B W CDM 9 NT or NAUTILUS 804's

The CDM-7NT and CDM-9NT are a lot better that the CDM-7SE, which (the CDM-7SE) in my opinion is great for HT, and sucks royally for music. Back in the days of the original CDM-7 and CDM-7SE the speakers to get for music were the P5 which is equivalent to the CDM-7 and the P6 which would have been like the CDM-9 (if there had been one).

I still have a pair of P5s which I preferred for classical over the Matrix 804. I demo'd them both side by side in my home at the time. I have thought about getting a pair of Nautilus 804, but wonder the same thing. How much better than the P5 to justify spending $3500. The P5 listed for $1500; I bought mine brand new when they were discontinued for only $1000. They were a steal for $1500. The P5 was never popular in the US. I see used pairs for only $600 which is the bargain of the century.

Has anyone checked out the new CM-4 which have very classic looks.

First of all, let me say that there is a significant difference between the sound of the CDM 9NT and the 804, even when something as mid fi as a B&K 202 is used. The NT does not have the airiness in the highs, and the bass is much less controlled, and sounds looser. Understand, the 9NT is not bad, just the 804 is significantly better. When we originally auditioned these speakers back to back, my friend really wanted to like the 9NT, but was forced to admit that the clarity of sound of even the 805s was worth the tradeoff in bass, and the 804 was significantly better sounding. He ended up buying Joseph Audio 25s, which are absolutely fantastic speakers in their own right, and I bought the 804s. I have these set up with the HTM2s, and 805s rear, a REL Strata III subwoofer, and being driven off a B&K 202 in a relatively small room. I plan to eventually go to separates, probably Sunfire or Bryston, but I have to say the system sounds awfully good the way it is, and I have no regrets spending the extra for the Nautilus series. I have to completely disagree with the first post by AVDCreations. These speakers do not sound better with the bass management set to small, even with the REL subwoofer which is a wonderful match with the B&Ws. In fact, it makes the speakers sound lean and underpowered. I find the best is to set all of my speakers to large, and the subwoofer to Ultra. There is a considerable difference and increased richness in sound.

As Eyeman said, I seriously auditioned the CDM9 NT's vs. the 804's and 805's. I was primed to like the NT's as being "just like" the 804's with a slighty different cabinet. Believe me, they are not close to the 804's, no matter what a salesman tries to implant in your head. The 804's were a clearly superior speaker in every way. In fact, I thought that the CDM9 NT sounded almost distorted, when compared to the 804's. When you consider how long many people keep their speakers, spend the extra money. I also disagree with setting the bass management to small. I use 805's in front, a REL Strata III, and CDM1 SE's for the rear, and an HTM-2. Using the large setting greatly improved the HT sound. That all being said, much as I like the 804's, I liked the Joseph Audio rm 25si over the 804's. They rule! (I now use them in my music system with Plinius 16/SA100 III combo).

I just purchased the N804s along with the HTM-1 center. Incredible! I'm so glad I purchased the Nautilus instead of the CDM9s. Believe me, they are better in every way. If you plan to keep the speakers for several years and upgrade your electronics as you go along then get the N804s. You won't regret it.