B&w 685

[Vishal]

Looking for some reviews, opinion, feedback on B&W 685 BS speakers. How do they compare to Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1, PSB B6/T5, Kef Q300?

How would they sound with NAD's BEE (326 or 356) or Marantz PM 6004?

where can i audition them in Mumbai?

Thanks and much appreciated.

 

[spirovious]

They should be at Audiovision India (Mumbai)-
AudioVision India :: Contact

2nd Floor, New Empire Cinema Building
Murzban Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001
Tel: +91(22) 6600 5000
+91(22) 2200 4040
Fax: +91(22) 2200 0909

 

[ruenigma]

The 685s are beautiful speakers provided they are well fed (amplification). None of the Mezzos, the B6 and the Q300 are priced near the 685 so it'll be unfair to compare them. Also each of these sport a distinct signature. What kind of sound signature are you looking at?

Irrespective of that, about the match with NAD, I'd say stay away from the NAD if you are considering the 685. I had the pleasure of playing host to FM Flash' 685s for a couple of weeks. I paired them with the NAD 326 as well as 356 and the match was far from ideal. Even with the volume pot at 11 O'clock they wouldn't budge and the highs and higher mids were too muffled to be enjoyable. The lows were acceptable but again the control was lacking.
The same speakers driven by a Rotel power amp sound amazing. Also they paired very well with a Krell 300 last we heard. Of course the Krell and Rotel powers skew the price equation for amplification by a huge margin.
The bottom line is look for a good matching amplifier which suits your listening tastes, don't go biased and consider a particular brand or two.

 

[Vishal]

@ ruenigma: Would Rotel RA-04/05 drive 685 well?

 

[BLASTO]

The first things that come into mind is, they suck power..
If you are not considering NAD or Rotel, you will need 100+ watts of power. 80 w/ch rotel and 50 w/ch NAD will drive them too.

Keep AWAY from Marantz!

 

[spirovious]

@ ruenigma: Would Rotel RA-04/05 drive 685 well?

They can,but FM Flash found that they give their best after fed more power.So he has two Rotel 06 poweramps configured as mono.

 

[Flash]

Vishal ,
The RA-04/05 will drive the 685's
However. Give them more power and they will sing.

However considering the skewed price of the 685's I personally feel you can get much better speakers for the same amount of money n India

 

[doors666]

Vishal ,
The RA-04/05 will drive the 685's
However. Give them more power and they will sing.

However considering the skewed price of the 685's I personally feel you can get much better speakers for the same amount of money n India

could you please suggest some speakers that are cheaper than 685 and sound better than the 685.

 

[mpw]

Vishal,

Please mention your room dimensions, music tastes and budget too.

Mpw

 

[Vishal]

Thanks all. The 685 are available at Bestbuy(us) for about $350 and feel that should be similarly priced in SGP too. For Rs 22K, a pair of B&W should be a good audiophile investment? No/yes?
I plan to audition them in Mumbai before asking cuz to haul them in Feb.

So far, I've loved the NAD / PSB T5 but 60k is lot of money for my first audiophile grade speakers.

Room is a living+dining with a front throw of 12ft x 12

 

[ruenigma]

$350 is a steal for them. Are you sure though? I could not locate them that cheap on bestbuy

Why not the PSB B6 with the NAD C326? That would fit the budget as well. You may do well to stick to good bookshelves at that budget (at any budget I'd say )

 

[mpw]

Thanks all. The 685 are available at Bestbuy(us) for about $350 and feel that should be similarly priced in SGP too. For Rs 22K, a pair of B&W should be a good audiophile investment? No/yes?
I plan to audition them in Mumbai before asking cuz to haul them in Feb.

So far, I've loved the NAD / PSB T5 but 60k is lot of money for my first audiophile grade speakers.

Room is a living+dining with a front throw of 12ft x 12

-----------------------------------------

There's a PSB B15 on sale from magma. This is a good speaker. Good Sound and good VFM.

And available locally too..

Mpw

 

[Vishal]

Quick one for mpw: where does the B15 fit in for PSB? There is a B5 and B6 and T 5/6 .. Is B15 an older model ..

 

[mpw]

B5 is the new avatar of B15. It is front ported and gives better placement options.
Have heard it. Sounds good. Though I always recommend for you to hear it before u buy.

For your room size.. It will be nice.

It won't be bass heavy ( for that u need a larger speaker ) but it will be very smooth and convey the essence of the music.

With all bookshelves I always recommend stands which u can pickup from magma too.

The Nad will be an excellent match and I say this without any prejudice to whatever conversation we have had.

Mpw