Excellent soundstage ! Listen to Miles Davis Kind of Blue for hours on repeat.

Lack of bass

These little beauties took a while to break in. But after about a month the music came to life. The highs and mids when listening to Jazz and Classical are superb. If you listen to mostly Rock/Pop/Electronic stay away from these. They make popular music sound nasty. But they make Miles sound like he's playing in your living room. I'm going to move up to the 603S2's or the CM4's next week when the pay cheque comes in. If you are bound by a budget, these are the speakers for you (great value). There is SOME bass when the soundstage isn't too crowded but once you throw on Jimi or Techno/pop they sound McNasty.

Jazz/Classical enthusiasts> these are for you
Rock/Pop>get something with more bass ie 603S2's

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm (Nasty)

very linear response, detailed midrange, front port, good size

expensive at most dealers, reduced soundstage

First I will explain my listening conditions and past purchases and listening tests.

I have a audio room where I work on the computer, drink with friends and play with my music collection. In this room I have a Pioneer elite 300 disc changer, Pioneer cd recorder, Pioneer elite tape deck, Numark record player and NAD C740 receiver. I previously had some Infinity studio monitor 100s, back in the days when Infinity made very good speakers. I now have a 1 year old daughter...so floor speakers are out of the question. I wanted a very good pair of bookshelf’s, REAL bookshelf’s that can be placed on a bookshelf without degrading the sound.

First I bought some BIC dv62clr (DO NOT laugh they are actually a very good speaker) after they got high praise in consumer reports. I admit they are a very nice speaker a tad shaky on the midrange and UGLY. I used them for a couple of months and they are now in my office at work. By the way countless people have come in to my office heard them and went out and bought a pair...for $170 a pair hard to beat.

Next the NHT super ones, I liked them, my wife did not they got sold to a friend. By the way my HT room is all NHT center and ceiling speakers.

Then came PSB 2B a very nice speaker for $300 pair. Front firing port so they can be place against the wall on a bookshelf. I used these for 6 wonderful months.

Then I went to Canada, downtown Montreal. I was tempted by the devil and bought a pair of 601 s2 for $350 after tax refund. They also have a front port so they can be placed against the wall.

ADVANTAGES OF THE B&W 601
1. fantastic midrange
2. very accurate midbase
3. imaging depth that allows you to hear singers breathing in.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PSB 2B
1. More bass
2. less expensive
3. bigger soundstage so you can move around the room and not be stuck in a small sweet spot.

Because I do a lot of recording at home imaging and accuracy are important so I kept the B&Ws at home took the PSBs to work and gave away the BICs.

Similar Products Used:

PSB 2B, NHT super one, BIC dv62lr

Smooth Midrange, outstanding detail

Tweeter a little harsh

Bought these babies at a local Hi-fi retailer for $600 AUD. As soon as I plugged them into my yamaha RX-V396 receiver, I noticed the very detailed and very forward midrange which amazed me. The treble was a little harsh, but what do you expect from a metal tweeter which hasn't broken in yet? Bass response was a decent for a speaker of its size.

Overall these speakers are the best I've heard in their price range.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titans, NHT superones

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

Affordable Price, Titanium tweeter (like the Nautilus), Kevlar Speaker, Clarity, Great Highs

Lows are lacking (Hey it's a bookshelf, give it a break)

I had first bought the B&W 302 years ago when I first got into home stereo. Being fully impressed of what $200 bucks was able to do I was an instant fan of B&W.

After getting a good deal at a local shop I picked up the 601 S2 for $405. The first thing I did was an A - B comparison between the 302 and the 601 S2. The first thing I noticed was darn those 302 are remarkable, but the 601 were much better (especially in the highs). The mid-range felt much more fuller and had more impact. So is spending twice as much money for the speakers worth it?

I would say that if you had mediocre components, stick with the 302, but if you have some decent components go with the 601 S2. They won't leave you dissapointed. They had a LONG breakin period.. They still seem to get better and better with every session. The Highs are my favorite part of this speaker, (Listen to Les Miserable "I dreamed a dream" - Anniversary Edition) and you'll see what I mean. I was simply amazed at how real the sound was.

Positioning is very important, make sure you take your time to find the right place and spot to put your speakers. The time you invest here will be worth it.

My System
---------
HK PA5800 Amp
Sony EP9ES DD Decoder/Preamp
AudioQuest Type 4 SuperLitz
Jade Interconnects
Toshiba 2400 DVD/CD Player
AR Subwoofer
302 Surrounds/CC3

Similar Products Used:

Various Infinti and NHT Speakers

Tonal Balance, Imaging and price

Bass (of course), Badly designed 3-way binding posts.

I discovered the weakness others have mentioned here to be the gold-plated metal bar that connects the bi-wiring capable input terminals.

If you use bannana plugs, the bar will be fully compressed against the contacts, and bi-wiring is not necessary.

Hope others benifit from my tinkering.

Similar Products Used:

Mission 772, Boston Accoustic VRM65

Natural,clean, excellant vocals,male or female Bi wire

Bass is a little weak. recommend a sub,these will show the weaknesses in your system if they're present because of the accuracy. Also need to be broken in.

I almost brought them back but my room isn't very good accoustically, And the dealer did say break in was important and he was dead right.I compared my CD player which had just been fixed to a rotel,wow ,how good are those! My NAD is my next replaced component. My NAD 7170 does nicely as power though. velodyne sub fills the bill.I love that Rotel stuff.B&W 601 s2 paid 384. with tax. any good?

Similar Products Used:

that compare ? infinity, pinnacle ,not really though.

Build Quality, Looks, Bi-Wire connection

Sound Quality

Out of the box these speakers are top quality. They're built top quality (case, speaker material, binding posts) and look very stylish.

As for sound quality, I returned the pair I bought and ended up going with Paradigm mini monitors. I thought the 601's sounded a little flatter and muddier. I gave em a good week before I made my decision. By comparison, the Titan's sounded a lot tighter in the bass and the highs were smoother. But the 601's did have more to offer in the mids.
The bass in the Titans was also a lot more pronounced than the 601's. Comparing the JBL's, the B&W's were defifnitaly a step up.

I ended up going with the Mini Monitors because they have more definition in the mid range than the Titans. The mini monitors go for about $300 where the 601's are $400-450 depending on your negotiation skills. As for the Titans vs. the 601's, that's a personal call. The Titan's are about $190; half the price of the 601's. The improved bass and high's make them sound better even though the 601's do have more mid range. I guess it depends on your preference. I just wasn't that impressed with the 601's.

Good luck and have fun deciding....

Similar Products Used:

Jbl (Circuit City line), Paradigm Titan, Paradigm Mini Monitor

Great mid range, but overall - excellent sound

Not so cheap in this country.

I spent about 2 months searching the market for speakers that would not only fit my budget, but reproduce the 'sound' I was looking for - clear vocals, and detail.

The stores here don't carry the variety thats available in Europe and the US, but have a decent range. I auditioned Polk, Klipsch, Jamo, Snell, and Infinity.

The Klipsch SF-1 from their synergy series sounded great, but the high's were too bright for my liking -especially for Jazz music that I often listen to.

The Jamo's are generally good speakers for the price, but they don't sound realistic, and tend to sound boxy.

The Snell, were the next best thing I heard, but when I checked out the price they were too expensive for what you got.

Infinity speakers are nice to look at, but too soft.

Then when the store finally showed me the 601's, I thought they looked great, but to be honest I was first sceptical because of their relative size. Then he hooked up the pair with the Denon AVR 3300 which I was going to purchase - MMMMMM! Smoooooooooooth. I could'nt believe that such small speakers could reproduce sound with such clarity, that I didnt waste auditioning the others (there were four more brands to go through and the salesman was looking a little exhausted after opening the various boxes I had been listening to previously!).

I listened for about an hour and a half to various music ranging from Bach to the Beetles. I kept on shaking me head in disbelief - it just sounded more impressive. I was completed sold on the idea, and took them home. Bi-wiring them resulted in better sound staging, and I placed them about 40" from the ground on stands.

Give me time to go through my entire CD collection...and I'll share my thoughts with you when I'm done.

Equipment used:
Pioneer DV 525 for DVD's and Music (DTS is a MUST!)
Denon AVR 3300 receiver
Klipsch SC1 Center speaker
4 x B&W 601's front & rear
Toshiba 43" Projector screen tv.
Monster cables - A/V and speaker cables.

Great mids and highs for the money; not bad for bass; good build quality.

Laminate instead of wood.

I purchased these speakers in May of 1999, about the time that the new "S2'' version came to market. I bought them with the expressed purpose of using them as rear speakers in my new home theater setup. Before I purchased the B&W, I had auditioned most of the Paradigm bookshelves, Polk, Energy and Boston Acoustics. I was most impressed with 601 S2s, not just for their great mids and highs, but for their solid construction. I used these in a stereo configuration for a few weeks while waiting on my floorstanding speakers to come in (B&W CDM7 SEs.) They were hooked hooked up to my Nakamichi AV-10 receiver. I knew I had something good when a friend of mine (who I looked to for audio advice for years)asked me if I had a sub running with the 601s. He found it hard to believe the sound he was hearing came only from the 601s.
I've been using these for home theater now for two years. They more than do the job. Surround effects and music are tremendous, and the 601s compliment my B&W CDM 1SEs very nicely. Because of their quality and performance I would buy them again, despite their high pricepoint.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch, B&W CDM series, Paradigm