these times of dying 2 channel, and the ability to buy a complete stereo/home theater at your local blockbuster, all of the brands that should make it don't. Most Hi-fi starts with a retail system and with that type of over-processed, boom and sizzle sound (Boom meaning a spike at 80Hz and sizzle meaning a spike at 10,000Hz). That gives these rising enthuists a false impression of what hi-fi is about. Thus, the people who cater to that falseified sound, those who design audio, forgetting the passion involved with listening, putting aside all love for music just to put a nickle in the pig...Well are doing a good job. Honestly, it is just wrong. Thanks for the read...I feel better. Prehaps I just needed to vent, but I doubt it. Music is a passion of mine, and I don't want to have to battle in 20 yrs to get equipment that sounds like music. Any comments?
mikez

Showing 6 responses by ohlala

ohlala
1,243 posts
 
Is the consensous among the 'mid-fi' camp that the Nautilus line sounds worse than the Matrix, that other manufacturers that are now making better speakers, or that B&W was never particularly good?
ohlala
1,243 posts
 
I am intersted in knowing what Mikez finds better than B&W at the vaious price points.

I have owned the speakers in the lower B&W ranges. I bought them after comparing them to true mid-fis like Paradigm and Klipsch. I can see why someone may like the B&W as their sound is distinctive and they manufacture on a different level than most other hi-fi brands, but i have found them to be very competitive. To me, they are less distorted and more open sounding than the majority of speakers in that range.

I find B&W a little less competitive is in the upper leagues. I like the 800 series, but Thiel and others are a tough bunch.
ohlala
1,243 posts
 
At least regarding the current, new speakers my experience has been the same as Blackie's. I like the Ninkas, but they are closed in, darker, less detailed and more colored than the CDM-7se. I also found that 7se was superior to the Paradigm 100s as they are free from that bright, brittle, pent-up sound i attribute to mid-fi. The 7se is boxy sounding speaker, though, which was the reason i did not buy a pair. Superior to the 7se, that i have heard, are Hales Revelations. The Hales are brighter than the 7se, but that area seems minor compared to how much better the Hales are overall.
ohlala
1,243 posts
 
Tell me about my preconceptions. What is my reference? And tell me about the 'circumstances' under which I heard them. How were they set up? Because I am wondering how Blackie and I ended with the same conclusions under different, unkown-to-you 'circumstances' and 'preconceptions'.

btw Sorry all for the half-assed comparisons. Disregarding N’s comment, I should have deleted it.
ohlala
1,243 posts
 
From your description of the Linns is sounds like you listen to CDs. If you listen to LP, you may be dissapointed in comparison to other speakers (i was) that have more realistic dimensions to their sound, and a more extended frequency range. I can live without complaint without low bass, but the typical Linn is sad at the top (but not as sad as Ruark). If your reference is restricted to certain unamped events, I am sure the Linns will not reveal thier weakness too much. The inaccurate tonal balance that is their solution to long-term happiness runs in to a brick wall with Rock & orchestra. And Rock which to you has no reference, would be acceptable if the store was to offer a pair for half off. So, I agree with you, $700 is not bad. I am actually thinking about getting a pair for my dear mum, who just moved in to a house. She would like their politeness and ability to keep a good beat. As far as 'midrange clarity', what I think you mean is different from what I heard ( alot). Linns chase down every note and put a big stamp on them. Less colored than some, but more than others.
ohlala
1,243 posts
 
"Ohlala what would you recommend to someone with my tastes that would outperform the Linns for a similar price."

That was my point. If your taste is Linn and alike, then it easy to say they are The best speaker. I bought Hales instad of Ninkas, but not because of your version of my preconceptions. Although they have their drawbacks, the Revelations use a smaller stamp. In a small room, however, the Ninkas probably have an advantage. Also, if you get a chance, listen to a pair of Magnepans. And BTW - ProAc floorstanders are also quite high on my to-buy-when-I-start-making-real-money list.
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