About 9 years ago I bought a Classe CAP-101 integrated amp for my 2 ch. living room audio system. At the same time I bought a pair of B&W CDM 7NTs to go with it. The sound was great and all was well. The CAP-101 is rated at 100w/ch into 8 ohms, and the speakers are rated at 50 - 150w.

When I decided three years ago to build an HT system with an Outlaw 1070 I moved the speakers upstairs to go with it. A neighbor was selling a pair of B&W 703s at a reasonable price, so I put them in the living room. The 703s are rated at 50 - 200w. The problem is that I have always thought the 703s were a little less clear sounding than the smaller CDM 7s. It's not that they're unpleasant, but music is not as tight. Drums and other low frequency sounds tend to be a little fuzzy.

The question: is it the speakers themselves, or is it that the amp has to work harder to drive the larger speakers? If it's the speakers then I either live with them or replace them. If it's the amp, I could use it as a preamp and fix the problem with a bigger power amp?

whats the specs of the speakers(ie efficiency)? im not that well versed on their line, but i have a friend here that raves about his 703's, but he is pushing them with a large Pass labs amp though.

It is possible that the amp is a little underpowered but the 703s have a 90db efficiency which should allow 100 watts of power to drive them just fine.

To answer an earlier questio, the sensitivity of the 703s is listed as 90db, but the CDM 7NTs have the same rating. The difference is the 3d driver in the 703s and a power rating of 50 - 200 watts into 8 ohms, as opposed to 50 - 150 watts into 8 ohms for the CDM 7s.

I have been searching the net and found some posts saying the 703s are relatively easy to drive and others saying they suck lots of power. But that is the way of the internet. Everything has fans, anti-fans and lots of people somewhere between; and it's hard to tell which among them actually know what they're talking about.

For me, the immediate question is, do I spring for a pair of M2200s while they're on sale, in hopes they will improve the sound? If that will work great, but if not I send the amps back.

An old axiom comes to mind when comparing speakers. The louder speaker almost always sounds better. If the M2200s will drive your speakers harder, then they will likely appear to sound better. Do you have all four speakers connected to the same amp such as channel A/B. If you are trying to drive all at the same time, it is likely that the most the amp can output is less than the max and possibly less than the recommended power of 50 watts. If this is the case then I wouls expect the M2200s to make a big difference.

This is just a 2 speaker system. I was using the CDM 7s for comparison, not as part of the system. So the CAP-101 is driving only one pair of speakers, now the 703s, and they are receiving all the amp can put out.

XenonMan is wise. do it while the price is right, might not be this cheap again until Xmas.


....and be sure to follow up afterward with your opinion!

At 100 watts or slightly more for each channel, I would expect the Classe to easily drive the 703s to painful levels without breaking a sweat. Have you tried moving them around the room some to see if the room is a little too absorbent? Also verify the polarity of your speakers to make sure they aren't canceling each other out. I would expect both sets of speakers to behave similarly based on there similar efficiencies. They may sound different but they should both play very loudly without distorting. Are all the screws tight on the 703s and no damage to the speakers themselves. I don't know how the speakers are constructed but sometimes the flex ring around the edge deteriorates and the speakers sound terrible.

Volume is not the issue. I can crank them way beyond where you could sit in the room and listen, although I have to turn the volume up several notches above where it was with the CDM 7s. With the 703s I'm still in the lowest 1/3 of the amp's range.

The issue is more clarity at the low end.

I will try moving the speakers around a bit and I'll put the bungs in the air ducts to see if I can fix the problem. The speakers are in very good condition, no damage to the cases or the cones, and the cables are tightly connected.

Thanks

If you can drive them very loud the addition of the M2200s is probably not the solution to the issue. At most, it would provide 3 db more SPL at max output. I do not think your Classe is the issue. Moving the 703s around is likely the solution along with playing with the plugs. I did notice in a review that the 703 uses a diffent type of seal ring around its midrange which you might want to inspect closely. I doubt if that is a problem but since it is different I would look at it.