Good price point.

Requires careful component matching (not really a weakness)

I have had my DM602 speakers for a bit over a year. I am pleased with the speakers. I got them to replace some old Boston Acoustic A70 speakers.
Initial system consited of a 30-watt HK receiver. The speakers were on the dull side with a single standard Monster Cable run. However, when I bi-wired the speakers with another run of Monster Cable the speakers really opened up (shockingly so). My guess is that the 30-watts hitting the speaker through one cable run was a bit too low powered. The bi-wire helped distribute the power better.

I recently added a Parasound HCA100A amp and a P/HP 850 preamp to the speakers. Along with an external bi-wire run of AudioQuest Type 4 speaker cables. The result is quite musical. I enjoy listening to this setup more than my previous one. Tighter bass and greater overall clarity and imaging.

For about $500 (US) these speakers are a great buy. Sure, they do not really compare with $1,000 speakers but that is comparing apples and oranges. Compare these speakers to others costing $500 and they are tough to beat.

If the speakers sound muffled in your sytem, then try bi-wiring. It helps a lot.

Pick source components carefully. I chose the parasound amp after listening to Rotel and Adcom stuff. I preferred the Parasound with the DM602s.

These are small bookshelf style speakers. Imaging is quite good. Soundstage is somewhat constrained but that is typical with small speakers.

These speakers are a great value and work well with the right system.

Similar Products Used:

Boston Acoustic

excellent clarity; very crisp, very smooth

bass does not seem as good as that of the B&W DM601's I had previously

These are excellent speakers for the money. I bought mine used last year to save some money but would have sworn they were new. I have them set up with an Arcam Alpha 7 amp, a Marantz CD-67 cd player, and Transparent interconnects. The only complaint I have is that the bass does not seem as good as the DM601's I had previously (I can't figure out why). However, this can be addressed with the addition of a separate subwoofer. These speakers produce beautiful music and I'll own them for many years. B&W also provides an excellent warranty (5 years).

Similar Products Used:

DM 601

Warm Midrange / Value

none

After listening to at least a dozen 'bookshelf' stlye speakers in the price range (~500), these have to be the best bang-for-the-buck. Other were as good, but not for this price. An excellent value!!!

Non-Fatiging, can handle loud volumes well. Easy to pair.

Not much.

I must say that there was a huge difference between the 601s and 602s. I have an Arcam Alpha 8R, Alpha 7SE and now the 602s.
If you can find them buy them. Work amazingly when biwired.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601S2, Mission 702E

Incredible imaging for size, detail, tight clean bass

As I've stated, the bass response form these is clean & tight. Very fast and alot more than you'd expect from this size. The soundstage just envelopes you with imaging that is precision at it's finest.
I actually compared to the series 2 and can see no improvement AT ALL. In fact, the series 2 seemed to be lacking in some critical areas (BASS) compared to the 1's.
This was an improvement? Probably more like a cheaper manufacture = more $ in pocket.
CONCLUSION: you just can not go wrong with these speakers. If you're on a budget or if space is a concern, these are the ones for you.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602 series 2, Tannoy, Wharfedale

Clarity, bass, small size

Wished they were available in different finishes

I pretty much agree with all the other reviews in this column. These speakers, for the money, ROCK! I use these speakers in my HT-system as the fronts, a CC6 as the center channel, the 601's for the rears and a Velodyne sub finishing off the setup. All are connected to a Denon AVR-2700.
The 602's sound so good I'll occasionally listen to music CD's minus all the other speakers. Believe me when I say the 602's, along with excellent highs and mids, can dish out plenty of bass. I bought Target 18" high round-tube stands, filled them with sand which makes them weigh about 25 lbs each. Heavy stands make a world of difference to the bass. My stereo salesman later suggested to get a little added definition out of my 602's to upgrade my speaker wire to Monster Cable bi-wire. I was sceptical at first but was pleasantly surprised to discover that I actually could hear a difference. The highs and lows became so much more pronounced. These speakers truly are amazing.

Similar Products Used:

Monitor Audio Bookshelves (don't remember the series)

Gorgeous, sweet treble and mids. Bass is surprisingly deep
and accurate for the size of the cabinet. Imaging is a delight, deep and wide (especially well recorded classical)
I will look directly at one of the 602's and the music does not sound like it is coming from it, all around it but not
emitting from the drivers. What I'm trying to say is they disappear!!

Got me. Considering price and performance. Oh ,I got one !
Get a good subwoofer with them.

I knew they were good when they stopped my girlfriend in
her tracks( she refers to my system as blinking boxes)her
first comment was: "The violins sound like there 30 feet
beyond the wall". Now that's depth, when a non audio nut
notices. Crisp, sweet, and deep in a managable size. With
a good price to boot. I would recommend them to anyone.

sound quality is great

none that I can think of

This is a great speaker at the price. But you should think about the fact that good stands cost a lot of money. These are the first speakers that I buy so naturally I didn't think about that. For the money I spent on the speakers+stands I could have bought a better floorstander, tannoy revolution R2's for example.

Price, Build quality and finish, 5 year warranty, stylish looks, audiophile standard sound quality.

At this price......none to speak of. Extraordinary!

The B&W DM 602 bookshelf speakers are without a doubt an extraordinary engineering achievement.

With an uncanny capability to show up weaknesses of the sound source and amplification, these super accurate speakers deserve any audiophile's attention. This is especially so if one does not have several thousand dollars to spend. Like true "hifi" speakers, the DM 602's will crucify substandard CD players, Amplifiers etc.

The sound stage is extraordinary. Listening to Thelma Houston's "I've got the music in me" track on Sheffield Lab's "Creme de la Creme" CD, I could swear Thelma is in the room with me! Simply amazing sound staging given the price of these speakers.

If one delves further by disassembling the speakers, you will find a very high attention to detail in internals such as the crossover board, bracing etc. With their own manufactured (and branded) capacitors and speakers, the DM 602's have a true quality feel to them. I would make SOME stipulations however. Don't place these (or most other speakers for that matter) on the floor. Rather, place them on good quality stands and away from walls. I manufacture my own stands from solid plinths of timber weighing around 70 pounds a piece. This gives great bass reinforcement while at the same time aligning the tweeter's at ear level.

In summing up, these (now superseded by the DM 602 S2's) are an astonishingly bargain priced "wiff" of the real top end of the speaker market. They are truly worthy of "classic" status and will serve even a demanding audiophile's needs if on a budget....but then again there is always the Nautilis if you are lucky enough to win the lottery!!

Well done B&W.

The late John Bowers would be proud indeed.

Owen Jeffries
HI-FI reviewer
Freelance writer
oj@chariot.net.au

I've owned these for a little over a year now. When I get the chance to just sit and listen I am still amazed by the sound eminating from the little boxes on stands. I play a wide variety of music, ranging from Metallica, Stevie Ray, Beastie Boys, Holly Cole. I can't say enough about the 602s. Give them a listen, you will be impressed.
By the way I compared them to the Paradigm studio 20s, NHT 1.5 and Energy c2. All fine speakers, but this was the one for me. Since then NHT introduced the Super 2 - not very efficient and a little more $$$, but worth a listen. The 602 lept out at me when compared with these. as B&W says "listen and you will see".