B&W CM10S2

Thanks guys,
I'm now leaning towards a Tellurium Q Black setup with speakers cables and interconnects...


Not quite shure how much is 'too much' to spend on speakers cables and IC considering my setup...
Any cables I buy in the future will be Van Dam me or similar, ie Pro Audio cables that don't have a price multiplier on them because the words 'HiFi' or 'audiophile' are used with them! I made the mistake of buying expensive cables, bought cheap (but good) ones just for interest and sold the expensive ones.
 
Really? The difference between copper and silver makes an audible difference in timing between high and low frequencies?
I was joking (badly clearly) :)

ISTR there is some infinitesimally small difference that could reveal itself if your wire went interplanetary but obviously you have bigger problems in that situation.
 
I was joking (badly clearly) :)

ISTR there is some infinitesimally small difference that could reveal itself if your wire went interplanetary but obviously you have bigger problems in that situation.
Sorry I thought you were disagreeing with me, I only read it quickly. My thoughts exactly!
 
From a physics point of view, its the only plausible explanation why they should sound brighter.

But I also believe in hocus pocus like jitter.

But one thing we are all in agreement, is that well insulated pure copper is as good as any.

I did try some pure silver, carbon fibre braiding ICs before. I do honestly believe there was a very marginal difference. But not 10 times as much as it cost my current ones. It may be down to the plugs used. It might be colouration. But its not enough to sway me.
 
From a physics point of view, its the only plausible explanation why they should sound brighter.

But I also believe in hocus pocus like jitter.

But one thing we are all in agreement, is that well insulated pure copper is as good as any.

I did try some pure silver, carbon fibre braiding ICs before. I do honestly believe there was a very marginal difference. But not 10 times as much as it cost my current ones. It may be down to the plugs used. It might be colouration. But its not enough to sway me.
I think that it's not a timing thing but potentially a resistance/strangling of current with the silver/copper interface adding resistance perhaps. Does anyone have any experience of pure silver cables like them megabucks ones atlas makes? Do these suffer the same?
 
Hello People,
If anyone is interested, here's a short update on my journey...

I mainly focused on upgrading the cables. I started with Chord Odyssey 2 speaker wire and Chord Crimson IC. It sounded OK but lacked bass - I didn't really notice those 3 woofers.

Just to try, I got the Chord Epic twin speaker wire, that brought a noticeable improvement in the bass - and convinced my that cables do matter.

After some research I went the Tellurium Q route, going for a bi-wire set up of TQ Black speaker cable along with the Black IC. That too, brought a substantial improvement in the sound, definition, sound stage whatever... ;-)

After some deliberation I wondered if a single wire with links won't be better, and eventually went with the TQ Silver cable (single wire + links) along with TQ ultra Black ICs. Once again the improvement was marked.

At this point I got the Townshend seismic speaker isolation bars - now that was AMAZING - teh clarity of the bass, mid and highs was simply sublime, I was astounded at just how good these speakers can sound when properly isolated...

TBC
 
and teh last chapter in our journey...

The TQ Silver are very good (tried them with the TQ Ultra black IC). They are certainly a step up from the Blacks - More detail, better bass, sound stage etc. Though I did upgrade the ICs from the black to the Ultra Blacks as well.

I was happy with the silvers but because I was blown away by the Townshend speaker isolation bars I was intrigued about their cables and IC... So I got a pair of their Isolda speaker cables and Fractal F1 IC... ;-)

They sound darker - so made me realize the TQ Silver is a bit bright - even though I liked the detail on the TQ black and silver.

I really dig the Isolda cables, the bass is amazing, I thought I needed a sub with the TQ silvers - but no more. Also HF is a lot smoother - initially I thought it sounded a bit mellow compared to the sparkle of the TQ Silvers but after more listening I realized it's much smoother and no less highs.

I listen to lots of electronic music and jazz and the high hats (or electronic 'sparkle') sound fantastic but not overpowering the other frequencies. There's a ton of detail and texture and the presentation is very balanced across the frequency range - I'm very happy with them.

Another thing that surprised me about the Townshend cables - and made me realise how 'grown up' they sound was with older recordings from the 60's (Beatles, Doors, etc) - with the TQ silvers they sounded a bit thin because the cables were a bit bright, but with the Townshend they sound smooth and composed, I no longer feel the recording wasn't that great... and I spent lots of time listening again to the doors.

I still kept the TQ Silver and will give them a proper listen in a few days just to make sure but I have a feeling the Townshend are a keeper...

And this also ends my cable quest, I can't spend any more money and seriously I doubt the sound could improve further...

PS
Total cost after discount for a 2m pair + ICs was around £900...

Just my 2p
 
In another note,
I have to say I'm amazed at the potential and capabilities of the CM10s, with every upgrade (especially the isolation bars!) the sound got better and better... I'm lucky to have a good room (and an accommodating SO ;-) but they sound so good I seriously think I'll need to spend many times they price to get a real improvement... which is unlikely to happen now for a long while ;-)
 
As I mentioned before, the amazing thing about these speakers is how much they can improve when you throw money at them. Perhaps that's why I am in the camp that advocates improving sources and amplification rather than changing speakers to get a better sound. Invariably there are other speakers where they hit their performance peak very quickly.

Which is quite annoying because it invites you to throw money at it.

And then there are the Diamonds....
 
Don't all speakers sound better when used with high quality amplification and sources?
Are the CM10's a tough load?

They are nice looking speakers, I will have to audition some.
I have always loved the diamonds, if only my pockets where deep enough.
 
Lok,
I wouldn't say I was 'throwing money at the speakers' - indeed source and amp are critical - which is why I went with the Hugo and (after months of auditioning) the classe amp.

I'm won over by the isolation bars and would use them with any floorstanders I'll get in the future. And cables are important, at least the right ones with synergies to your particular kit...
 
Well I certainly was!

I was so hoping the camps saying "all amplifiers are the same", and "all cables sound the same", "all DACs sound the same (or least I wouldn't hear the difference with my kit)" were right.

But every time I've been tempted to try a better source or amp, it ends up sounding better!
 
I will be happy to discuss that if they could explain to me what a "double-blind randomised controlled trial" is and how to set one up.

<hint: It's not the Oscar Pistorius trial.>
 
This almost sound like a thread on the Linn forums where people suggest that a pair of Komponent 110s can sound wonderful with Klimax electronics. Yes maybe so but why spend 20 plus grand on electronics and then next to nothing on speakers, especially when speakers make the biggest difference in sound! A full akurate system in the Linn example would out perform it as it has decent (a bit subjective) speakers involved
 
I agree Tom,
I think the right strategy should be to experiment with upgrades but stop if the proposed investment could other wise buy you new speakers/source/amp.
 
BTW
If anyone is interested I took the time to address the speaker placement scientifically and the result is mind blowing, just when you think it can't sound any better - it does!

I followed the method of mapping the room to an equal number of odd devisions (3,5,7...) and creating a grid. I then placed the speakers at the intersections of the lines and the listening position on a line between them horizontally. It basically means that my speakers moved very little (15cm, one way or another) and my listening position (AKA Couch) about 1meter forward.

I looked at other methods like the Cardas - but that was crazy, basically place the speakers in the middle of the room... withe the listening position one meter away... ;)

It really canceled a lot of reflections and really boosted the clarity of the HF as well as bass definition.

Highly recommended.
 
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Yes there are a lot of different methods but most are not practical in most rooms! Good that you got results though
 

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