uncolored midrange, balanced range, size, tight,a ccurate bass (as far as it goes)

low bass, high freq detail,forward (an advantage if you prefer it)

i had an opportunity to audition these speakers against a couple of competitors over a weekend. after hearing the smaller 2 way version in this line side by side with the paradigm monitor 7 (which i own), i was eager to hear the 2.5 way design- dm603s3. in comparison with the paradigm, the 2 way seemed superior in terms of definition, clarity, lack of emphasis, etc. however, the 2 way did not go low enough for quasi-full range music. so, the 2.5 way dm603s3 was recommended (but not yet in stock). when available, i auditioned them against the magnaplanars @ roughly the same price point and the polk rt800i @roughly half the price of the b&w. i chose the polk because of the (clearance)price, range and comparable size . in short, if your priority is on music, particularly non-rock, the performance of the magnaplanars is astonishing in the level of detail and musicality. they require substantial current and dominate the landscape visually. unless you are a rocker or want to emphasize action films on home theater, i can not imagine choosing the b&w over the magnaplanars. ( i used them to watch apocalypse now redux. the planars made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end - not for the bombast but for the detailed, hoographic presentation. also, i failed to mention the extremely forward nature of the b&w. seemed almost 1 dimensional in terms of depth compared to either polk 800s or mag. if you want an excellent (but not state of the art) dynamic speaker with good bass(not full)frequency extension, consider the polks and save $500 over the b&w! also, they exhibit much better depth, though the bass is not as low or as tight as the b&w. if you plan to use a sub, this is probably irrelevant. translation: great value! but the sound of the magnaplanars is bewitching. expect to have the reaction: yes, that''s it! i was disappointed in the b&w, but have since heard briefly the bw cm4 @$1500. for an extra $400-500, you get much greater detail than with the dm603s3. if you like the forward sound and want much greater detail for $1500/pr., these could be for you.

Similar Products Used:

polk rt800i, magnaplanar mg12, paradigm monitor 7, bw cm4

Very strong, fast transients. Lifelike dynamics. Not bright whatsoever, if a little dark right out of the box. Will soon open up though after requisite break in period.

none

I just purchased these speakers to replace my JBL Studio Series towers, and I can honestly say that dollar for dollar, B&W makes the best speakers in the world. These speakers are incredibly fast and lifelike. I have been running music all day to break them in faster, and each day the sound improves a bit more. At night, we have been cranking the movie sound, and it is sweet. Paired with the LCR600 center, 601 surrounds and the ASW600 Sub, movies are spectacular! No more ear-bleeding at reference listening levels like my old Denon/JBL combo. If loud listening is your thing, pick up any of the new 600 series--you wont be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

JBL Studio Series

Midrange, tight bass, and sweet sounding treble.

you need to position them carefully, and make sure that yu have a half decent amp and cd player to get the best out of em.

Hi.. Ok firstly i am running these speaks from a Marantz PM6010 OSE KI Signiture amp. and my CD Player Is a Marantz CD6000OSE KI Signiture.. I tried so many speakers with my marantz set up.. and for the budget i had these are by far the best sounding speakers.. They do need a while to run in.. Give them about a month of average volume, and they will sound crisp on the treble without being harsh, and the bass will blow you away.. but in my opinion the best thing about these speakers is the midrange.. The midrage has plenty of focus and does not distort at ear bashing volumes.. As i listen to r+b and speed garage.. the midrange and bass is real quick to repond to pitch changes and dont fart when playing a particularly bass-y tune.. SO In My Opinion BUY THESE SPEAKERS YOU WONT REGRET PROMISE!!

the lot

not much

i r got dese speakers a few weeeks ago n dey r pretty cool, nice bass, mids n treble, so i is happy :)

Similar Products Used:

loads

This new review is just a complement to the one I already sent a few days ago (see below). Here, I just want to answer to the following question: "I am hesitating between all the new DM600s3 speakers and I do not know which ones I should choose?" For having listened quite a lot to all of them before buying the 603, here are some tips I have that may help you in your choice: Probably the best buy of all the s3 line is the DM602s3. The quality of these speakers is amazingly good knowing they are so cheap. Do not hesitate to pay a little bit more to get the 602 rather than the 601. Although they both have the same personnality, the bass response of the 602 is much better than the one of the 601 and make the sound much deeper. It is really worth the small extra cost. Now if we compare the 602 bookshelf to the 602.5 Floorstanding speakers, once again, the 602 win without hesitation: better clarity, better bass response again... and they cost less this time! Really; if you wish to buy floorstandings speakers, do not hesitate to jump to the 603 or 604 models. Here, the choice should depend on how you wish to use your speakers. At low and normal level listening, the 603 appeared better to me than the 604. The 603 dynamic and balance between bass, medium and treble was indeed better; the medium appeared much clearer (it seems too much backward with the 604). Last but not least, the 604 would clearly produce too much bass in a usual medium-large size room. The 603 bass is already very good and much enough. Now if you have a very big room and do not have to worry about your neighboors(and if you wish to become quickly deaf!), go for the 604. When played loudy above usual levels, they indeed appear quite better than the 603. While the 603 tend to saturate at high levels; the 604 come alive and impress by their clarity strenght and dynamism. In Conclusion, I beleive that the best buys in the new 600s3 line are the DM602 and DM603. They are the most homogenous speakers and offer the best for the money. If you are short in money or do not mind puting your speakers on these so unelegant speaker stands, you may go for the 602. If you do not want to bother with speaker stands or shelves, and like nice looking speakers, you may go for the 603. Both these speakers should offer you optimal litening enjoyment in 95% of usual listening conditions.

Excelent dispersion. Good base extension for small rooms Clean transition from highs to lows Good build quality

Bass may be a little much for a small room Shows flaws in source material

I bought these speakers a few weeks ago and after adjusting placement I am very impresed. For those not interested in my journey to these speakers skip the next paragraph. I started out looking for a reciever and speakers for a home theater for my 36" VEGA. I decied to look at the DM 303s after reading all the good reviews here and at other sites. I went to my local audio store where I had them set up the 303 and DM 601 and 602. The 303''s that I heard were a little bright, which impresed my novice ears, but quickly became fatiguing. The 303 were also more easily located when my eyes were shut. The 601 in comparison where much smoother and extended a little lower, the 602 had the same highs and mids with slightly better . They 600''s definatly filled the room better. I next compared the the DM 303 and 601 with the ASW 500 subwoofer to th 603. The 603 realy filled the room with a smooth transition from highs to lows. Though the salesman and myself attemted to adjust the sub to smoothly match the smaller speakers, it was never quite the same as having a more full range comeing from the same source. I also figured with the 603 I could postpone the purchase of a sub, especialy in my small apartment. So between the price of sub and speaker stands I could easily afford the 603. The 602 would be a waste if set to small on my reciever, while not realy being able to handel a full range. I then went around looking to compare DM 603 with other speakers at that price range. First came paradigm which I had read so many good reviews and a very impresive web site. The studio 40 on first glance did not impress me with thier build construction like the B&W did. Nore did they fill the room as nicly as the 603. Also the center and rears for the Studio series were much more expensive. NHT at that price sounded much flatter and poor dispersion compared to B&W At home the DM603 started off boomy, this was eleviated by placing spikes on feet, and inserting the supplied bungs in rear. The sound was astonishing to me clear music that filled the room from high to low. Certainly more than enough base for a small to medium sized room. Imaging was excelent. And Speakers were forgiving of unequal distance to listner mandated by the room, once balanced with a sound meter. Only drawback is that my speakers are far superior to many of my CD''s.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm,NHT

Excellent detail, Great bass , Top quality construction. Very good Price.

None

I''ve owned these speakers for about a month and let them break in before writing this review. First opinion was that they looked great. A look that whould fit in any room. Very solid construction with solid binding posts. The 603''s just sounded great right out of the box and kept improving the more I played them. Very tight bass and crystl clear. I listen to a wide range of music from Nirvana,Pearl Jam,Metallica to Frank Sinatra, Sarha Brightman, And Jazz and Clasical. All which sounds great. I''ve matched these up with Integra 7.1 receiver Parasound 1500A Amp Audioquest cables Matching center 601''s for the rear and the movie''s come alive. This B&W package realy comes together. It really puts you in the middle of the action. I would highly recommend these speakers for anyone looking for a highend speaker system at a very affordable price.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm monitor series Klipsh (blah!) Paradigm Studio series Energy wharfedale

Definition, tonal neutrality, very fast mid bass, decent bass extension.

Long break in period, at least 4 weeks when listening on average 60 minutes a day at low or medium sound level. Very sensitive to placement (will depend largely on room acoustics, results may differ). You want more; better CD player, better amplifier, better cables....(I guess thats my weakness...)

When I saw these loudspeakers, I had to audition them at the local store, then I had to audition them at home, then I had to buy them... I could hear detailes in the music I had never noticed before. Bass drums had real kicks, reverberation in cymbals could be heared. Intrigate cabinet and string resonances in acoustic guitares could be noticed. The downside is that these loudspeakers show weaknesses in source material very easily. I use these loudspeakers with a Marantz SR7000 A/V receiver, Z1 Monster Cables and a Denon DCD-970 CD-player. On top of that for home-cinema a Sony DVD player and one KEF centre speaker and two surround speakers (three cheap ones). The centre will be replaced in the future for a appropriate one (B&W LCR600 S3). I am pretty sure that these loudspeakers have more potential with better equipment then those mention above. This only adds to the value. When upgrading I do not have to replace the loudspeakers right away.

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Non

Transparency, neutrality, tonal realism, fantastic detailed and relalistic tweeter, well-controled bass, soundstage, built quality.

Sound quality very sensitive to CD and Amp quality. A bit slow: needs a muscular Amp to give sharpness to a spike sound.

I have been listening to many speakers from the B&W brand: new DM600s3 speakers serie, CM, CDM series and small Nautilus 805 bookshelf. I then realised that the new 603s3 model was the best value for the money. They have the same typical sound signature (neutral, smooth, sweet and with accurate tonality) than much more expensive B&W products. They are powerfull enough to fill a big room with rich sound, they are compact enough to fit into any kind of room and their built quality is a reference. The DM603 may be more directive with a narrower soundstage than the so expensive Nautilus 805 model. But the bass response is richer and well controled. With the 603, you do not pay for the classy (and expensive) real wood finish and modern-art design of the CM serie. Although the soundstage is wider with the CM or Nautilus, the differences are meaningfull only when we get quite far on each side of the optimal ''central'' listening position. In any case, I did not feel that the small improvement in sonic quality was worth the extra cost. So I bought the new DM603s3 although my budget was quite flexible; it was a great product! Back at home, I could realize how neutral these speakers are. They are very transparent and tell you a lot about the quality of your CD and amp system... I started listening with a good Luxman a311 amp and then replaced it by a Kora explorer 90si tube-transistor hybrid amp which completely metamorphosed the sound! The latter went from rather dry, non-exorpssive, medium lacking and flat soundstage to... a concert room in my home! (rich sweet and realistic tones, spectacular 3-D soundstage, great balance between bass, medium and highs). So I am extremely happy with these speakers: so much quality for so little money. But keep in mind they are transparent speakers that will just sound as good as the electronic that is driving them.

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JM-Lab, Triangle, JBL...

Extremely good highs and lows, when cranked up. Clear tone.

Midrange not so hot, needs to be pushed by the amp to come to life.

I would not claim to be an audiophile, and have not had these speakers for very long, but I think a few points are quite clear. First, these speakers need to be cranked up to reach decent performance - at low levels they can sound quite lifeless. Once you up the volume you get great bass and treble - the drums sound very realistic, and the bass clear and rich, not at all boomy. But the midrange detail is not so good, especially when compared with a product like the KEF Q5''s which I also auditioned. I used: Arcam a85 Amplifier Marantz CD6000ose KI Signature B&W DM603 S3 Speakers Cambridge Audio Pacific interconnects Aerospace Technology AST200X2

Similar Products Used:

Kef Q5