I'd like to get a pair of B&W DM601S3, I think they sound great. I have an old (and faithful) NAD amp-receiver. However the price on those B&W is steep. Can anyone suggest an alternative? Or where is the cheapest place for B&W? Thank you.
Anonymous
Posted on
Hmmm...I just finished comparing a set of BW DM603 S2 v. Pardigm Monitor 9 and I found that the Paradigms were a bit bright and boomy when directly compared to the BWs. However, the BWs were *really* insufficient without a sub. In the end, the brightness of the Paradigms is all but unnoticable when not being directly compared to the BWs and by setting my sub to be a thumper only (about 40-50Hz) the Paradigms were my choice. The BWs sounded slightly better across the full range (it seemed that they had better mid range), but they really lacked solid punch at either end of the spectrum in comparison to the Paradigms. The Paradigms are around $850/pr. whereas the BWs are about $1100/pr. where I shop.
I used Bela Fleck's studio version of Flight of the Cosmic Hippo for the comparison (in case you're wondering).
Another note about the BWs is that they were not well shielded and really messed up my monitor - even from 3 feet or more away whereas the Paradigms have to be within about 7-10 inches to have any noticable effect. I considered messing with mu metal or bucking magnets to resolve the shielding issue, but the idea of "fixing" the BWs and their general lack of punch compared to the Paradigms eventually made the decision for me. Obviously you'll need to listen to each to come to your own conclusion. The Paradigms are about 2 inches deeper and 6 inches taller if space is an issue for you.
The place I purchased the speakers is Systems Design Group in Redondo Beach, CA +310-370-8575. I recommend them without reservation. I worked with Christian Yohe and he really went out of his way to see to it that I got exactly what I wanted.
Good luck! You won't go wrong with BWs, but you might be surprised what Pardigm has to offer. I've heard that Axiom is as good or better than Paradigm, so you might want to check what they offer as well.
