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Comparison of B&W's 685s and CDM or 805 Nautilus?

Hi Folks,

as I've posted elsewhere, I'm on an upgrade kick for my 2 channel setup. I'm shopping used Rotel, Creek, NAD and Musical Fidelity amplifiers. (yeah, pretty broad, depending on budget.)

For speakers, I have listened to B&W's 686 and 685 speakers and I really like their sound. I also love the CM1s and of course the killer 805 Nautilus.

My budget allows for either the 686 new or something used. I'm shopping the CDM range and the older 805 Matrix. Is it safe to assume that the older models sound better than the new 68 series, seeing that they were higher end when new? I don't have a local shop where I can compare new B&Ws to older models.

any advice appreciated

Steve
stevecuss

Showing 1 response by oddiofyl

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,034 posts
 
I had some CDM 1NTs and really liked them, they were an excellent speaker for the money. They were so good that at the time I could not justify the cost of the 805s so I enjoyed them for 5 years. Upon looking for a replacement I auditioned the 705s and 805s again. I ended up buying PSB M2 Platinums in the end because to me they were an incredible speaker for the money but I miss the CDMs, if I could have afforded to keep them I would have.

I think used CDMs represent the best value and balance of sound quality for the buck vs. new 600 series.
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