Home theater musings.(Nautilus speakers)(Evaluation)

For some strange reason, B&W has never seen fit to lend me five or six Nautilus speakers to try as home theater speakers. The beautiful snail shell enclosure available in various colors could make it easy to wire five, six, or seven channels without confusion. I have little doubt that the top of the line from B&W is not to be sneezed at; moreover, they cannot be discounted in terms of performance or cost. The fact that six or seven of these speakers would far exceed the cost of my house makes me suspect that B&W doesn't think I am a potential customer. And my two large dogs and three cats wouldn't make speaker firms nervous, would they? The cats sharpen their claws on my calves and the dogs are sedentary save when they feel frisky and slobber all over my trousers.

Surely they didn't think that sending me some LM1 speakers ($350/pr) and a VM1 speaker ($200 ea) would quench my lust for Nautilus? I also had a pair of B&W DM303s ($300/pr) that I'd been using as the front channel speakers. The DM 303s have a nice wood veneer finish on the sides and cool black speaker cloths in the front. In deference to these cloths and knowing the cats, I put these on the top on the two TV monitors in the living room, where the cats are circumspect lest I banish them or feed them to the dogs.

The LM1 speakers come in molded inert enclosures on swiveling bases that make them easy to mount and point. These are naturals for rear speaker placement on walls, ceilings, or shelves. They have an interesting bump on top, which house the treble drivers, and metal grills that provide me with peace of mind when confronted by the felines (you can't remove the claws from cats confronted with a German Shepherd). With a full set of talons the cats can keep the dogs entirely in line. A good blast of classic bagpipes fed into the LM1s keeps the dog and cats pretty much in line.

I have a problem listening to speakers without subwoofers (if you've got them, flaunt them.) However, in a modest home theater, these speakers deliver a smooth musical sound. But they remind one how few sounds in home theater plumb the depths, which could be depressing if you're looking for the thumps that stir the soul. However, if you are interested in music, two, three, or more LM1s can provide a very satisfying sound. I should note that all of these B& W speakers are shielded, a clear boon for home theater.

If I had small children with gummy fingers and bottles that could make rings on speakers, I'd favor the B&W LM1s as they could survive almost everything and still look good. If they didn't get drowned or driven to oblivion, they would still sound lovely. If I took me a wife, I'd consider the DM 303s as suitable for most living rooms or dens. Some might find the ...