For the B&W CDM-1, I greatly prefer the original model over the SE version. If you read literature saying the CDM-1 won all kinds of audio awards, they are referring to the original version. Was European loudspeaker of the year, among other things, when originally released.
The SE are not that bad, but use a totally different crossover. The original was hand built into each speaker; the SE is a different design on a circuit board and then plugged in. In my opinion they did it to simplify production and save money, but sacrificed some sound quality in the process.
The SE are not that bad, but use a totally different crossover. The original was hand built into each speaker; the SE is a different design on a circuit board and then plugged in. In my opinion they did it to simplify production and save money, but sacrificed some sound quality in the process.