MOVIE PERFORMANCE The British call it "home cinema" rather than "home theater," and just that subtle name change kind of sums up how the CM Series handles movies. If your idea of great home theater sound is beautifully clear dialogue, a sweeping music soundtrack, and splendid delineation of all those tiny, subtle ambient details in the mix, then this system will be hard to beat. If, however, you want to play the bank-lobby scene from The Matrix at movie-theater levels, you're going to have some problems. Luckily, the ASW750 didn't balk even when faced with the depth charges in U-571, so no problems there, but the CMs aren't exactly plaster-crackers.

I played dozens of movies on this system, from 1971's Le Mans to last year's Cars, and I was consistently impressed with what I heard. Just don't ask it to become a sonic sledgehammer, and it will more than impress.

BOTTOM LINE If you've reached the point in life where you value honesty and refinement over hype and flash-in-the-pan excitement, this B&W CM Series speaker system is worth seeking out. With its cool, sophisticated looks and subtle yet truly impressive performance, particularly in the critical midrange, this is the type of system whose capabilities you'll really learn to love.

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