Choosing between B&W CM5 and Jamo concert 8's

I changed from a solid state DAC for the CD player to one that is tube based. Coupled with a hybrid amp the Jamos now sound fantastic. To say that the ML's are "better" I think several factors need to be taken into consideration, the most important one being personal taste.

I have very much enjoyed my Odysseys for about 15 years as well as 3 smaller ML's before them but for some listening such as for acoustic guitar and light jazz these good quality bookshelves suit my taste very well; they are so tight and detailed that I prefer them.

One thing I have failed to mention in my posts is that I have a condition called hyperacussis which is a malady where hearing is super sensitive especially to fast rise sounds and higher frequencies. Part of my goal in my speaker choice, then, is to accommodate this issue and is why I have 3 DAC's.

Anyway, I agree that it may seem ill advised to look for bookshelf speakers to replace these very good full range speakers, which was my original idea. But....I like both sets so much for their individual capabilities that I now want to keep both and install a permanent A/B speaker selector to have the best of both worlds.

I realize that this may be an affront to the sensibilities of many audiophiles but I don't consider myself to be one of those anyway.

I have to agree with Tls49. I don't see the sense in what you are doing here. Why not just keep your ML's? I feel they are easily better than both of your other choices. As far as brightness goes, 2 things to keep in mind about your ML's are: 1. They don't have a tweeter. 2. The panel is not made out of metal.

If you are concerned about brightness in the high frequencies, that's a big advantage. If there is something that you don't like about your system with the ML's in it, maybe that can be addressed. Also, I won't tell you what to do, but if you want to be successful in audio, throw the magazines in the trash, where they belong. You may not get that now, but you'll thank me later.

I appreciate the advice and wish I had the resources necessary to listen to all of the speaker pairs that I'm interested in; I don't. Therefore, and like most people, I rely on reviews for, at least, a starting point.

As far as brightness goes, of all the reviews I read regarding the Jamo Concert 8's were very positive, even the only one that eluded to its brightness. As a matter of fact, my current speakers, the ML Odysseys, are reviewed by some as somewhat bright also but I don't have a problem with them.

I did win a pair of the Jamos and installed them today; they are overall pretty impressive but, as I feared, they are a bit shrill at certain frequencies and higher volumes. Before I put them on Audiogon or eBay , though, I will try switching DACs to get some more tubes trying tame them.

It is hard for me to understand why you would consider a piece of equipment that is said to be bright, and then use another piece of equipment to mask the flaw.

You should always trust your ears.