I bought the CDM 9nt two weeks ago at a local dealer based on couple good reviews and few hours of audition. The sound is wonderfully neutral and the soundstage is pretty open right out of the box but in no way the CDM 9nt can come close to my GP Sonus Faber in A/B switching comparison. Now let talk about B&W build quality, I had to bring the CDM 9NT back two times for exchange due to poor workmanship on the woood works and the third pairs are not any better. If you are looking to buy the CDM series, be careful with the RED CHERRY finish or you will be a very unhappy camper. With DIM light, the CDM9 NT red cherry looks gorgeous but if your listenning room is moderate BRIGHT and has some INDIRECT sunlight, the red cherry finish will show all the ugly marks of the uneven-applied veneer. My son's IKEA veneer funitures have better build-quality .
Review: B & W Loudspeakers CDM-9nt Speaker
Category: Speakers
In today’s economy there are probably allot of us out there who are hesitant to shell out $10,000 or more on a “proper audio system” thank goodness for B&W. B&W have (in my opinion) supplied the consumer with many viable loudspeaker options for those of us on a limited budget. (In this case speakers for less then $5000.00 US)
Enter the CDM-9NT: With some of the same drivers offered in their 800 series, these speakers sound exceptional. Offering a nice soundstage, great imaging and accurate non-colored representation of the recorded information, truthful vocals and plenty of power handling capability. On the visual side, these speakers are finely crafted and there’s lots of attention to detail and B& W have offered these in colors that will look great in any décor. I selected the Red Cherry as they look great and match almost perfectly with my Cherry hardwood floors.
What are some of its strengths? The strengths are many, including great soundstage, super imaging, adequate bass*, non-fatiguing midrange, super non-exaggerated highs.
*with inexpensive low-end consumer amplifier components the really low bass and to a lesser degree the midrange, sounds suppressed.
What are some of its weaknesses? They need a decent amplifier to really shine (Like most loudspeakers in this class) Even at 89db efficiency, the bass sounds noticeably suppressed with my Pioneer Elite, I also noticed a weak midrange in piano recordings that sounded muted, this disappeared when I added a Mark Levinson 333 to my system with the pre-outs from my Pioneer, the current in the 333 easily supplied the drivers what they wanted. The bass was great, the pianos came to life.
If money was no object, would you still own this? Yes, I’d have a pair of the 9nt’s for the rear channels and (800’s in the front), another set in the bathroom, two in the dinning room, another set in the garage and 4 or 5 more by the pool.
What is the worst thing a system could do to turn you off? Colorizing the music.
How long has this piece been in your system? 15 days
My musical tastes: Rock, New Age, Progressive Jazz, Blues, Classical, Acoustic.
Recordings I used for testing? Chuck Mangione “Feels So Good”, James Taylor Live, Sting, Pictures at an Exhibition, various Telarc Samplers, Fleetwood Mac “Tusk”
1812 Overture, Loreena McKennitt's “Book Of Secrets” Chip Davis’s Fresh Air IV, Tori Amos “Cornflake Girl” and many others.
Associated gear
Pioneer Elite 110 Watt/Ch
Krell KAV300CD, Monster Cables.
Similar products
B&W CDM-2SE, various Polk Audio, Mirage OM5, B&W 802 Nautilus,
In today’s economy there are probably allot of us out there who are hesitant to shell out $10,000 or more on a “proper audio system” thank goodness for B&W. B&W have (in my opinion) supplied the consumer with many viable loudspeaker options for those of us on a limited budget. (In this case speakers for less then $5000.00 US)
Enter the CDM-9NT: With some of the same drivers offered in their 800 series, these speakers sound exceptional. Offering a nice soundstage, great imaging and accurate non-colored representation of the recorded information, truthful vocals and plenty of power handling capability. On the visual side, these speakers are finely crafted and there’s lots of attention to detail and B& W have offered these in colors that will look great in any décor. I selected the Red Cherry as they look great and match almost perfectly with my Cherry hardwood floors.
What are some of its strengths? The strengths are many, including great soundstage, super imaging, adequate bass*, non-fatiguing midrange, super non-exaggerated highs.
*with inexpensive low-end consumer amplifier components the really low bass and to a lesser degree the midrange, sounds suppressed.
What are some of its weaknesses? They need a decent amplifier to really shine (Like most loudspeakers in this class) Even at 89db efficiency, the bass sounds noticeably suppressed with my Pioneer Elite, I also noticed a weak midrange in piano recordings that sounded muted, this disappeared when I added a Mark Levinson 333 to my system with the pre-outs from my Pioneer, the current in the 333 easily supplied the drivers what they wanted. The bass was great, the pianos came to life.
If money was no object, would you still own this? Yes, I’d have a pair of the 9nt’s for the rear channels and (800’s in the front), another set in the bathroom, two in the dinning room, another set in the garage and 4 or 5 more by the pool.
What is the worst thing a system could do to turn you off? Colorizing the music.
How long has this piece been in your system? 15 days
My musical tastes: Rock, New Age, Progressive Jazz, Blues, Classical, Acoustic.
Recordings I used for testing? Chuck Mangione “Feels So Good”, James Taylor Live, Sting, Pictures at an Exhibition, various Telarc Samplers, Fleetwood Mac “Tusk”
1812 Overture, Loreena McKennitt's “Book Of Secrets” Chip Davis’s Fresh Air IV, Tori Amos “Cornflake Girl” and many others.
Associated gear
Pioneer Elite 110 Watt/Ch
Krell KAV300CD, Monster Cables.
Similar products
B&W CDM-2SE, various Polk Audio, Mirage OM5, B&W 802 Nautilus,