I've been using the DM 602's for about 6 months now and they just keep sounding better and better. The bass is clear and tight and the highs are acurate and smooth. I looked at lots of other speakers in the $550 price range and the only other speakers which came close were the Energy speakers, but after a lot of listening I chose the B&W's in combination with a Marantz 780 receiver. It sounds great and I would recommend them to anyone.
Equipment:
Marantz 780
B&W 602's
B&W CC6
Pioneer 414 DVD
Proscan VCR
Proscan TV

I find the radically different responses to the 602s very interesting. I compared the 602s to the usual suspects -- Paradigm Studios, etc. -- and wound up with 602s run off of a ROTEL RSX-965. Decidely "mid-fi" but about as much as my wife would let me spend. Anyway, I find the 602s extremely pleasent to listen to, and they do well across the scope of what we listen to: Indy Rock, 19-20th century symphonic, and Rave, for example. They definately are "mellow" both in good and bad ways: a warm sound with decent differentiation, but also lacking in excitement in the lows and highs. However, to my untrained ear, the sound reproduction is about right. Close enough to an evening at the Philharmonic for the amount of money I was willing to spend (I'm not entirely joking here: a comparsion of a good recording of Holst the planets to Lincoln Center didn't exactly make me want to forgo shelling out too much of my income on tickets, but it did leave me relatively confident in my speaker choice).

Just quick note .. I've owned these speakers for a little over 6 months ... they are AWESOME!!! I listen to a wide variety of music, from the Beastie Boys, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Metallica, some swing and some Jazz .... Damn these things sound great. Really like much larger, more expensive, speakers. Take a listen and you will be impressed. I compared them to the PSB, Paradigm, Energy, and NHT. No contest.

Well, I had my wallet out and was ready to purchase these fine speakers, when something horrible happened. The guy next door was testing a pair of DynAudio Audience 5's. Now I know it's unfair to compare these to those, since they dynaudios are about 50% more in price than the 602's. But after that, I would have to give this bad boy 4 stars instead of the 5 I was going to. Needless to say, I didn't buy them, I am saving up for a pair of dynaudios.
Albert

The following are the results of several months of exhaustive search and research. I had been looking for a smallish/bookshelf size speaker due to the constraints of my listening area. I had tried to audition every possible speaker that I could get my hands on that would fit this bill and that also was available in my area (it's surprising how few good audio stores are available in the Cleveland, Ohio area!), however I did manage to find and listen to the NHT's, Paradigms, Boston Acoustics, Phase Technology, Definitive Technology, B&W's, Energy, & Polk Audio. My goal was to find an adequate dual-purpose performer for #1) Music and #2) Home Theater. I surmised that if the first condition were met (a good music performer), then it would naturally follow that the same speaker would also be a good home theater performer. However, the converse may not necessarily be true. So it was with these expectations that I set out on my speaker quest. And while I did set out in hopes of getting the best "big sound" possible from a "small speaker", I also had the very real financial constraints of a limited budget with only $1700 to spend for the entire speaker system (2 fronts/mains, 2 rears, center, & sub). Trying to make a long story short, it was not easy to find the sonic quality that I craved in the price range that I was saddled with. Systems that met my standards for sound were either too expensive or too large (to fit on the bookshelf). On the other hand, those systems that were more affordable just didn't pass muster when it came to the sound quality. So I was left with a dilemma. One obvious solution, of course, is that I could always "wait" and save up enough money to get something really satisfying. I'm not sure if that ever really works for anybody, and it certainly doesn't for impatient types like myself! So what did I do? Nothing, and I still don't have the sound system! However, the system that came the closet to matching my qualifications, and far superior in sound than any of the others tested, is one that incorporates the highly rated B&W DM602's. Unfortunately for me, the final price tag of a complete B&W 600 Series system when you add up all the components (DM 602's for front-- $550/pr; DM601's for rear-- $400/pr; CC6 for center-- $350; and AS 6 sub-- $700) totals out at just a little above my spending limit. If I could afford it, I would have bought it.

I have come to the conclusion that my ears can't tell much of a differance (if any) between cd players and amps and other dohickeys. But I can tell major differances between speakers, which means they are probably the most important part of any system.
The 602's are probably one of the best speakers you could buy in the $500 price range.

They produce excelled highs and mids, which are crisp and clear (but don't hurt your ears when turned up to loud volumes, like other speakers I've heard). I have received numerous comments from friends on how clear everything sounds.

The bass is rather impressive also -- not the loudest, nor the lowest, but more than sufficient (but enough to rattle the lights outside of the dormroom, and shake all of the walls on the floor....).

Don't let the size of the box fool you -- these suckers get loud. On a 120watt amp, I have yet to turn the volume up more than 1/3 of the way; any louder and I think my head would blow up.

These speakers also sound better than when you first buy them. Right after I first bought them, the bass seemed to cut off at rather "high" frequencies, and things in general sound harsh.

Now, after using these things for nearly 2 months, they are able to produce LOUD sound at 32hz (that's 10hz under what the specs say they should be able to go to).

I am definately more than happy with my purchase, and would glady recommend them to anyone else out there.

After seeing a lot of great reviews, I had to listen to the B&W 602's when shopping for speakers. But what I heard was my old stereo - a bottom of the line rack system I purchased in 1992. Better speakers can be had for half the price.

Was in the market for a set of HT speakers. Budget was around $2000 including sub. Auditioned the Paradigms, Definitive Tech (BP2002), B&Ws and Atlantic Techs 350. I expect to use them for audio as well (about 50:50). In terms of audio bias, I have alwasy preferred the British speakers for their transparency and cleanless. Therefore, it was little surprise that I erred towards the B&Ws. I also feel they are great value for money. My biggest problem was the sub. Had to choose between the Sunfire, B&W 1000, B&W 2000 or the Vandertseen. Gain price/performance ratio came up tops for the B&Ws. I finally decided on the ASW2000 because of the size of my room.

I just bought my first decent stereo, consisting of a Yamaha RX-596 amp and a pair of DM602s. The speakers produce a VERY clear image, and have enough bass to make me happy. The trebles are quite crisp and bright, a little too bright for my buddy's taste, but he's looking at the $3000 and up audiophile gear these days, so his critisism comes from that world.
I haven't purchased a decent CD player yet, but the quality coming out of my Discman is pretty impressive.

One problem in my tests is the amp. Methinks that it is defective because there is an AWFUL LOT of cross-talk from the tuner to all of the other functions, even with the direct CD-only input button pressed. When cranked to 10 with no line signal coming in, I can hear the radio as if my system were a cheap transistor radio. I am betting that this is quite abnormal, and shall be returning/exchanging the Yamaha tommorrow. If it's a design flaw in the amp, I'll be posting THAT review tommorrow.

Great imaging. Crisp highs. Great bass. Tight response. 4 stars. Joe Bob says 'Check it out'.

nice punch bass not to deep but has a lot of strenght when it kicks

maybe a bass reflex should be on a back side of speaker

Nice sound ,lot's of details in it. If you really listen to music then you can hear a lot of it with this speaker. I use it as a surround speakers, since I have a self standing Mordaunt Short for front speakers. First of all it is a matter of taste if you like/dislike the tweeter sound. It is precise,powerfull and sounds a little bit metal. I love it. They have enough strenght so you can use them for your front speakers if you are low on budget. The only problem for these speakers is that I have to compare them with my floor standing Mordount Short and in that case they don't stand a chance. Mordount has a warmer bass and more natural sound. But of course they are not in the same price range. Mordaunt is a little bit more expensive. Conclusion : with these speakers you really get what you pay for, maybe even a little bit more. That is why I will give them five star rating.

Similar Products Used:

Mission,Mordaunt Short,JPW,Heybrook