Pretty speakers for AV

[Griffith4ever]

So... I'm moving, and my new living room is smaller - still 4x 5m, but my current is larger, and I have Mirage OM9 mains with an OM centre - they are BIG. They are fabulous for music, and movies too, but, in the living room they get used 99.9% for movies & TV. They also sound awful if close to the wall (music) so they need to live a good 70cm into the room (they have ominpolar rear firing cones and tweeters.....)

In the new place I'm going to put them in the conservatory and make that my music room. The living room will require something a "bit" smaller.

So far, looking at used (as I'm inclined to after the house purchase!) - I've found 2 options that are poles apart. Remember, this is for TV, and movies, AND, I have a B&W ASW700 sub (monster of a thing). Sorrounds are taken care of. (I have a Denon AVR for the source)

I'm looking at B&W CM8's with a CM1 centre. Floow standers that are about half the width of my Mirage speakers, same depth, considerably shorter and apparently play nice close to walls. Running with the B&W Sub.

Or... curve ball, as I'm accepting we watch movies only occasionally..

B&O Boelab 8000 mains, and perhaps a Boelab 7.2 centre. (with the B&W Sub). They are super slim and look lovely. I appreciatre I'll have to run phono to them and make a trigger wire (rewire them basically, as they have their own internal amps).


Any thoughts? Am I going to be massively disppointed with the 8000's vs the B&Ws as one is a "real cabinet speaker" - or for movies will they be sufficient?

Both end up costing me about the same, with teh B&Os being a little awkward to wire up but I'm an electrical guy so it won't be an issue.

[Type R Tom]

Coincidentally, I was thinking of slim floorstands the other day and came across these.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187484584940?_skw=kef+l...

Probably over budget but interesting nevertheless.

[vixen1700]

I have my telly and music running through Dali Oberon 5 floorstanders and really like them.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/dali-oberon-5

[Panamax]

Bulky centre is often the biggest problem, especially with screen on wall. The Focal on-wall speakers can be a good compromise in all positions.

[Griffith4ever]

I'm ok with the centre, and I've just seen Focal prices... per speaker....

[kingston12]

I'm a fan of the B&W CM series.

I had CM1s with a CM Centre for a few years, and upgraded to the CM9s with CM Centre 2 just when they were being phased out so were about half price. No plans to change.

Some don't get on with the sound of the B&W solid tweeter, so might be worth a listen first if you are not familiar with them. I appreciate that might be difficult when buying used!

[Lucid_AV]

If it's for movies, I'm going to put a vote in for the B&O speakers, but first, a couple of caveats.

There's an issue with the internal damping foam on the Gen 1 and maybe on some later versions. The black foam breaks down releasing an acidic compound that can eat the electronics. It's important to thoroughly clean out the speaker and replace the black foam with the white version from later models. This only affects you if buying used, but it is a consideration.

Second (and I'm sure you've already thought of this), the AVR will need pre-outs. The other thing is the crossover point. Although the 8000s are rated down to 60Hz, the drivers are quite small. Setting a higher crossover in the AVR will help. Your B&W sub can go to 120Hz, so I'd use that as the point.

For movies and TV, most of the heavy lifting is done by the centre channel. The fronts only really join the party when there's a lot of action or some music playing in the scene. With your old layout, the speakers were doing both movies and music. The new layout is just dedicated to movies, so I think you can forego some of the precision of the Mirage speakers to get the aesthetic of the room just right.

Regarding the CM8s, they still need to be a good 50cm forward of the front wall. It's possible to reduce this by using the foam bungs (make sure any used speakers come with these), but although that fixes the excessive bass boost cause by the boundary effect, it won't restore the loss in soundstage depth.

[AdamV12V]

Ive had B&O kit in the house and in the cars and everytime the result is the same - looks stunning, sounds underwhelming. I reckon 80% of the "value" of B&O is the design / looks and only 20% is sound.

I'd say get Kef actives, like those linked above (budget permitting) or stick with the B&W CM8's. Focal would be a great choice too, but they do indeed get very pricey. I suspect you'll be disappointed with the sound of the B&O's when you turn them on, although they do look very pretty indeed, so you'll get pleasure from them when switched off.

[Deranged Rover]

The Beolab 8000s are a fine choice, IMHO and will be absolutely fine if used with a sub, as mentioned above.

We have a pair in the lounge doing rear channel duties but they were the front channels in our old house's much smaller lounge.

[TEKNOPUG]

Front ported bookshelfs on nice stands, so you can place them close to the wall. Floor standers seem a bit overkill for TV if you are also using a centre speaker.

Edited by TEKNOPUG on Thursday 4th September 05:40

[dozen]

Front ported Bookshelf speakers are the way to go and find a slimish centre.
I went with PMC Prodigy1 for the L and R, and a PMC ci90slim for the centre.
Sounds absolutely fantastic for film and TV to my ears.
Add a sub or two for maximum impact.

[Sford]

I use an old set of the Kef eggs and a Rel sub in my sitting room. The eggs are old hat now but you can get some of the more modern ones. They sound good, take up little space (they're wall mounted with the cables in the wall) and are unobtrusive. You could probably get a set for a very reasonable price.