B&W makes a fine product (some will like them more than others, of course). They have been around for ages and have sold many speakers.
Why so many B & W Speakers on the used market?
I live outside of the Denver area, so my Facebook Marketplace (among other sites) draws from the Colorado front range cities. So why do I see so many B&W loudspeakers being up for resale? Is it just that Listen Up has been a dealer for decades and the market has sold so many previously? Or is there an inherent problem that wears thin on the listener that they seek something better? I mainly see the 700 series, in different sizes and series, but CM9's etc. I'm just curious b/c I plan on moving to a new house in the next year and want to have a dedicated listening room, hopefully under $10K for the source, amp & speakers. I already have a nice analog set up to incorporate into it.
Showroom sound that gets annoying after staying with it a while combined with the volume sold, that will lead to a lot of used gear. They wow on first listen but end up being a nagging bright, overly bitey sounding with hollow midrange presentation when you stay with it. The same thing that made them excite on first listen is what makes them unfit for staying with in your home. Other will say something else but that is the underlying reason @cooperdude6
The only other tangible reason is purchase addiction as is the norm in this space of buying stuff to play music with but end up obsessing over the stuff than the music lol |
I think there's 2 reasons for amount of used B&W's on the market: 1. They have been around for 60 years and have always had a pretty broad range of speaker choices, across many price points. They have also developed a wide range of retailers and distributors. 2. I also agree with some posts here that B&W's seem very forward and can be fatiguing, to my ears, especially at the lower end of their range. When partnered with more laid back sounding electronics they can be a nice listen. |
Brands marketed in big box brick and mortar outlets are ubiquitous on used sites. Search engines are paid in full. If you pay enough you get a nice familiar speaker. But you lose the hook of something people haven't seen, and the expertise of producers who do not participate in the search/review game. If you care.
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Thanks for all of the responses. I thought maybe I hadn't heard about a decline in quality, as I wouldn't have expected. I agree with many of the replies as one brand with a huge amount out there will commonly have more available in the resale market. As for the forward/brightness issue, I actually have not auditioned the brand in many years, so it's good to know this characteristic. For the models I see often, being in the mid-fi price range of less than $2,500/pr., I would guess that most of these buyers have paired them with less than ideal amps, often being used with multichannel home theater receivers, thus compounding the brightness and forward soundstage presentation. It also reminds me of my college years, circa 1980, when I knew several guys that had JBL loudspeakers. Although they were popular and cost 2x-3x my Large Advents, their brightness made my ears bleed. But that was their trait and very few fed them anything other that the power from a Japanese receiver.
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according to speakerchoices.com, B&W is the largest/best selling speaker company - in revenue possibly only surpassed by Klipsch |
I had B&W CM6 S2, paired with a Rotel, so the "proper" pairing, as recommended by local high end shop. Once I got the Pearlacoustics Sibelius, the B&W did not sound particular treble forward, but rather had bloated smeary mids. I think B&W is pushed to many new people. Might be because shops make a good profit off them? At any rate, I think they are overpriced and underperform. So I traded in my CM6 towards a Pass XA25. Very happy with that combo. |
I loved my b&w speakers purchase in 1991 and had for 12 years and gave to my brother when upgraded to 803s in 2004. Had those for 20 years before upgrading to 803d4 last year. First set did not sound as good in brothers system and he sold them. I used the speakers as the core and built the rest of the system around them and have always found them engaging, never fatiguing, and some of the most true to the natural instruments as I have found (and i have tested a lot of speakers in similar price ranges). But yes, depends heavily on the rest of the system. I think they pair poorly with mcintosh that they are often shown with. Due to listening to a wide range of music I have found some speakers that sound a little better with classical but lose the impact i need with punk. Others that have a little more edge but sound awful with acoustic instruments. So, results vary with your interests and taste. Also, with so many b&w options some will be a better fit for your system and interests than others... 802s sounded boomy to me and 804s anemic with the 803s wonderful... But, all said I think they make outstanding products in almost every price range which is a true rarity. |
I worked in listenup for several years, selling a ton of B&Ws as it was their primary line forever. Many many speaker lines are a little tipped up in upper freqs. Many many customers like that presentation. Others don’t. None of that has anything to do with the number of speakers on the used market. As always, it’s best to go listen to anything you are interested in. |