Why Paul doesn't like B and W tweeters

Paul has long suggested that B and W's tweeters are not to his liking. Find out if that is true and why.

[epi]

I own several B&Ws however I also own several other brand’s. The opposite of B&W to me is Magnepan’s which I also own. And this is all perfectly fine to me.

[bearmyparents]

I love the sound of planar for upper frequencies. There's a big difference between ribbons, tweeters, and horns.
I just recently discovered Emotiva's tweeters and I'll be buying myself a set of bookshelves for Christmas.

[NicolaDiNisio]

I've recently bought a pair of 804N. Twenty years old. Paired with my Marantz PM-KI they are fantastic. A huge step up with respect to the LS50 I had before.
I really don't think I'm ever gonna change speakers again😊

[jkherberger]

As a high-fi salesperson I'm baffled by what other people hear. It's all good though as long as they are happy with their purchase.

[perge_music]

I've always loved B&W, they use them at Abbey Road studios and you see them often in studios as a reference. I figure that if the music I listen to was mixed with them, then it makes sense to play back the audio with them also :) I'm running mine dual-amped with Linn Chakra and I think they're lovely. But as he says each to their own :)

[justins.]

I figure everybody's ears are different that's why there's so many different speakers. I have about five pairs of speakers that I hook up and switch around according to my mood or the music I'm listening to that way I'm never get bored and none of them are high and speakers but all of them sound good in their own way

[Mixing_It_Up]

Paul, I doubt you will ever see this, as this little video is nearly 2 years old at this point, but I agree wholeheartedly. Since I was very young, reading Stereophile, Audio (it was a magazine and a good one way back), Stereo Review, all those old stereo magazines, and since then as well, Bowers and Wilkins has been held up as the best thing to happen to sound since, well ever. Fast forward to me being in my 30's, and I purchased not one, but two pairs of B&W. The first was a pair of bookshelves, and while they were okay...I was so unimpressed that I thought they must be wired out of phase, mine must be defective, maybe I'm just stupid, because what I've heard my entire life in the magazines, I did NOT hear in my room. Another year goes by and I buy a pair of floorstanding B&W speakers. Guys I'm sorry I don't remember the model numbers. Well, I liked these even less. It's not me, B&W, it's most definitely you. Unless I would get into the $15k line of B&W, I just do not believe they are the speaker for me (and even at $15k, the tweeters ARE fatiguing!) So yeah, at my middle income household, give me a nice set of Andrew Jones ELAC speakers, much more smooth and musical, which is what I am listening to now and I vastly prefer them to the Bower's and Wilkins' speakers that are collecting dust in my attic. Anyone want to buy them? lol

[ShortHandedNow]

I had some older DM series bookshelf speakers from B&W. (Made in the mid 80's to early 90's). They were definitely a little on the bright side but to each their own. We all have different tastes.

[wilhinds]

My B&W 804s speakers are amazing I love them. Bryston amplification, Well Tempered Classic Black TT with Shure V15MR cartridge and PSA Power Plant, Perfect Wave DAC and Transport makes for a very musical combination!

[andrewwood]

I remember in 2014 I began to buy higher end speakers, I tried mid level Def Tech's, Paradigms, Boston Acoustic, etc.. just kept buying them and selling them a month or so after. I decided to go for it and really spend some money, got a pair of B&W Nautilus 903's I think it was.. So disappointed, I honestly thought they were way to laid back and just kind of boring.

One day I purchased 10 pairs of different speakers at an auction, In that lot was a pair of Infinity RS-4B's, I knew they were older and looked cool but didn't really expect that within 5 minutes I would be saying "That's it, this is the sound I've been looking for!" I think I paid $70 for those! The magic of the EMIT tweeter and that fast, tight Infinity bass had bit me and I was hooked, Next came the RS-3B's then the Kappa 8.1's, and now my final resting place with Original Kappa 8's and Ren 90's. And that's only because I can't afford the Epilson or Beta's lol.

[hocheye]

B&W are known to be brighter sounding, most know this but with the right gear and the right room all is good.My speakers are very neutral some would say boring in a fairly bright room with the gear I have they sound fantastic all about synergy.

[justanotheryoutubeuser]

I have a pair of 607 and wharfedale 4.2. I like them both one does what the other doesn’t

607 - they are the very opposite of evos. The goods of these speakers are clarity, speed, holographic. I like them if im in the mood for live music, electric, rock.

Evo 4.2 - sounds very big, sweets highs, room filling bass, turn it up, listen for hours, and no fatigue will come your way. I like them for primarily for jazz and reggae

I was thinking of selling the 607 but having both serves me very well. And in the end both are impressive to me. Im set on my gear and i dont see me wanting for more... well maybe a cd player or turn table (it just never ends).

[stofopdenaald]

I have acquired a set of B&W's DM14 recently. Had lots of different speakers and amps over the years, and I can't say the tweeters bugg me at all. Well roundend sound, no Shrill highs, and the bass...d#ng that bass just fills the room like no other, while never getting muddy even with the loudness button on. I use them with a vintage Sanyo A35 plus series amp at the moment.

[the_sheet]

I was talking to someone who owned a high end stereo shop for 30 years and he was telling me that b&w speakers tweeters are very harsh. I thought yeah yeah, personal tastes and all... 5 months later, I am at a audiophile show in Toronto and we are coming up to a room around a bend, hiding the stereo brand, I could hear the music however. I Heard this high pitched sound that actually hurt my ears, I had to put my hand up to my ear, "What the hell was that?" It was a B&W system. So my point of view, I have to agree. A side note: we brought our service dog as well, and he loved all the TUBE AMPS!

[ganck]

Thanks Paul for being so diplomatic. As u said, its all a matter of taste. As for me i recall being attracted to b&w precisely becos of their highs. I was thinking wow that tweeter sounds very sweet, open & transparent. That was many years ago. Many yrs later i have owned several b&w spks and still continue to enjoy them. I also like ribbon tweeters and the best i heard so far are those designed by Bo Bengtsson. It was used in the Red Rose R3 bookshelf spks. However good as they are, ribbon tweeters are very difficult to mate seamlessly with a normal cone driver. Those that sounds coherent are those that have their output severely limited. For me that defeats the purpose of having a ribbon tweeter in the 1st plc. While i hv not heard all the hybrid ribbon/cone spks but most of what i heard are not totally seamless, even the very exp Raidho spks. Spks like Alta audio seems pretty seamless bcos they limit the output of their tweeters to a large degree. At least that’s what i heard. Ribbon tweeters are supposed to be very airy, extended & sparkling but those on Alta audio seems very dull & muted. In the 80s i have also heard many Infinity spks with Emit tweeters & somehow still felt that those didn’t really sound seamless too. The smaller infinity with dome tweeters sounded more musical & seamless but they lack a bit of refinement. At the end of the day, pick what u like & enjoy the music.

[hugobloemers]

Speakers are just very personal because everybody likes a different flavour of fake :)

[homeopathical]

I always thought it was just me that didn't like the tweeters on B&W speakers. I've owned a pair and listened to a pair that I thought I'd end up buying but couldn't gel with them either.

I found the B&W tweeter threw the sound out in such a way as to make it difficult to place the high treble position in the soundstage. Well-off axis they sounded good though.

When I demoed some B&W against the AE1 MkII and some AVI NuNeutrons, I ended up with the AE1's. The treble was actually better on the AVI but the overall joy was from the AEs. Still have the AEs 20 years on, and with the original surround foam!

My listening tastes have moved on, so I now tend to listen with some TDL Studio 0.5s and a dinky pair of Alexander SE2. Much more 'musical' speakers as opposed to 'analytical'.

Thanks for your great vids.

[ucantrefuse]

I am actually on the same page as you are on B&W, its really odd though because the same brand sounds Much better in newer Volvos, however I purchased and returned a Zeppelin McLaren edition and my Harman Kardon onyx 4 and 7 both sound better and were way less expensive ! thanks for the content :)

[AALavdas]

Couldn't agree more, about ribbons! Once you have been exposed to them, there is no turning back. This is especially true if you are listening to types of music where natural timbre reproduction is very important, such classical music.

[peterbaugh]

I have six various CM speakers by B&W. They are not bad, but I prefer my Elac Debut Reference DBR62's by far. Much lower price. Much more balanced sound. Deep bass down to 30 htz (with tube preamp into 200 watt Class D amp). I dont care how pretty a cabinet is. I will not pay thousands of dollars for a nice paint job and shiny parts. As a musician, I want realistic sound with a big 3D soundstage. Elac does that. Well, mine do in my room! To BETTER the Elacs, I would expext to pay 10x. Thanks for the video.