B&W CWM362 vs B&W CWM664 Comparison

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B&W CWM362

Passive In-wall | 50-30kHz

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B&W CWM664

Passive In-wall | 45-35kHz

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B&W CWM362

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B&W CWM664

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B&W CWM362

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B&W CWM664

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B&W CWM362 vs B&W CWM664 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing CWM362 and CWM664, two Passive In-wall speakers by Bowers Wilkins.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of B&W CWM362 and B&W CWM664 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	B&W CWM362	B&W CWM664
Brand	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966	Bowers Wilkins United Kingdom · founded 1966
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Soft-Dome	1" Soft-Dome
Woofer	6" Polypropylene	6" Glass-fiber
Frequency response	50-30kHz	45-35kHz
Sensitivity	89 dB	87.5 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Power range	10-80 watts	25-130 watts
Dimensions (H x W x D)	11.0000" x 7.2500" x 3.0000" 280.0 x 185.0 x 77.0mm	11.0000" x 7.2500" x 3.7500" 280.0 x 185.0 x 96.0mm

What size room are the B&W CWM362 and B&W CWM664 speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	B&W CWM362	B&W CWM664
Near-field	Average	Poor
Small Room	Good	Average
Mid-size Room	Average	Good
Large Room	Poor	Average
Very Large Room	Bad	Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

Drivers

Both CWM362 and CWM664 are 2-way speakers.

B&W CWM362

B&W CWM664

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	B&W CWM362	B&W CWM664
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6-inch	1 x 6-inch

CWM362 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6" Polypropylene Woofer. On the other hand, the CWM664 features a 1" Soft-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6" Glass-fiber Woofer.

Frequency Response

CWM362 has a frequency range of 50-30kHz whereas CWM664 has a frequency range of 45-35kHz. With a minimum frequency of 45Hz, the CWM664 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the CWM362's min frequency of 50Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

CWM362

CWM664

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

CWM362 and CWM664 have the same Impedance of 8 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. CWM362 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the CWM664's is at 87.5 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the B&W CWM362 a more sensitive speaker compared to B&W CWM664, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

CWM362

CWM664

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

CWM664 can handle a max power of 130 watts RMS, whereas CWM362 has a max power handling value of 80 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the CWM664.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

B&W CWM362

B&W CWM664

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

CWM362 features Spring post type posts and CWM664 has a Spring post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare B&W CWM362's and B&W CWM664's external dimensions. B&W CWM362 has external dimensions of 280.0 x 185.0 x 77.0mm (11.0000-inch x 7.2500-inch x 3.0000-inch) whereas B&W CWM664 has external dimensions of 280.0 x 185.0 x 96.0mm (11.0000-inch x 7.2500-inch x 3.7500-inch).

B&W CWM362 has the same height and width with B&W CWM664. On the other hand, with a thickness of 77.0mm, it is 19mm less deeper.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of B&W CWM362 and B&W CWM664 in scale.

Comparison image of B&W CWM362 and B&W CWM664 Size and External Dimensions

What's in the Box of B&W CWM362?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of CWM362:

2 In-wall loudspeakers
2 Grilles
2 Paint masks
Quick Start Guide
Wall Mount Cut-Out Template
Warranty Information

What's in the Box of B&W CWM664?

Here are the items that come with the CWM664:

2 In-wall loudspeakers
2 Mounting frames
2 Grilles
2 Paint mask
2 Cut-out templates
Quick Start Guide
Template
Warranty Information

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins Flexible Series CWM362 over Bowers & Wilkins Performance Series CWM664

Sensitivity	89 dB vs 88 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Base Surface Area	142cm² vs 177cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	520USD vs 700USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Bowers & Wilkins Performance Series CWM664 over Bowers & Wilkins Flexible Series CWM362

Max Input Power	130 watts vs 80 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Low Frequency Response	45 Hz vs 50 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	35k Hz vs 30k Hz	Generates higher frequency

B&W CWM362 vs B&W CWM664 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Bowers & Wilkins Flexible Series CWM362	Bowers & Wilkins Performance Series CWM664
Brand	Bowers Wilkins	Bowers Wilkins
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Passive In-wall Speaker
Power Range	10-80 watts	25-130 watts
Sensitivity	89 dB	87.5 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	8 ohms
Frequency Response	50-30kHz	45-35kHz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	1
Woofer Size	6"	6"
Woofer Composition	Polypropylene	Glass-fiber
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Soft-Dome	Soft-Dome
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Physical Specs
Height	280.0mm (11")	280.0mm (11")
Width	185.0mm (7.3")	185.0mm (7.3")
Depth	77.0mm (3")	96.0mm (3.8")
Enclosure	In-wall	In-wall
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	No
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Both are Bowers Wilkins, from different ranges - so the house sound is shared and the differences are mostly in scale, engineering and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	B&W CWM664 digs deeper - 45Hz against 50Hz. A subwoofer would even that out.
Amplifier needs	evenly matched	Similar sensitivity (89dB vs 88dB) - both want much the same power.
Headroom	B	B&W CWM664 takes more power (130W vs 80W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit.
Price	A	B&W CWM362 is cheaper - $520 against $700, about 26% less.

A B&W CWM362 B B&W CWM664
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: B&W CWM664 measures better, B&W CWM362 costs about about 35% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper B&W CWM362 much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate B&W CWM362 the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and B&W CWM664 for a mid-size room and a large room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.