Hi goodman077,
I recently picked up some used B&W CM9 S2’s, and I’ve been listening for less than a couple weeks. So I’m still learning about them. I’ve mostly heard people say that B&W are (1) unforgiving, (2) have a sharp treble, and (3) that they benefit from super clear equipment. I haven’t been bothered yet by anything that I would attribute to an unforgiving nature, or from a sharp treble region. (This might be because my equipment is sufficiently clean?) For me, I am bothered by the bass not being as articulate as I want. I believe that I can affordably tighten the bass up with some silicone or sorbothane feet, which I already have added to the sub.
I have put some work into lowering the noise floor of my system. Power cables and low noise power supplies have done wonders for both my stereo system and my home theater system. You mentioned you are running your B&W in a home theater. I wonder about your home theater electronics since home theater equipment is generally considered to focus on features rather than quality. I would recommend looking at power cables (receiver, TV/projector) and low noise power supplies (streamer/Bluray player) if you haven’t already. I added an iFi power supply to the Chromecast streamer and an AQ PC to the TV. The lower noise floor resulting from those additions has made the colors on the TV much more vibrant. People who come over are startled at how good the TV looks. The sound was similarly affected.
That said, in my stereo system with the B&W’s, I have been using simple 14 gauge ofc 99% oxygen free speaker cable. I haven’t tweaked the speaker cables yet the way I have everything else because my electronics sit off to the right of the speakers. The differing cable lengths needed to reach each speaker likely mean I’ll take the DYI approach to speaker cabling. I’m eyeing Mogami like another poster mentioned. I haven’t yet played with bi-amping or bi-wiring yet.
In interested in your findings.
I recently picked up some used B&W CM9 S2’s, and I’ve been listening for less than a couple weeks. So I’m still learning about them. I’ve mostly heard people say that B&W are (1) unforgiving, (2) have a sharp treble, and (3) that they benefit from super clear equipment. I haven’t been bothered yet by anything that I would attribute to an unforgiving nature, or from a sharp treble region. (This might be because my equipment is sufficiently clean?) For me, I am bothered by the bass not being as articulate as I want. I believe that I can affordably tighten the bass up with some silicone or sorbothane feet, which I already have added to the sub.
I have put some work into lowering the noise floor of my system. Power cables and low noise power supplies have done wonders for both my stereo system and my home theater system. You mentioned you are running your B&W in a home theater. I wonder about your home theater electronics since home theater equipment is generally considered to focus on features rather than quality. I would recommend looking at power cables (receiver, TV/projector) and low noise power supplies (streamer/Bluray player) if you haven’t already. I added an iFi power supply to the Chromecast streamer and an AQ PC to the TV. The lower noise floor resulting from those additions has made the colors on the TV much more vibrant. People who come over are startled at how good the TV looks. The sound was similarly affected.
That said, in my stereo system with the B&W’s, I have been using simple 14 gauge ofc 99% oxygen free speaker cable. I haven’t tweaked the speaker cables yet the way I have everything else because my electronics sit off to the right of the speakers. The differing cable lengths needed to reach each speaker likely mean I’ll take the DYI approach to speaker cabling. I’m eyeing Mogami like another poster mentioned. I haven’t yet played with bi-amping or bi-wiring yet.
In interested in your findings.