Musicality,air, tonal balance

none worth mentioning......maybe needs to be more assertive in the lower octaves but, hey, no one's perfect.

This is what I call an honest speaker. It puts out exactly what goes in. Initially these boxes were driven by a Denon PMA 320 from 1988. I thought it put out great, punchy sound with lots of what the Brits call "gravitas" until, many, many CDs later I began to realize that the CDs were sll starting to sound alike. Then I switched to an out-of-the-box Rotel 935 BX direct line integrated (kept in the box since 1994). This time the 601 S2s went to work. Bad recordings were unmasked including Santana's Supernatural. Great ones were revealed such as the Burt Bachrach - Elvis Costello collaboration. Listen to cut 2 and you'll know what I mean. For the price point there's no better value. BTW I've auditioned alternatives such as Mission and Acoustic Energy.

Associated equipment:

Rotel 965BX CDplayer
Rotel 935 BX integrated amplifier

It's accurate, it's honest.

Similar Products Used:

Started life with Infinity RSe, Celestion 3

Best sounding metal-dome tweeter

N/A for a bookshelf speaker

This is an amendment to my earlier review. Originally, I thought they were lacking in bass. I was wrong. Sort of. I went out and bought 2 7ft runs of Kimber Kable 4PR, biwired them to my Nakamichi AV-7, and voila! The bass dramatically increased over the original generic 10 or 12 gauge wire that I was using. It definitely gets 5 stars! I even keep my sub now turned off! Not sure why others complain about the bass. For speakers of similar size, proportions, and driver size, the B&W DM601S2's have the most bass!

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Atoms, Paradigm Titans, Paradigm Monitor 3's

Imaging & Clarity,

None

I first heard these speakers at an audio dealer and
my first though was that they sounded faint in midbass.
After a couple of weeks of break-in, I 'm am very pleased
with the sound that they are producing. The highs are
extended without being harsh. The bass has punch and
produce good depth. I had considered upgrading my
receiver but, I am so pleased with the sound that I am
experienceing that I decided against it. These speakers
my seem faint and light in the bass as first glance but,
with time they produce a wonderful soundstage. Also,
for the price you can't find a better speaker !!!!

Nakamichi AV-2 (rec)
Pioneer DV-525 (dvd)
Musical Fidelity X-24k (dac)
Illumination D-60 (digital cable)
Kimber Kable Silver Streak (interconnects)
Monster Cable (speaker cables)

Tweeters like the Nautilus and Kevlar speakers. Gold binding posts

The first time that I heard the B&W sound I was hooked. But with 4 children, I waited and waited.

I use the 601 S2 speakers as rear surrounds in a digital home theater set up. The more we use them the better they sound especially with the new movies and DVD audio that has now hit the market. With this new media the surrounds are very active and these little B&W's have NO problem reproducing really loud action movies (guns and explosions)

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602 S2
B&W LCR S2 Center

Detailed but silky highs

vinyl finish only

This is a wonderful sounding speaker with satisfying, full bass and a detailed tweeter. Unlike many speakers with lots of detail, the 601 S2 never sounds bright or etched. I bought these for my mother and they work great in a bookshelf. They are front ported so the bass won't fire into the back of the cabinet. These are audiophile-on-a-budget speakers that somehow sound quite good even on inexpensive electronics. The NHTs are a good product but you need power and a high quality amp. The 601 S2s sound wonderful even on my mom's cheap sony receiver. The Soliloquy 5.0s is much better looking and the cabinet is great, but these at half the price are much easier on the ears. The strength of B&W is their wonderful midrange. Their looks won't impress your friends but the sound most certainly will.

The 600 S2 has a much improved tweeter over the Series 1 version and has Nautilus loading on the tweeter. The woofer has also been improved. Speakers with this level of sound and technology cost $2000 only a few years ago. The best tweeter in the speaker business is available on a $450 a pair product!!!

Similar Products Used:

Soliloquy 5.0s, Paradigm Monitor 3

musicality, air, tonal balance

none- even at double the price point

This is my second take on the 601 S2's. I take back what I said about the missing lower octaves. They're there. It all happened after biwiring and experimenting with speaker positioning. Thanks to the forward firing vents these boxes can be placed as close as a foot from the back wall. I've since settled for a foot and a half.

Again, listen to cut #2, "Toledo" from the Costello / Bachrach album and you'll hear what I mean. Want more proof? Try any cut from the "Skatalites" album (Island records) by the Skatalites.

'Nuff said.

good bass, clean sound

take a long time to run in

at first the sound was very flat. after a few hours the sound improves.

In my oppinion i would say that the speakers require at least 100 hours to run in. i have had mine for 4 mounths, they are still getting better. My brother who has had his for 8 months said it took 6 months to run in.

It now sounds great and i cannot wait untill another 2 months. AND ONLY £180

Similar Products Used:

mission 772, kef creasta 2 + 3

The equal of any in this price/product category,and better than most.Well-balanced,"British"sound that gives a smooth but not aggressive mid-range,extended highs,tight bass with excellent gradual"roll-off",and your choice of two distinct audio personalities,neither one bad:A brighter,more forward presentation with Bi-wiring,or a darker one with single-wire...Depending on your tastes and the recording,etc..,run one or the other!

Spartan looks you will either love or hate?Tweeters must be at ear-level,lots of space around the speakers,and do not forget to experiment with proper"toe-in"in order to center the sonic image correctly.

These are very natural sounding speakers to me,(and many of you as well).I think that B+W,like so many other companies into Audio,has been forced to assemble products of ultimate value in this category/price-range.Move up and pay more,but get proportionally"less"??? I am lucky,though,because I have learned to take the cheap way out of the sonic-dilemna and purchase Grado headphones for my serious,"enraptured" listening,thereby conquering the biggest problem for sound-reproduction...the room you are in!!! So,for me,a very modest,but wise,investment is best.And I doubt that my choice could have been better than these little B.B's!Oh,one other thing.Mate these babies with the most powerful amp you can afford,play them at"lifelike"listening- levels,and you will probably be in awe of the presentation unfolding before you-like a beautiful girl unfurling her attire!Well,almost...

Similar Products Used:

Sony,Harmon-Kardon,Advent,B.I.C.,various other brands also auditioned,including Klipsch,RBH,Cerwin-Vega.

Small size, accurate sound

Bass, image height

I've had these speakers for 3 months now and have to agree with a lot of what's been said here. The bass isn't that great, the image height isn't great either. But i like how accurate it sounds and the fullness i perceive in its sound. The soundstage is deep. I have it paired w/a yamaha 595a. If you want more bass, go with the 602s2. But for me, that was too much money and the 602s aren't as small as the 601. For the size and price, these speakers are good.

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT6

Treble,middle,depth,detail...

Boxes construction.

This speakers are something what we call totally free.
For this many we give very,very good treble,very good middle,bass and something very important to me and this is a depth,stereo picture,transparentity.But poeple who says this speakers are not good they want to change more amplifiers,place of speakers,cables.
I used technics amplifiers(*&^%$#@!),yamaha,onkyo,marantz pm 66se(not so bad choice) but Rotel,Rotel is the best ampilfiers for this speakers.601 with Rotel have a soul,everything what you expect from this speakers.
I dont say this is end of world but 601s2 costs just 300$!
I don't nothing more to say except one thing.2 years how I listen my speakers and this time is the best time spend for listening of music(etno,jazz,new age,rock,classic).
My system is:
Rotel pre-amp RC970,
Rotel power amp RB 930,
CD player Technics SL-PS 840,
CD recorder Pioneer PDR509,
Speaker cables Audioquest RF400,bi-wire,
Interconnect cables Monster interlink 200.

Similar Products Used:

Many models of tannoy,mission,jm lab...