<p> www.hifichoice.co.uk B&W CDM-1NT </p><p>Sounds a little polite for some tastes but the CDM-1NT is still delicate, self-effacing speaker</p><p>B&W can lay claim to being Britain's biggest hi-fi company by a comfortable margin, and it has achieved this status while sticking exclusively to the job it knows best - loudspeakers. A lot of that is down to massive investment down the years in pure and applied research, but getting the marketing right is an equally important element in the total mix, and that in turn means creating the right ranges of speakers to meet the demands of the marketplace. </p><p>The five Nautilus 800 models are logical enough - they're the very best B&W can do. Logical too are the 600s, which are intended to be the best B&W can do at the key mass-market price and size points. But that leaves a yawning gap between the 'budget' and the 'luxury' models.</p><p>Although the company's P-series didn't make much of a mark in the UK, the CDM-series, introduced in 1996, have proved a clever and very effective 'gap filler', combining the luxury of real wood finish with an attractive, interesting and acoustically beneficial shape.</p><p>The original CDM models evolved into SE variations around 1998, but that was before the Nautilus range came out. Some Nautilus improvements have already been incorporated into the current 600 S2 models, so now it's time to perform the same surgery on the CDMs - enter the CDM-1NT, and the CDM-7NT. The former a stand-mount, the latter a floorstander, both speakers share many ingredients.</p><p>One point to make from the outset is that (unlike the Series-2 600s) the prices of these two NT-style CDMs have increased significantly over their predecessors: the '1 has gone up from £600 to £750, and the '7 from £1,000 to £1,250. That isn't to suggest these new models aren't value for money, but it does widen the gap with the 600 S2s, especially since the drive unit content is very similar (the CDM-1NT corresponding to the £200 601 S2 and the CDM-7NT to the £550 603 S2).</p><p>Probably the most significant of the NT changes is in B&W's new tweeter, the back of which is now loaded by a tube several inches long. That poses no problems when it's mounted on the front panel of a rectangular box, but the CDM's particular feature is that the tweeter is mounted externally, on an angled section at the top of the front panel. To accommodate the much deeper new tweeter, the enclosure has been redesigned, so that the backward tilt has increased from 45 degrees to around 60 degrees.</p><p>The redesign is so effective that these new CDMs manage to look more elegant than their predecessors, especially the '7, where the top surface and tweeter 'streamlining' has got rid of its predecessor's dumpiness. The detailing around the mounting is neatly executed, and the cabinet work is clever too, using flat wood veneered panels linked by large radius MDF beading to create curved edges all round. CDM-1NT</p><p>A small port-loaded two-way stand-mount, the 1NT not only looks good, but it feels very substantial too. It might have the same size main driver as a 601 S2, but its total weight is more than 50 per cent greater, showing how much extra solidity has been built into the enclosure. The external tweeter and radiused box edges will help time alignment and avoid dispersion discontinuities, while the irregular box shape will help 'spread' internal standing waves.</p><p>The bass/mid main driver has a 165mm cast frame and 120mm Kevlar cone, while the 25mm metal dome tweeter (in its bullet-shaped tube) looks more like those fitted to the upmarket Nautilus than the cheaper version used in the 600 S2-series. Twin terminal pairs provide bi-wire/-amp options, and a foam bung is supplied for blocking the 'Flowport' front port, if so desired.</p><p>Room measurements gave best results with the speakers well clear of walls and the ports open, but if the speakers have to be sited close to a wall, try them with the bungs inserted. The broad balance is essentially good, if a little conservative. It's impressively flat through the main midband, though rather restrained through the presence zone. The bass rolls off gently below 100Hz, so although it's a little light in weight, it avoids boominess and supplies decent extension. The impedance represents a relatively easy load, rarely dipping below six Ohms.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Ultimately the 1NT does sound a little small and constrained, and might possibly be a little too polite for some tastes and systems. But in the best traditions of luxury stand-mounts, it is very self- effacing, delicately transparent and free from unwanted 'boxiness'.</p><p>Prior to the arrival of the CDM-1NT, I'd been listening to a pair of PMC's exceedingly large MB1s, so it took a day or so to re-adjust to the significant reduction in 'scale' and 'weight'. But before long this little stand-mount proved sufficiently communicative across a wide range of programming, and I happily left them in place for at least a week.</p><p>FEATURES</p><p>External tweeter, bass below 100Hz</p>