B&W vs polk

lancer
lancer Posts: 26
edited December 2003 in Speakers
I have never had a chance to audition B&W speakers. I have Polk RT7's as my main speakers now. How do some of the B&W models compare to my polks and the newer model Polks?
Post edited by lancer on
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited December 2003
    Haven't heard the legendary RT7, but all the members here who own a pair LOVE them. I believe Russman is the only member to have both B&W and RT7 in the same room. Let's wait for him to chime in. Troy owns a pair of LSi9 and B&W. Maybe he can answer your question.

    IMO, if you're comparing B&W to Polk LSi series, the final choice will be a matter of taste. Both are great speakers with the "Euro sound".

    Maurice
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited December 2003
    I have really wanted to like B&W speakers (based on many possitive recomemndations) and have demoed the 3 series, the 6 series and the CM series as speakers that I could afford. (The Nautilus are a different class IMO). I have yet to find a speaker that I felt I could live with long term. Too forward is the best description I have. I left the demos feeling that they would make a great HT system. I found them to be very detailed but when listening to music they became tiring after a period of time...similar to the way horns sound to me. Maybe they were set up on the wrong equipment, wrong room, not "broken in" or whatever...I've just never left a demo of mid-priced B&W with a possitive impression...maybe I'll keep trying. For now I prefer the Polks.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • lancer
    lancer Posts: 26
    edited December 2003
    Thanks for the reply, I didn't realize that the RT7's had such a good reputation.
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  • lancer
    lancer Posts: 26
    edited December 2003
    Very helpful reply
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited December 2003
    Many people consider the RT7 as the best speaker in the RT line and best RT bookshelf speakers. There's a member here, I think his name is Gary Robertson. Anyways, he owns a pair of Martin Logan electrostats and he still loves his RT7 as much as the ML's.

    I've heard two different B&W speakers. One pair were towers and the other bookshelf. The towers were powered by a multi-channel Adcom amp, Lexicon pre and a top-of-the-line Pioneer Elite DVD/LD player at my friend's house. Just like Shack, I did find them bright. Not in a bad way. Sounded like there was a spike somewhere in the mids and highs that made some frequencies stand out more. I really liked the tweeter. Very crisp and airy. It was located on top of the cabinet. The mid-range drivers were also above the mainn cabinet.

    The bookshelfs didn't sound anything like the towers. They were conected to a Denon CD player, Bryston pre and Bryston amp. They were very warm sounding and laid back. The sound was similar to the LSi9.

    Maurice
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,702
    edited December 2003
    Doro and I demoed a few B&W's including the TOTL, all I can say is NO thanks!

    If you can, check out Sonus Faber, nice sound.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited December 2003
    I will concur, for the money, we could not justify them at all.

    The demo F1 and I had was the B&W 802, on Sunfire, and we weren't impressed. It could have been many factors, but first impressions are everything, so there you go.

    I had a chance to hear them at another location, better room, "better" gear(McIntosh) and while it sounded much better, it still did not floor me.

    B&W has a great reputation, but more listening is needed I imagine. I think any speaker that comes with its own wheels, is pretty freaking cool.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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