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kalozois100
05-03-2009, 19:45
Hi all,
I have received today my new B&W 685 speakers. i bought them for a very good price. I auditioned various speakers and these were what i was looking( or should it be hearing ?) for. when i hooked them up at home they sounded even better than in the audio shop. i gather these benefit from a break in period but i am already overjoyed with the improvement in sound. they are vastly better than the linn helix speakers that i have used for the past 18 yrs. i am using a TC 7510 dac with mod 21 part 1 and 2 and a linn intek amp. the transport is a toshiba xe1 hddvd player. I 'll let them settle down for week or so and i'll keep you all posted for my impressions. :)

kalozois100
07-03-2009, 07:00
I am very impressed with these speakers for the price. the treble is very detailed the mids clear and the bass very controlled. my room is 4.5metres by 4.5 meters and the 685 fill the room with ease. they are a very relaxing speaker and sound amazing with jazz and classical pieces of music. they offer a very good sound stage presence and do justice to to the modded tc-7510 im using with them. however even with rock pieces like tracks from Queen sound remarkably good in that the bass is tight without the boom effect. i became interested in B&W after hearing my friends 601 S3 B&Ws but as they are no longer in stock (unless bought second hand) i had to buy new for this range. they would though benefit from a sub woofer for 2.1 home cinema use but for hi fi the bass is very good considering the size of the units. i am exceptionally pleased with these new speakers and can highly recommend them to others especially if you come across a special offer as i did. they are still breaking in and each day i notice a slight improvement in mids and bass performance although from day one the treble has always been phenomenal so i will allow more time for a final evaluation. :)

DSJR
07-03-2009, 10:37
Get some wadding inside those hollow boxes and change the Intek for a HiFi grade amplifier and you'll be laughing......

Seriously, the Intek is letting the side down - compare it with a humble Cambridge 640A and see if you agree (I think you can try one on S.O.R.).

kalozois100
07-03-2009, 10:52
Get some wadding inside those hollow boxes and change the Intek for a HiFi grade amplifier and you'll be laughing......

Seriously, the Intek is letting the side down - compare it with a humble Cambridge 640A and see if you agree (I think you can try one on S.O.R.).

I agree. my friend's arcam A70 sounded better on my set up than the linn but it wasn't night and day. I have already started to save up. Any suggestions what amp best drives the the speakers apart from the Camridge 640A? Also what do you mean by wadding and where do you get it from??:scratch:

DSJR
07-03-2009, 11:21
Wimslow Audio can supply the BAF type wadding to PART-FILL the box - don't overdo it, but the one thing I noticed about the "68" series is a slight "hollow box" sound when compared with the dearer CM range. Loosely filling the internal air-space may help here. Overdo it and the bass will disappear and go tuneless!

new amp recommendations are difficult for me as I'm now out of the industry, but Arcam, who have trodden a "safe" path in recent years, should be considered alongside the Cambridge designs, which appear to have become the benchmark for quality products in this price range. Their 840A in either version should be amazingly good I suspect. I intensely disliked the Roksan Kandy III that WTF were wetting themselves over some years ago, but understand the K2 is a rather better beast.

If you look at used gear, the choice opens up hugely and it really depends how far back you want to go and how much restoration/conservation you wish to apply. For example, a Quad 77 pre and power is sweet and musically very involving, the same pre with 606/707 or 909 is better again for punch, yet keeping ambient clues so well reproduced by the baby 77 power amp. A late, phono equipped 44 with 405-2 is good as standard, but really responds to modern op-amps in the preamp and new supply caps in the power amp.

Old Naim always has a good following, although I prefer the sweeter sounding original "bolt-up" range from the seventies, which will almost certainly need severe capacitor replacements by now (I saw an otherwise mint NAP160 with burst supply caps inside). A 22/120 is rare but great fun once fettled and was an incredible giant killer I remember at the time.

I like AVI amps too and if you choose carefully, an S2000 series pre and mono's can be got for around £500 the set. The power amps shouldn't be difficult to service and the later pres are reliable, but there is a risk of scrapping one if the logic chip should ever fail, as they were custom items and now unavailable - the pre cannot be used without it.

Of course, you can also look at valves and a whole hornets nest/world of extreme pleasure opens up for you if you take that route :LOL:

That's it for now. Hope these ramblings help.

kalozois100
08-03-2009, 16:41
Thanks Dave for your comments. The second hand market is a dead end in Cyprus so here i have to go for new. i have tried around with no luck. Also good amps tend to be very heavy so buying S/H from ebay or u.k. ends up pushing the price unacceptably high due to shipping costs.

With the B&W 685 came some foam that you put in the vent hole infront of the speaker if bass is on the heavy side. i tried it and now the bass is just right for my listening taste. :)

James G
18-03-2009, 08:56
I listened to those speakers last night at the audio store. I was pretty impressed as well listening to live sax music. So many details coming through, every key press, every breath. You must be very happy with your purchase.

kalozois100
18-03-2009, 11:46
I listened to those speakers last night at the audio store. I was pretty impressed as well listening to live sax music. So many details coming through, every key press, every breath. You must be very happy with your purchase.

Hi James,
Yes i am very happy with the 685 and i noticed they needed at least 2 weeks out of the box to sound at their best. I got them at a very good price in euro the same as what i would have had to pay for the lectar dali 2 so i went for the 685 .
In am exited as I am waiting for a pioneer A400 to arrive from u.k. and looking around on forums some others have used this amp with 685 and are extremely happy with the sound they are getting. i took a risk as i have not heard an A 400 before so i hope i get some synergy form the combination and amp. I'll let you know how they sound with the pioneer.:eyebrows:

twelvebears
18-03-2009, 12:41
Hi kalozois100 (what's your name btw? Add it to your signature?)

Two things:

1. Re wadding, this is light but bulky so getting from Wilmslow might be a bit pricey. If you can't find a DIY speaker bits outlet in Cyprus, do people keep fish as a hobby out there? If so, the soft white filter material commonly used in outdoor pond filters is basically identical and comes in decent size sheets. Get a sheet roughly the the height of the speaker and loosely roll it up like a sleeping bag so it forms a cylinder about the diameter of the width of the speaker and just squeeze in in through the bass driver cut out.

Rolling it loosely means you won't over-stuff the box but it's shape will keep it in place and stop it falling to the bottom of the speaker over time.

2. Re second hand amps, I'd be inclined to use eBay as generally decent second-hand kit has been owned by enthusiasts who usually take good care of things, and £50 on shipping must be worth the savings over new.

twelvebears
18-03-2009, 12:42
Sorry, didn't read far enough and missed that you'd already bought an amp...

Oops.

kalozois100
18-03-2009, 14:13
My name is Kalozois. Its a greek name that doesn't translate into english like george as in the case of george michael. the 100 is my ebay I.D. so you can know its me if i sell or buying from e-bay.
no one keeps fish out here cause if the locals get there hands on one they eat it!! my brother in law is into sea fishing and brits that fish next to him off the pier or rocks always whinge at him to throw them back in but he laughs saying no chance that hes spent all day to catch a couple of kilo and he will eat them.
ponds are not popular over here due to the heat and the water evaporates and we also have a water shortage.
I think i will get from wimslow audio the wadding.......

kalozois100
18-03-2009, 15:12
Hi kalozois100 (what's your name btw? Add it to your signature?)


1. Re wadding, this is light but bulky so getting from Wilmslow might be a bit pricey.

Rolling it loosely means you won't over-stuff the box but it's shape will keep it in place and stop it falling to the bottom of the speaker over time

okay i found some wadding kindly donated by some linn helix speakers after i opened them up. it was as good as new after 18 yrs!!

on the 685 i opened the front vent - there is a plastic cylinder and if you gently remove it it allows more room for you to manouver your hands. i tried for quite a time and was fustrated i couldn't get the wadding to stand upright and was interrupted by my 5 yr old daughter that asked what i was doing. i explained and she replied " turn the speaker upside down so the white stuff you won't let me play with can fall down" and yes it was alot easier - i love children they tend to help you out in the most bizzare of situations!! :)

I did not fully appreciate what you guys meant by hollow sounding until i listened to the speakers with the wadding. a much fuller sound like a floor stander that i have heard before but with the same bass so i dont think i put too much wadding in. Just rolled it up like Steve recommended. Thanks a worthwhile upgrade i would never have thought of myself!!

Labarum
21-03-2009, 19:04
My son has the model up from you, Kaloisis,

http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/display.aspx?infid=2287&sc=hf

he has the full surround sound setup driven by a Marantz SR 6003

http://www.marantz.com/new/index.cfm?fuseaction=Products.Product&cont=eu&bus=hf&prod_id=3794

In pure direct mode (ie all DSP off), with the main stereo floor standers bi-amped (that's 2X100w per channel) they give my lounge stereo a run for its money - Beresford 7510 6:4, upgraded Quad 405-2 into a pair of large MB Quart floorstanders - URL in my signature.

My son's AV amp was £600 for 7 channels and all the digital wizzy stuff.
My Quad amp is a classic, but can be bought and upgraded for about £350. Plus £150 - £200 for the DAC - takes you up to the price of the Marantz.

My speakers cost over DM 3000 over 20 years ago (so way over £1000, 20 years ago)

The modern B and Ws cost £600. They are smaller, so run out of steam sooner, but they are clear and precise. I could live with them. I know you like yours.

Technology moves on and the gap between standard production engineering and the really good stuff closes all the time.

Might be worth trying a Marantz AV amp, which has very competent DACs - you then have the start of a very nice second system with your Standac and Linn equipment.

You will surely find Marantz on sale in Larnaca.

(And I am STILL in UK!)

kalozois100
21-03-2009, 19:53
Good evening Brian,
How you doing m8?
Yes i am very pleased with the 685s especially after putting some wadding into them after suggestions from other members of the forum. The sound has become almost like being at the theater with certain types of music e.g. streisand's duets is amazingly clear. however the intek is not up to the job of giving that punchy musical soundstage presence that i am after. the ETA for the s/h pioneer A400 is tuesday and i am hoping that it will have good synergy with the 685s. Alot prefer the A400 with tannoy( is it because tannoy speakers are considered to be warm ?? - i don't have any experience with them) speakers but i don't know why that is - i have come across at least 5 others on other forums that have the A400 with 685s and they are all very pleased with the the sound of the combination. Anyway i am aware of the the risk having not auditioned this amp, that it can be fussy with what you partner it with , and feed it, and it condems any poor recordings but in contrast some say with good material " it can sing " - but for 95 pounds plus shipping its an amp worth having in the house. I find the 685s have alot of warmth aswell as clarity inspite of the intek's greyish and dull performance, and since the A400 should be partnered with warm speakers( and avoided with bright sounding speakers) i am hoping all will go well in the end:)

Labarum
21-03-2009, 20:24
Showing my age, I must be, ah yes, I remember the A400