These speakers are much better than the "old" 603, the tweeter is built like the Nautilus with a long rear camber, the midrange uses the new bullet like phase plug and the bass unit is now electrify powered, no booominess. Just pure clean and beautiful sound.

Compared to the "older" version these are MUCH better!Mostly the bass performance has improved, and not just a little; The bass is now clear, tight and dynamic. NOT "boomy" as it used to be!
midrange and high frequencies have also improved. clarity and imaging have come up from "vague" to "precise". A word of praise to the designers is in order. B&W is now back on track!!

No more Boomy 603 and 604 (the 602 of course was the better speaker of the 600 series).

Go listen to them now at your hifi retailer NOW as you can compare them to the older version, they are a little more expensive (10% in the Netherlands).
But, Listen and you´ll see!

Great speaker!

strong bass, clean midrange; quality construction and materials

bass too dominant; metal tweeter shrieks on thin recordings; mid-range is recessed

I kept the 603 S2s for only a short time because their response curve was so far from neutral. These speakers have very definitely not been designed with accuracy as the prime design objective. The mid-range is decidedly recessed - apparently deliberately by the designers - so that a powerful bass and strong treble results. While this may appeal to home theatre viewers and head bashers, it is a no-no for classical listeners.
The 603s are not without their charms and if accuracy is not your main criterion, their power and the strong rhythms they generate may well be just what you're looking for.

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy R3s

Super sound, great metal tweeter, almost no color,excellent fit and finish

long break in, need to be driven, hint of boxiness

I had to break these in longer than I expected. The rubber surround is stiff. Don't give up because the reward is there. Leave them energized low when not at home or during the night to speed up breakin.Or consider some of the break in CDs. Conservatively rated. They also require a lot of power and thus not great for soft mellow classical background music. However with every other music genre -WOW when driven. Make sure you understand they will reproduce as close to what is recorded or the equipment use, you can be sure there will be no masking or contribution. Yes positioning and clearance to wall are critical.

For hometheater- again wow, believe me you don't need a subwoofer unless you need to feel the vibrations. Definitely need to be bi-wired. I have 603S2 paired off with LCR6 for center and 601S2 for rears. Sample any good DTS recording.

Excellent clarity and interpretation of the highs and mid ranges. The low range driver provides a well controlled and tight output of bass. A very good selection + combination of drive units for the 603 S2.

Lacks slightly when dealing with highly complex bass lines...but only very slightly! Probably due to the fact that it can't handle anything below 30-40Hz.

Hooked up with:
Marantz PM6010 KI Signature Amplifier, Marantz CD-67MkII OSE CD Player, Sony STSB-920 Tuner, Sony MDS-JB940 MiniDisc Player, QED Anniversary Bi-Wiring Cable. Some homemade interconnects (beating all shop interconnects worth £100...easily!)Anyway to the review...

I listen to a lot of Drum 'n' Bass, Trance + Danve. These speakers excel in a big way. The Bass driver pumps away tightly with full control while the undisturbed/unoverhauled midrange and tweeter provide the highs and mid in a dynamic and involving manner. I find that each driver is allowed to perform its role in delivering the layers that are existant in the music being played and they all do it very well. I thought that the tweeter in my previous Paradigm Monitor Speakers were unbelievable but these Nautilus design in the 603s are even better, pouring out the highs loud and clearly in a non-harsh manner. The overall sound is sensational and open providing a virtual sea of sound surronding the space occupied by them.

There is a down side however...these speakers are power hungry in a pretty big way...The 603s start to "work" only when the volume knob on the 6010 is at 25% or more...anything less and the sound is closed and uninviting.

I would highly reccomend these speakers as they have a lot to offer in terms of music of all types...some tips:
1.Buy a powerful Amp
2.Careful location of these speakers is essential...the downstairs lounge will do...but definitely not a small bedroom.
3.Bi-Wire them using quality cable.

WONDERFUL RESULTS WITH ALL TYPES OF MUSIC. A POWERFUL YET CLEAN BASS , MIDRANGE THROUGH TO HIGHS ARE ARTICULATE AND CRISP.BUILD IS EXCELLENT !

NIL

A GREAT PAIR OF SPEAKERS THAT PLAY WELL WITH ALL SORTS OF MUSICAL TASTES. A BIG IMPROVEMENT UPON THE PREVIOUS 603(WHICH WAS STILL A FINE SPEAKER). THESE DO WELCOME HIGH LISTENING LEVELS AND WILL GO ABOUT IT ALL DAY LONG AND NEVER RUN OUT STEAM . I PREFER GRILLS OFF AT LOW LISTENING LEVELS AS IT LETS OUT ABIT MORE NICEITIES . I HAVE BIWIRED WITH TARA RCS PRIME CABLE WHICH ARE TIED TO A PAIR OF NAD 214'S BRIDGED MONO . LOTS OF POWER TO HEAR ALL AT LOW LISTENING LEVELS AND LOTS IN RESERVE TO PLAY AT HIGHER LEVELS AND MAINTAIN ABSOLUTE CLARITY AND CRISPNESS.
BUILD IS QUITE FINE . GOOD SOLID AND HEAVY FEEL TO CABINETS . NAUTILUS TWEETER IS A WELCOME TREAT TO THE 600 SERIES AS IS THE POWERED BASS DRIVER ON THE 603S2. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED . ALL THE WORLD IS GREAT AT ALOT OF THINGS ...JUST LEAVE THE SPEAKER PRODUCTION TO THE BRITS -THEY DO IT BEST !

Similar Products Used:

PARADIGM, B&W 602, B&W 603 (PREVIOUS EDITIONS),MISSION

Superb Mid Range, Scary Low Range

I need a bigger room!!

I decided to upgrade my Acoutic Energy 100. They served me well but lacked that stomach pushing bass. So off I go to the audio store, I listened to two sets of Monitor Audios which were good. Came back the next week to decide on the Monitor Audios. I saw the B&W, saying to myself 'mmh... '. Let's have a blast... and The rest is history!

These Speaker are serious bit of kit. Bi-Wire them into a top class amp and let it rip. The Kelvar cones make these speakers unbelievably accurate. Try the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker and watch these guys responsed. If you get a chance to listen to them through some fast acoustic guitar at them and listen in amazement.

Equipment - AudioLab 8000S, Indigo Bi-Wire, Marantz CD63 MkII

Similar Products Used:

KEF

Everything

None!

Hi, everything good there is about this speakers is about said. I bougth them for my new Home Theater:

B&W DM603S2 (Front)
B&W LCR6S2 (Centre)
B&W DM603S2 (Front)
B&W ASW1000 (On in the front, one in the back)
DENON AVR-4800
DENON DVD-1500
TaraLabs Prism Bi-Wire for the speakers.

Is was stunned at the performance they gave, when i got them home, even better then at the shop. These r da best as Beenie man said!

Clarity, butt kicking bass, soundstage

None yet!

STUNNING! Just purchased these babies yesterday (9-1-00) and my friends can't get me out of my appartment. I enjoy listening to Classical Aria's, Pop, Electronica, Rock, R&B. I was looking for a speaker that would knock me to the wall with it's bass and I found them. I am amazed at the clarity of the monsters. I have been a big fan of the B&W product for a couple of years and my system just gets better and better.

Equipment used:

Marantz SR-19 (receiver)
Sony Wega (20 inch TV)
Rega Planet CDP
Marantz DV700 (dvd player)
Tara Labs RSC 1000 all the way around (speaker cables)
Rotel RLC900
Tara Labs interconnets

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602, B&W CC6S2

Upper-Midrange, fairly transparent for the price, excellent for vocals, jazz, and electronica

Smooth, closed-in treble, bass is a little slow (but that's the amplification used)

Used with (listening to music ninety percent of the time, films are watched from time to time on DVD and on Satellite - also use B & W centre and mediocre Bose rear surrounds):

Pioneer DV717 (because its good for music as well as movies)
Sony STR DA50ES (because it's ALOT more musical than the STR DB930 and cheaper than a Denon AVR3300)
Cable-Talk Flat 2 bi-wire
Sonic Link Lilac Interconnect

Placed on their spikes, in open space, the B & W DM603 s2's have a very open and expressive midrange. Female voals sound especially clean, the 603s2's doing an especially good job of projecting voices forward into a deep and expansive sound-stage. Acoustic guitars are reproduced with fine attack and clarity. Good recordings really shine through these speakers; the feeling of 'being there' when listening to something like The Buena Vista Social Club is worth noting.

The only real minus point is the overly smooth treble of these speakers. This robs the music of some punch and rythm. Personally, a more detailed treble is preferred as cymbals and percussion lack bite - someone said that it was almost as though the drummer was sat behind a curtain!

It's likely that these sonic foibles are the result of less than sparkling partnering equipment. Swapping the STR-DA50ES with a Harmon Kardon AVR 500 resulted in a much warmer sound. The Harman brought out the bass but the treble seemed even further removed. Vocals were also harder to track. For instance, Beth Hirsh's voice in Air's "All I Need" lacked the openess that was apparent when the B & W's were driven by the STR-DA50ES.

To be at their best the B & W's need to be played at higher volumes - the laid back treble means that the speakers are best suited to those who like a warmer sound. Also, the 603s2's need to be fed with some decent amplification if they are to sing. A Rotel RB-991 power-amp might do the trick (together with listening to various cables and interconnects).

Similar Products Used:

KEF Q5.2, Yamaha NS400, JBL LX66