detail and range, tall sound stage

becareful what you feed it.

the 604s2 are stronger than I could ever imagine. I dont know much about electronics but, I am relatively confident I know what a vivid reproduction of music should sound like. for the dollar, a cant fathom a better product than these speakers.

after about a year of listening to my Sony str da555es receiver. I felt I could do better as far as amplification. recently I acquired a Sim audio moon i-5 integrated amp paired with Ted's excellent cable reflection interconnects, in remedy of my quest. these changes have transformed my 604 from a great speaker to audiophile competitive slice of the pie. seriously, my 604 has came to life in a way far beyond my expectations.

I auditioned several speakers when looking for my amp. I will attempt compare different things I remember for each manufactures candidate. Naim intro; (I think that's the model) had great lower frequency definition, best of all the speakers I listened to; even a tad better than my 604s. but it also had the least definition in the mid to high range of all the speakers as well. close to the same time I listened to Naim I also heard the Linn nikita. it had detail in the higher frequencies but not more so than my 604s. in my opinion the nikita lacked punch and lower definition. next, the shelf monitor Revel M20 was detailed and refined but the sound stage was compact. last was the Ruark prelude. the small floor standing speakers cast a large deep sound stage similar to a Proac speaker, but didn't have the frequency range of my 604s. nor do I feel they were as consistent as my 604s with detail. it seems the 604 has a tall and wide sound stage versus the deeper Ruark. so my 604s are performing beyond what I thought their potential were.

since this latest addition, I feel can go a good while before upgrading my speakers. snares sound sweeter, more crisp, even at times able to hear the wound strains of wire beneath it when listening closely. percussion comes to life timely and vivid, versus being odd noises during a song. guitars chords have girth and scale and for lack of a better term, shading and dimension. recording engineers work truly comes to light as balance and echoes are toyed with, presenting music I can feel. so to some this up, before replacing your 604s better the pieces in front of it. you may find just as I have these speakers a lot more to give.

Similar Products Used:

linn, ruark, naim, several others

amazing tight bass,nice highs,can play very loud,nice mids,build quality

can be a little harsh,sometimes can lack in midbass,need alot of power to make them sing.

i'm using the 604's for 4 months and man they are SING,
very tight bass,clear midband,good highs,very good soundstage .
they can do heavy metal as they do jazz.
a very long burn in and bi-wire is a must and you'll get
an amazing speaker.
need alot of power(i'm using rotel rb-991 2x200 power amp).

Similar Products Used:

mission 702,mission 702e,polk audio rt10,morel mlp-407,b&w 603 s2,mb quart's.

Very clean sound. Tweeter is perfect ear hight when seated.

My old reciever

I upgraded from the pre S2 603's, and what a difference!
What can I say, These Speakers ROCK!!!
They are also at perfect ear height for listening when seated.

The B&W 604's will deliver awesome sound if feed properly.
You must have an honest 150Watts per channel before these speakers to start to hit their stride (no cheating).

If you can easily lift up your receiver or amp you need an upgrade. Most of the good stuff weighs ton. Good audio equipment always does because it has BIG BAD POWER inside. The 604’s can easily fry a system not up to the task. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that.

Bi-wire! Bi-wire! Bi-wire!

The LCR6 center channel speaker is a better match for your 604's than the CC6. If you buy one of these, while you’re at it, get 2-LCR6 speakers for your surrounds as well.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 603

My usual dealer just got these today and I believe that I was the first person to really listen to them. He and I both agree that the 604 Series 2 is a HUGE improvment over the old 604. The 604 S2 sounds better than the CDM7SE across the board and compares better with Nautilus 803. It lacks some of the control, detail, and imaging of the N803, but the character of the sound is similar... This should come as no real surprise since the whole 600 Series 2 is based on Nautilus driver technology (see B&W WWW site)! I have listened to Thiel, Magnepan, Martin Logan, Eggleston Works, Sonus Faber, and B&W. They have covered a price range from $1500 to $4500... The 604 S2 does not match some of the others in certain areas, but at $1475 it gives you almost full range sound without doing anything terribly wrong!!!
Current System:
Threshold T-200 Amplifier
Tandberg 4038 Pre-Amplifier
Proceed PCD3 CD Player
IMF Super Compact IIs on Sound Anchor Stands (next to be replaced)
Transparent Audio Interconnects
Tributaries Speaker Cable

I spent considerable time listening to these speakers at my local dealer. I was originally unimpresed with the 600 series and hoped B&W would make some improvements. Enter the S2 series. While the drivers on these speakers look impressive , they don't offer much improvement in sound. The 604's had a bloated bass and undefine highs for a speaker of its price range. I found the CDM 7SE's to sound much more open and real. Yet the CDM 7SE's lacked a deep soundstage IMO. I feel the 602S2 is a better overall performer and value than the 604S2. In the price range of the 604S2 I found NHT 2.5's to be much more musical.Perhaps I am spoiled listening to my Pinnacle Aerogels, but comparing these B&W's to them is commical at best. I had high expectations for the new B&W's but walked away unimpressed. At least they don't use passive radiators combined with ports anymore.

sound that is rich, detailed, and coherent; more forgiving of substandard electronics and sources than some others

slightly boxed in, muted sound, compared to some others

I listened extensively in three different audio shops, and picked the most promising speaker given my price range (around $1,500 give or take a couple hundred) and room limitations/quirks. I brought each finalist home for extensive listening: 1) the B&W DM604 S2; w) the Def Tech BP2004; and 3) the NHT 2.5i. I was able to do a direct A/B comparision of the B&W DM604 S2 with the Def Tech BP2004; and then later the B&W with the NHT 2.5i, in each case for about a week.

My listening (living) room is large (13x40 ft, with 12ft ceilings), speakers at one end, and quite live (hardwood floors, with area carpets, no curtains or drapes)--so your experience my vary!

I found the B&W to be much more refined than the Def Techs, with noticeably greater detail, which became especially apparent in large, noisy symphonic pieces like Shostakovich's Fourth. The soundstage was far better defined with the 604S2's although not as "lively" as the Def Techs. These last two features (better soundstage definition and less lively presentation) seem clearly related to the pluses and minuses of any bi-polar design, like the Def Tech.

In head to head comparision with the NHT 2.5i's, I found the B&W's to be slightly more musical and coherent, with a warmer, friendlier sound. On the other hand, the NHTs were noticeably more transparent--instruments and vocalists were simply more "there," less veiled than with the B&Ws.

Final conclusions: B&W's are a good choice if you haven't yet upgraded (or not sure you want to upgrade) to higher-end electronics and sources, since they are, in fact, more forgiving than the NHTs in this regard. The Def Techs are a good choice for HT, but not, IMO, refined enough for sustained music listening. The NHTs are best for soundstaging and transparency, but do require a commitment (prior or future) to good electronics and sources. The B&W's are good "all-rounders," as they say, and a decent value.

Similar Products Used:

NHT 2.5i; Definitive Technology BP2004; PSB Stratus Silver (used); Magnepan 1.6

My B&W DM604S2, B&WLCR6S2, B&W DM603S2 and two ASW2000 subwoofers really rock the house. My amplfier is a YAMAHA DSP-A1 and my DVD is a pioneer DV-717.

I you can’t dodge bullets don’t hear this system. ”The Matrix” sounds like it newer done before.

I don’t really care about stereo listening so I don’t have any comments, but for home theater i have only two words: hear it!!!

Sound reproduction is good, detailed and natural. Bass frequency response grows as it reaches break-in level.

With the price paid, I cannot expect more, alhtough I actually want to get more bass out of it.

My decision to buy these speakers was very much influenced by the need to have a well integrated 3-way speaker with fine bass reaponse, either to equip my hifi stereo equipment and for my Home Theatre setup. After use of more than six months, I should think they are the perfect price/performance speaker in B&Ws line within my price range and they do sound beautiful and entertaining. I was moving up from Infinity RS-2000.6s so, there was quite a difference!

I actually like B&W Nautilus 803, and if I can afford, I prefer to buy it instead of these speakers. But the price difference is substantial. So, what I should say is that these speakers that I bough for a price of below USD 1200 are excelently good speakers both for music and for home theatre. I use it with Audio Note CDT Zero and DAC Zero, Mc Cormack Preamplier TLC 1 and Power Amplifier DNA 1 Standard, Solar wind 0.6 m Nordost Interconnect and Nordost Coax cable, and Nordost Super flat line gold of Nordost.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity Reference Series 2000.6

Incredible sonic accuracy, superb dynamic range

Imaging not great, extremely pricey for what is being offered!

I am just making a transition into "high(er)-end" audio. I've used JBL, Bose and Polk Audio for many years. After reading tons of reviews and very briefly auditioning these at a dealer I bought these B&Ws thinking they would make a tremendous difference over the so-called mass market stuff...well the difference is there but it is very subtle. It is definately not worth the $1600 asking price as a Polk Audio home theatre system (all 6 speakers) costs $2500!

Because sound quality relies so much on the environment in which it is played most consumers are better off buying the much lower priced Polk, Bose or whatever! It is not worth chasing that extra 5% that is achievable only in a studio!

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Polk audio, Bose

Top to bottom coherence, price/value $490 each!

NONE

Great speaker which can really express all the details from a good music recording.

I use them in my beloved stereo system:

B&W DM604S2, NAD S200 (dual mono), NAD S100 (pre-amp), NAD S-500 (cd-palyer).

Speaker cable: TaraLabs Prime 1000
Analog: TaraLabs Prism 55
Spikes: VM-Acoustics Blackfoot 5

Very well-equipped speaker and great build. They can go very loud and they can and will suck all the power out of big NAD silver-line S200 if I want a live concert in my livingroom.

Found them much more attractive than the 603S2 as they can go way deeper, has much cleaner midrange and the height of the speaker makes it ready for a big soundstaging.

Cannot imagine how good they must be in a Home Cinema, this is the best speaker you get for about $490 each.

Similar Products Used:

Cerwin-Vega AL1000 MK/1, B&W DM603S2