Great speakers for under $500, crystal clear sound. Nautulus Tweater

Not great for big sound

The best speaker money can buy for under $500, great sound for front or rear in a budget constrand home theater system. I have four of these and one CC6 and a Defnitive Technology Pro Sub 100. I also have a sony STR-DB930 and a DVP-S530D.

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio, Boston Accoustics

Details, Subtleness, Musicality, Forgiving, Price! ($539 USD)

Lean lower octave if placed improperly,

First lets start with kudos going to Lou at Audible Elegance in Cincinnati for providing great auditions on the 601's and the 602's. He is the owner and he knows his sh**! He provided one of the better sales experiences I've ever had. There price was very competative at $539.00 USD.

First off, I was surprised at the finish of the "authentic" vinyl cherry veneer. You have to look very close and do a good inspection to notice that it isn't real wood veneer. The mid-bass drive is well mounted with 1/4" allen bolts. The only miscue on mine is one of the input terminal screws went in a little bit crooked. (most would not even consider this a mistake, but this is a review so I had to put it in) I also like the way B&W put their logo on the grill and on the cabinet for grill-less listening. The tweeter is inset about 1/2" for phase purposes. This is a very handsome speaker with grills or without and would do any decor justice.

I'm basing this review off of only two days worth of listening as I plan to do a follow up review in about a month or two. Imediately out of the box, the tweeter is harsh! Don't box them back up! After about two hours, the tweeter started to disappear and blended very well with the kevlar mid-bass. I can only expect that the sound will continue to improve with time. I find that the high crossover point makes everything sound more natural as most of the music information is being done buy the mid-bass. This lets the tweeter do less work, which means less distortion. Bi-wiring will take stress off of the drivers and the crossover also. Voices are very natural, both male and female. One thing I noticed is that human voice is alot less colored sounding than with other speakers. There are no filters or boosts built into the crossover to try to fool the listener in to hearing something that isn't there. Whatever sound you put into this speaker, that is the sound you will hear. The saxaphone pieces on "Getz, Gilberto" CD is a great piece to point out weaknesses or strenghts of your systems reproduction of the sax. Well, the 602 did one of the best jobs I've heard of making the sax sound like a sax. Please do not substitute "Getz, Gilberto" with Kenny G. This will NOT produce good results.

Bass is tight and natural. Kick drums sound like kick drums. Conga's sound like Congas. Snare's sound like snares. I say this because some speakers color the sound of drums and tame the punchiness of well recorded music. I would reccomend a nice subwoofer to compliments this speaker. Get these speakers about a foot from the wall to eliminate any bass lag due to phase differences.

I know this was wordy, but I hope it gives a litte bit of insight. If you want audiophile sound on a budget, this speaker at $550 is going to be tough to beat. But don't let the price fool you, B&W could charge much more for this speaker, but they don't. Thanks B&W for making this speaker affordable.

My Equipment:
SP-99D Pioneer Elite Pre Amp
Harmon Kardon PA5800 5 Channel Amp
Sony ES 200 Disk changer
Sony DVD
RCA 36" TV
Eosone Dipole Surround speakers
Eosone Center Channel
B&W DM602 S2 Main speakers
Velodyne VA1012XII Subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

Pardigm Reference Studio 20, Castle,

Detailed mid-range, balanced (not dull or overly bright) treble that sounds very pure.

Dropoff of lower frequencies.

After doing much research and auditioning, I chose the b&w 601 s2's for the price/performance. I haven't owned anything quality before these but here are my thoughts.

What I liked about these was (I don't know the word) purity of the highs. Triangles, cymbals, the hi-hat etc sounded lovely. I remember the CDM1 SE's sounding very harsh, but these had a much more balanced sound (to my taste).

The mid range is clear and detailed... the 6.5" Kevlar driver does freqs to 4kHz (or so the specs say) which is quite amazing. However, it lacks in bass. It does reproduce the lower frequencies, however at a much lower dB. So if you don't have a subwoofer you will have to turn up the bass knob on your amp to get proper response.

However, paired with a sub the speaker is fantastic. I'd like to compare these to the Mission 781s.

system:
Harman Kardon HK3270 receiver
these speakers
M&K v-75 Mark II Subwoofer

Similar Products Used:

none

Highs, midrange, tonal clarity

Bass is a little weak, but what can you expect from a mini-monitor?

These speakers represent my first foray into the world of "true" high-end audio. A few years back, I thought my Infinity's were about as close to top-of-the-line as you could get, but it turns out that I was just naive. After hearing a pair of $12,000 B&W 801's at the home of a friend, I started to understand just how much I was missing. After checking out a couple of local hi-fi shops and listening to various speakers from Thiel, B&W, and Paradigm and hearing amps by Linn and Krell, I started to really get into high-end audio as a hobby. Being a poor college student, I can't realistically come close to affording most of the extreme products that I so love to read about, but I nonetheless decided it was time to put together a budget hi-fi system of my own. I selected the B&W 601 as my new speakers (I'm still working making enough money for the upgraded preamp, amp, and CD player), and I'm glad I made the choice I did.

The first thing that struck me about the 601's when I had set them up at my home was their ability to extract detail from recordings. With absolutely no break-in, they already were highlighting information from my CDs that I never knew existed before. As I listened to "Drum Trip" from Rusted Root's "When I Woke" album, I was able to pick out the presence of new drum kits and actually "see" their locations in the soundstage. In a nearfield setup with the speakers and my listening position describing an eight-foot equilateral triangle, the soundstage was both expansive and focused. Vocals and main instruments (guitars, drums, etc.) were well localized, but the sounds of ambient instruments extended well past the outside edges of the speakers, as they should.

At first, the highs were a little harsh, but eventually the tweeters became broken in and the top end smoothed out nicely. The bass seemed especially weak for the first few weeks of listening, but it began to fill in acceptably after that. I honestly didn't expect the 601's to put out as much bass as they do, knowing that B&W doesn't boost the response curves of their speakers at 80 Hz or so like so many other manufacturers do. Such a boost will make the speaker sound like it is putting out deeper, lower bass, but all you are really getting are resonances and exaggerations that don't actually exist in the music. I'd imagine that the 601's can put out bass down to roughly 55 - 60 Hz, which of course is not extremely deep, but the bass that is produced is very musical and well-defined.

As far as selecting music to go with these speakers, I think it is fairly obvious that B&W designed them with the classical, jazz, and acoustic genres in mind. It's not that the 601's can't rock and slam when you want them too, it's just that they sound much more at home with more laid-back music. The midrange reproduction of acoustic instruments is just gorgeous. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Now for the value aspect of the equation. Out of all the speakers that I've listened to, I don't think you'll find any that sound better for under $450, and probably not under $800. My Infinity Overture 1's retailed for $1,000, and the B&W's are far superior in terms of overall sound quality and accurate reproduction of music. Isn't that what it's all about?

My current system:
Harman/Kardon AVR80ii receiver
Harman/Kardon FL8550 5-disc CD changer
Monster Cable interconnects
Audioquest Type 4+ speaker cable, single-wired, connected to speakers with spades and to receiver with banana plugs

Similar Products Used:

Infinity Compositions Overture 1, Infinity Reference 6

Highs, midrange, tonal clarity

Bass is a little weak, but what can you expect from a mini-monitor?

These speakers represent my first foray into the world of "true" high-end audio. A few years back, I thought my Infinity's were about as close to top-of-the-line as you could get, but it turns out that I was just naive. After hearing a pair of $12,000 B&W 801's at the home of a friend, I started to understand just how much I was missing. After checking out a couple of local hi-fi shops and listening to various speakers from Thiel, B&W, and Paradigm and hearing amps by Linn and Krell, I started to really get into high-end audio as a hobby. Being a poor college student, I can't realistically come close to affording most of the extreme products that I so love to read about, but I nonetheless decided it was time to put together a budget hi-fi system of my own. I selected the B&W 601 as my new speakers (I'm still working making enough money for the upgraded preamp, amp, and CD player), and I'm glad I made the choice I did.

The first thing that struck me about the 601's when I had set them up at my home was their ability to extract detail from recordings. With absolutely no break-in, they already were highlighting information from my CDs that I never knew existed before. As I listened to "Drum Trip" from Rusted Root's "When I Woke" album, I was able to pick out the presence of new drum kits and actually "see" their locations in the soundstage. In a nearfield setup with the speakers and my listening position describing an eight-foot equilateral triangle, the soundstage was both expansive and focused. Vocals and main instruments (guitars, drums, etc.) were well localized, but the sounds of ambient instruments extended well past the outside edges of the speakers, as they should.

At first, the highs were a little harsh, but eventually the tweeters became broken in and the top end smoothed out nicely. The bass seemed especially weak for the first few weeks of listening, but it began to fill in acceptably after that. I honestly didn't expect the 601's to put out as much bass as they do, knowing that B&W doesn't boost the response curves of their speakers at 80 Hz or so like so many other manufacturers do. Such a boost will make the speaker sound like it is putting out deeper, lower bass, but all you are really getting are resonances and exaggerations that don't actually exist in the music. I'd imagine that the 601's can put out bass down to roughly 55 - 60 Hz, which of course is not extremely deep, but the bass that is produced is very musical and well-defined.

As far as selecting music to go with these speakers, I think it is fairly obvious that B&W designed them with the classical, jazz, and acoustic genres in mind. It's not that the 601's can't rock and slam when you want them too, it's just that they sound much more at home with more laid-back music. The midrange reproduction of acoustic instruments is just gorgeous. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Now for the value aspect of the equation. Out of all the speakers that I've listened to, I don't think you'll find any that sound better for under $450, and probably not under $800. My Infinity Overture 1's retailed for $1,000, and the B&W's are far superior in terms of overall sound quality and accurate reproduction of music. Isn't that what it's all about?

My current system:
Harman/Kardon AVR80ii receiver
Harman/Kardon FL8550 5-disc CD changer
Monster Cable interconnects
Audioquest Type 4+ speaker cable, single-wired, connected to speakers with spades and to receiver with banana plugs

Similar Products Used:

Infinity Compositions Overture 1, Infinity Reference 6

Price

Aesthetically pretty ugly, Loose and ugly bass

I respect a lot of the opinions I have seen regarding this speaker. However, I feel I must interject a little bit.

I really don't like this speaker very much, despite being a big fan of B&W and their technology, quality, and price points. Every time I listen to this speaker, I am left wondering why it is so loved. I personally own DM302s at a little over half the price, and I would take the 302s any day over the 601s. Although they lack some of the deeper bass, neither speaker is really going to do justice to your bass-heavy recordings. I'd rather take the 302s crisp, fast, accurate midbass to the 601s muddy compromise.

The bass is the biggest flaw with this speaker. It's muddy and sloppy. It's loud, yes, but just not true to life. The highs are nice, yes. The Nautilus technology is a great thing to have trickle down into the less expensive lines of B&W speakers. However, the nice highs feel like they're stuck in the mud with the sloppy bass driver.

$450 is a competitive price point. If you step up a little bit, you can get something truly special. If you step down a little, you can find some better speakers. These would make very nice home theater speakers, but to true music-lovers, that's something of a backhanded compliment. Try listening to NHT, Monitor Audio, Dynaudio, etc. There is plenty to listen to at this price point, and although the 601s will give you some loud bass, it's unsatisfying in the long run for music listeners.

They're also rather ugly and clunky looking. With the grille off, the Kevlar cone is striking, but the port looks cheap. With the grille on, they look like big ugly boxes. I think that aesthetics should be your last concern, but they are something to take into account when making a sizable investment in your living room, and let's not kid ourselves: No matter who you are, $450 is not pocket change.

I listened to this speaker coupled with a number of NAD, Rotel, and Marantz integrateds and receivers, pretty much what I think people in this price range would be listening through.

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM302, Dynaudio Audience 40

more for video fans than serious audio listening

clanky metallic sound, treble overpower mids

These speakers look impressive, kevlar and all. Not to mention received various awards (1999 speaker of the year WHF) and other citations. Makes me wonder however when compared with other speakers mentioned above these speakers don't stand out vs. any of the bookshelf speakers I've previously owned. These are better suited for rock and pop fans and does not perform well with other types of music. It is also $100 overpriced here in Manila. Forget the reviews and trust your ears, you'll know what I'm talking about. No offense meant to B&W fans.

Similar Products Used:

b&w 302, mission 771e, heybrook hb1, tannoy m2

very accurate

none so far

These are my first real speakers. I bought based on the reviews here. I listened to the 602s at the dealer in comparison with these, to me the 602s speakers sounded really boomy, almost too much so. The sound from these sounds very clean and detailed, so I got these based on sound alone, even though I would have paid the extra for the 602s. When I first played them at home however they sounded very "harsh" I was debating whether I wanted to return them but after a while I guess they got broken in because they sound superb now. I originally wanted to get magnepan mmgs but I would have had to buy a new amp(I have a cheap sony) and most of the reviews said that the mmgs were not the best overall for rock music. I use my computer as my main audio device, in fact its been months since I've used my cd player yet I listen to music every day. I haven't had a chance to play them to their fullest yet because I live in an apartment but I believe they sound great loud too. I'm not an expert but these speakers sound extremely good.

Similar Products Used:

Technics 12" 3way

Excellent Mid-range and treble and good base for the price

base a little light if not placed well

I am currently in college and this is my first seperates system after having a technics Mini Disc micro hifi. I have recently bought the NAD C520 CD player which is drastically underpriced for its performance level, and I have an old Pioneer A-400 signiture amplifier. I purchased these speakers just over two months ago and my first impression is that they just seem to get better and better are they are 'worn in'. This generally can take up to three months, so don't worry if you are initially dissappointed by mediocre performance. The first thing to notice is the excellent treble performance. Especially when playing things like Dire Straits with the guitars, and on other string instruments. The midrange is equally good and is almost completely transparent, and at the price the bass is very good, especially when care is taken of placement. Generally the sound is excellent all round, bringing background sounds to life.

When buying the system I was also considering the mission 771e, because I know how excellent the 773e is after my relatives buying them last year. However, with the 771e the midrange was again excellent but the base and treble were not quite as good at high volumes as the 601s. The treble on the B&Ws is even better than on the 773e, at twice the price. Dont get me wrong, it was close and the 771e are still absolutely great speakers, but they didn't cut it at the high volumes, mainly due to great size difference between the two and the B&Ws nautilous tweeter technology. There were really no other competing options. The Heybrook, the Tannoy, and the Acoustic Energy were not in the league of the missions and the B&Ws.

I am currently auditioning new amplifiers, as an upgrade to my excellent, but outdated, Pioneer A400. I have got the choice down to two, the new Musical fidelity X-A2 and the NAD C370. They are both excellent amps and should be in the $1600 range, not half the price. The NAD has more power but with my speakers, the 75Wpc MF is easily powerful enough to drive the B&Ws, which probably wouldn't survive the 120W of NAD power. Given thayt the MF sounds better overall, I will probably dismiss the NAD and go for the MF. When listening with this amp I found that the speakers performed much better, even in the showroom and I can now get the best from them. The treble was even better, if that's possible and the midrange and base much more precise and dynamic. These speakers really give great imaging for the price and are virtually as good as speakers at half the price.

So, these speakers work well with budget electronics, and even make the system sound seem better than it is. They also compliment more high priced electronics and give a great performance. They are just great speakers and are, to my joy, greatly underpriced for their poerformance level.

As these speakers compliment any style of music, especially music with much treble in it, then they will go with almost all musical tastes. However, if you prefer a warm and less dynamic style then the missions might be the better chioce of speaker, but with nearly all music the B&Ws are just as good and nearly always better.

If you have a budget system and have this $300 to spent then these are the spoeakers to buy as they will get the best out of your system and nothing else under $400 can compete at all. However, if you have about $2000 to spend on a system , then spend $1600 on excellent electronics and then buy these or the 602S2 and they will be as good as $600 speakers and still get the best from your system. Excellent Speakers for all purposes.

WOW!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Mission 773e, mission 771e, heybrook HB1, Tannoy MX1, Acoustic energy