Speaker Asylum: Postscript by layman

I just spent an afternoon comparing the B&W CDM1NTs with various Jmlab models. Taken on their own the CDM1NTs sound clean, composed, and concise. Compared to the Jmlabs models however, starting with the entry level Chorus design, the CDM1NT came across as flat and sterile. The CDM1NT seems to lack any trace of a soul. As much as I like their technical precision, they seem to miss the music by a mile. Technically perfect, but totally unbelievable. Mechanical. Artificial. A-musical. Something has gone horribly wrong with this model, with all of B&W's recent offerings in fact.

While I am not damning the CDM1NT's music making (it can certainly be improved as outline above and there will be many who prefer its ultra-cool attitude), I do believe that the speaker was embarrassed today. None of the Jmlabs models was perfect (Chorus, Cobalt), but all of them displayed a consistent approach to voicing, an approach which went straight to the heart of the music in a believable way. Instruments and voices sounded authentic. These models can be criticized for their flamboyance, but they always have the musical message squarely in their sights.

The CDM1NTs, sadly, seem to be going it all alone, ignoring the music entirely, making it up as they go. These speakers are silky tongued tricksters, but they really cannot be trusted. All the effort spent smoothing out their treble response won't correct their lack of musical insight. Right now you can buy a lot better for less.