I tried running B&W 601s and they sound terrible with the 950/7100 combo. Do you guys have any better choice for front/center bookshelf choices? thanks for the feedback.

Did the 601s sound terrible with your previous equipment - or with anything else that you happen to have around?

If not, and they are only sounding terrible with the 950 combo then either i) you've somehow not set it up properly or ii) the 950/770 is defective.

I say this with near certainty because I just can't believe that any "common" type of speaker can go from good to terrible sounding just because of a switch in processor / amp. I've used my main speakers for about 25 years now, with countless receivers, integrated amps, and pre/pro/amps - everything from a 15 W/ch Yamaha receiver (still going strong after 30 years) to my current 950 / Carver THX combo. They've never sounded anything but great - and rarely "different". (Louder, with more wattage, excepted).

I'm not talking about mixing different "odd" types of components (tubes, electrostatics, etc.) I can accept that some audible incompatibilities might occur in those cases. But not with something like the B&Ws / Outlaws which are about as common / conventional / benign as you can get - unless one of the components is actually defective.

After all "terrible" is about as far to one side of the subjective scale as one can get.

Regards.

Jeff Mackwood

rschmidt44:

I have set up a 5.1 demo on my system with 4 B&W DM601-S3's for Mains and Surrounds, and a DM600LCR-S3 Center Channel. Powered with a 770 amp and the 950 pre-pro, this set-up was very balanced and transparent. I found that at low listening levels the 601's were not laking any significant detail, and I could get 108+ dB sound levels that were clear, with very low distortion.

While these are not big bookshelf speakers, they were solid down to 50 Hz, with significant sound to about 40 Hz. You need to use a sub with these, and the crossover setting should be 60 or 80 Hz, depending on many of factors, including personal tastes. The DM601 is a great value/performance speaker, and pretty darn close to the DM602, especially when using a sub.

I agree with Jeff Mackwood. Unless there is something broken, or something in your set-up that is very wrong, I would expect these speakers to sound way better than "terrible"... or even way better than "just OK".

I wish you luck with this problem, and I hope you can find a good solution, even if you end up with new speakers. And if you do, let me know what you want for the 601's, and the finish (Black or Sorrento). I can probably find a home for them.

Allan

I own the B&W CDM NT series, so I can't actually comment on your speakers, but mine sound wonderful on the 950/770 combo. Could you describe why they sound awful? What were you running before? Hope this problem is resolved quickly for you. Both B&W and Outlaw make great products, can't understand why it sounds "terrible." Keep us posted.