B&W Bows CDM9 NT Loudspeaker

""Affordable High-End Performance"" Loudspeaker Line Expands

30-Aug-00

B&W Loudspeakers recently introduced a completely revamped lineup of its CDM family of loudspeakers. With the addition of the all-new flagship floor-standing CDM 9NT loudspeaker, the CDM NT Series is comprised of five refined models, including a home theatre center channel, an all-new narrow profile surround loudspeaker design, as well as three full-range stereo pairs. Of central importance, the CDM 9NT incorporates key technologies derived from the B&W's Nautilus family, whose flagship, the Nautilus 801, remains an international sensation. All five CDM NT designs (save the surround-specific CDM SNT) incorporate the most important Nautilus concept - the tapered-tube tweeter loading and a free-standing tweeter ""pod.""The Nautilus tapered-tube enclosure tweeter-housing, which is said to efficiently and transparently absorb the high-frequency driver's back-wave radiation, has reportedly set new benchmarks for clarity and articulation. Another Nautilus characteristic, a freestanding, hemispherical tweeter ""pod"" mount, is claimed to virtually eradicate undesirable high-frequency reflections, promoting unmatched detail and uncanny soundstage precision. The CDM 9NT tweeter also features a redesigned aluminum voice coil that boasts substantially lower mass than prior designs. The CDM 9NTs two 6.5-inch bass drivers and dedicated 6.5-inch midrange all follow familiar B&W practices with their woven-KevlarÆ diaphragm. The CDM 9NT adds a redesigned ""fixed-bullet"" dustcap that retains the earlier series' advantages in mid-frequency dispersion while substantially reducing turbulence noise. With air-core inductors at all critical positions, and transparent polypropylene capacitors throughout, the CDM 9NT crossover boasts true high-end sonic performance. Like the original CDM models, all five NT designs construct each filter ""section"" on fully independent circuit boards to optimize isolation and signal integrity. The CDM 9NT enclosure is claimed to be exceptionally dense and rigid and thus free of unwanted resonances. B&W also reports that a more gradual slope at the top of the baffle increases the tweeter-pod's exposure, improving dispersion still further for enhanced openness, while the front-firing cabinet vents incorporate the companyís exclusive FlowportÆ dimpling. This supposedly reduces turbulence, and thus distortion.The CDM 9NT is available in a choice of three elegant, real-wood finishes - black ash, red ash and cherrywood. The manufacturerís suggested retail price is $2,600 per pair, and the speaker will be available September 2000.