Anyone compare the B&W CDM9NT & N804

IMO, the best speaker in the CDM line are the 1NTs. The towers do not perform nearly as well.

Listen to the CDM1NTs at your dealer and then listen to the 9NTs. Listen for clarity and imaging and the 1NTs will win every time.

The opposite is true of the Nautilus line. The N805s are better than the CDM1NTs to start with (which are better than the 9NTs), but the Naut 804s are better than the N805s (and the N802s are superior to the N804s).

If your dealer carries those speaker lines, try those combinations on the same equipment (assuming the baseline AMP, etc are up to driving the N804s). I would be shocked if your experience was not similar.

Although not on the same day or listening room, I preferred the N804s - enough to justify the price difference. I thought the N804s imaged better and sounded a little more refined. In the end I didn't buy either, I bought a used pair of Thiel 3.6s and never looked back.

Just my two cents....

Rich

OK so I didn't consciously read all the above replies, sorry Sdecker it seems I've almost literally copied your post. Must be an eye-brain thing today....my apologies.

Regards,

Rich

There is a great review of the 9NTs at http://timefordvd.com/hardware/review/pf/BandW_CDM_speakers.shtml .With an Arcam FMJ CD 23 as source,ARC LS2B preamp & Bryston 14 BST,the results have been extremely satisfying.Coupled with quality gear the 9nts are outstanding monitors.Equally at ease with jazz or rock,the bass is tight and well defined,mid range almost liquid while the treble response is unforgiving on poor recordings despite an old tube preamp.Highly recommended.

I wanted a pair of N802's, they where out of my budget for a 5.1 set-up. I spent months comparing the CDM9-NT & N804's. I wound up buying a pair of 9's, even after being allowed to borrow the 804 floor samples for the weekend. Out of the box the CDM-9NT's where horrible!!! B&W's manual states 15 or 50 hours break in period, what a joke! The CDM9's FST midrange needs time to move. After 200 hours it's a in a completely different class as from the box! Imaging, soundstage & detailed evaluation really can't be made until after the 500 hour mark. I have owned them for over a year now, & have added a pair of cherry Rel Strata III subs to aid with the low end. This combination has made me completely forget about the entire 800 series ever existing! The CDM9-NT's are also much more placement friendly than the N804's where. I also own a pair of CDM1-NT's, & the 9's are the better Bang for the Buck of the CDM series. The CDM1-NT's are a top notch preformer over the CDM7-NT's, yet the 9's midrange rips the 1's apart once it finally decides to sing! I'm just really glad that with age & patience I didn't jump the boat & dump the 9's prior to giving them their proper time to acclimate!