Manual

SOUND >> 85%
EASE OF DRIVE
>> 80%
BUILD
>> 87%
VALUE
>> 86%
R
PRO
A fine all-round performer,
with good dynamic range, a
sweet top end, low enclosure
coloration and an expressive
midband. An easy speaker to
like, physically and sonically.
S
CON
Sounds small and lacking in
scale, weight and dynamic
expression. Real-wood finish
lacks conviction, and the need
for a proper plinth is obvious.
CONCLUSION
With the clever bungs in place, the CM7 delivers a fine overall
balance with good dynamic range and a sweet top end, from an
attractively compact unit. The sound could perhaps have more
scale and expression, but at the price it’s a good all-rounder.
OVERALL SCORE
86%
>>
VERDICT
“At the same time, the CM7 offers clear
advantages over smaller two-way designs,
through the delicacy of its mid and top end.”
Helping to keep the cabinet slim, the CM7’s
FST midrange driver is smaller than the
versions used in B&W’s more upmarket models,
though its Kevlar cone still has the same
120mm diameter as the paper cone used in
the nominally larger bass unit.
Twin terminal pairs offer the bi-wire/bi-amp
option, and a generous flared Flowport at the
rear reflex-loads the enclosure. A hollow foam
port sleeve offers an interesting port tuning
option. Floor coupling is achieved via 6mm
spikes (with a rubber foot option), and these fit
directly into the base. While the speaker feels
stable enough, one can’t help feeling that a
separate plinth, for aesthetic as well as stability
reasons, ought to be part of a £1,000 package.
SOUND QUALITY
Work started with the speakers located clear of
walls, and connected up to a system using a
Naim CDS 555 CD player, Rega P9/Naim
ARO/Rega Apheta record player, Magnum
Dynalab MD106T FM tuner and Naim
NAC552/NAP 500 amplification, plus Vertex
AQ and Naim cables.
Having spent the previous day listening to a
pair of B&W’s massive and costly 800Ds, it was
hardly surprising that the first impression of
the CM7 was a little disappointing. This much
more modest model lacks the scale, authority
and also the subtlety of its big brother – but
such a comparison is distinctly unfair, given the
13:1 difference in price.
A few hours acclimatisation usually allows
one to adjust to the inevitable shifts in tonal
balance that occurs when changing speakers.
But by the following day, the CM7s still weren’t
getting this reviewer excited. The top end
seemed sweet and encouraging enough, but
the music as a whole was sounding thick.
The in-room measurements provided the clue,
as the whole bass region, especially around the
45Hz port-tuning frequency, was clearly
dominant over the midband. Happily, the
solution – inserting those hollow bungs –
turned out to be simplicity itself. These not only
damp the port output somewhat, they also
shift its tuned frequency downward to around
30Hz. This has a dramatic effect on both the
measured and the perceived tonal balance of
the speaker, and the effect is totally positive.
The complete removal of that bass heaviness
and thickening immediately brought a natural
tonality to orchestral music, and made it much
easier to hear the impressive qualities of that
special midrange driver. Male voices no longer
had a thick and chesty quality and the speaker
as a whole seemed altogether more
transparent, with much improved stereo image
perspectives. Initial fears that B&W had got
this one wrong were entirely laid at rest.
The CM7 has its limitations, for sure. But
that’s true of any £1,000 loudspeaker...
otherwise there’d be no sense in making an
800D. The CM7 falls short of ultimate
performance, but the crucial point is that it
does so evenly, and delivers a well balanced
all-round performance in every respect.
One might wish for more of the dynamic
drama and smoothness that larger and more
costly speakers provide. But you’ll be wishing
for the same from any speaker at the CM7’s
price. At the same time, the CM7 offers clear
advantages over smaller two-way designs,
through the delicacy of its mid and top end,
and a bass delivery that’s deep and crisp and
even. Indeed, with bungs in place the bass
extension is a creditable 24Hz for -6dB under
our in-room far-field conditions, alongside
decent 88dB sensitivity, even if the load has a
four-ohm minimum at 140Hz.
The bottom line is that the CM7 is a fine
all-rounder in both appearance and sonic
performance. But don’t ignore those clever
hollow bungs, as inserting them made all the
difference under our conditions.
HFC
Paul Messenger
B&W CM7 loudspeaker
[
Review
]
REPRINTED FROM
november 2006
HFC286.bw 57 19/9/06 11:12:29