Andrew Robinson began his career as an art director in entertainment advertising in 2003, after graduating from Art Center College of Design. In 2006, he became a creative director at Crew Creative Advertising, and oversaw the agency's Television Division, where he worked for clients such as TNT, TBS, History, FX, and Bravo to name a few. He now has one of the most popular AV-related channels on YouTube.
Bowers & Wilkins, known better as B&W Loudspeakers, are responsible for some of the finest-sounding and arguably the most elegantly designed loudspeakers on the planet. From the legendary Nautilus Loudspeaker on down, Bowers & Wilkins has built their brand on excellence. While it's not uncommon for a luxury brand to venture into budget waters, none do it with quite the panache of Bowers & Wilkinsand the LM1 loudspeaker reviewed here.
Additional Resources
• Read a review of the reference level B&W Natutilus 805 Loudspeakers.
• Read more small and bookshelf audiophile speaker reviews here.
• Learn more about affordable audiophile speakers at AudiophileReview.com's bookshelf speaker page.
The LM1, or Leisure Monitor 1, retails for $175 ($875 for an all-LM1 surround sound system) apiece. It looks as if it stepped from an exhibit at MOMA. The LM1 is Bowers & Wilkins through and through, with its extruded tweeter giving the LM1 a sort of mini-802 feel. The LM1 comes in a wide variety of colors, which include Pearl White, Black, Silver, Turquoise (yes, Turquoise) and Burgundy Red, each of which are exquisite and add to the LM1's stylistic and décor-friendly flair.
The LM1 features a single one-inch tweeter, resting above a five-inch bass/midrange driver. The LM1 has a reported frequency response of 75Hz-20kHz, so a sub is required for full-range performance, but not to worry, for there are three subs in the LM1 family that fill the bill perfectly. The LM1 is rather efficient at 91dB and carries a rather benign eight-ohm load, making it an ideal speaker for a receiver-based home theater. Out of the box, the LM1 is table or wall-mountable-ready and comes with the necessary hardware for each situation.
Read more about the High Points, the Low Points, on Page 2 . . .
High Points
Low Points
Conclusion
The LM1 is among the best values in home theater in when it comes to small satellite speakers. It is far more stylish and easier to integrate into the home than most of the competition and, with the exception of a perhaps two other vendors, sounds vastly superior to anything you can buy today in its class. If you've been longing for that Bowers & Wilkins sound, but don't quite have the cheese for even their entry-level line of products, the LM1 is the absolute way to go.
Check out our gallery of Expensive Speakers below . . .
Additional Resources
• Read a review of the reference level B&W Natutilus 805 Loudspeakers.
• Read more small and bookshelf audiophile speaker reviews here.
• Learn more about affordable audiophile speakers at AudiophileReview.com's bookshelf speaker page.