Wonderful detailed yet relaxed and musical sound

None

I am in the process of upgrading my stereo system, and decided to start with the speakers. My wonderful old Snells finally gave up the ghost after 17 years of solid service. After listening to many speakers over the course of several months, I had an extended listening session which was convincing in that I heard music simply being music, with no strain. The only caution that I might make is that it seems placement, at least for my fairly large open high ceiling non-symetrical listening area, has very definite impact - but the resulting sound variation would be one of taste rather then anything else. Also, placing them on low (1/2 meter) stands works well in the high ceilinged room, and gives the impression of the musicians being on a slightly elevated stage while the listener is seated.

Bass notes are easily distinguishable and melodious, attack is crisp, vocals are alive. Super speakers.

I just bought these speakers (used) a few days ago. Since I put my system in a small room, my Kef 104/2's became overkill. I had to buy a smaller speaker. Though the P6 are not small in size, they do not posess the capability to fill up a large room with sound like my Kefs can. On the positive side, they are great for small to average sized rooms, where they posess a tremendous balance of clear detail, nice mids and strong, tight bass.
They can play loud very well but when you really turn up the volume, they lose their great balance, become excessive in the highs and fatiguing to listen to.
If you play them at a level where your neighbours won't complain, you will be rewarded with fantastic sound.

Their looks are fantastic (mine are the cherry finish), their build quality is second to none and they serve my purpose perfectly. I am using a Rotel RCD990 cd player, Cyrus 3/PSX-R amp and Monster M1 speaker cables.

Purchased them 2 years ago. Music
Pros: Excellent detail and good imaging. However, best listened to at lower sound levels. Picked the P6 over the B&W804 matix, also under considered. The P6's quickness, base extension and price differential( $2,200 vs. $1,800)made the decision easy. Cons: Listening at higher volume levels for extended periods of time can become fatiguing.
Home Theater
Blend well (timber) and provide good base without using a powered sub.

I agree with your assessment of the B&W P series speakers. I've owned a pair of P4's since mid-1996 and am still amazed with the sound. I looked at others in their class but nothing compared with the P4's (except more expensive B&W's). Listen and you'll see!

Tight deep bass. Brilliant rich mids. Smooth.

Very very short on highs. Muffled.

A potentially excellent speaker. But for the lack of highs, good sound. I cannot play my amp on source direct because 99 percent of my recordings need the tone controls for treble. and when i do that, i get a metallic sound to the highs, so...i wish there was some way of "opening up" the sound. In India, there is no one to do these things.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 603 S2, 604 S2...

Well built, excellent staging. big speaker sound with a small footprint.

Sound dilutes at high volumes. Very tall speaker, must be careful not to bump over.

What can you say, a real sleeper for B&W, sound great, look great and have a great price. Discontinued them, What a waste. Find a pair and buy them you won't be disapointed. You will hear fullness in your music you never heard before. I'm a sceptic, Saw the speakers and the price and said what else do you have. Listened to the top performers and for the money and the sound difference. I bought the P6.

Equipment: Cables-Cardas Hex
Amp----Audio Research V-70 Balanced
Pre----Audio Research LS 2B MKII Balanced
CD-----CAl Labs tube

P.S. This review is with all Valve equipment, not sure on what they will sound like with other.

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energy and martin logan comps.

Bought mine about 2 years ago. Great speakers. Nice details. Good resolution. Major on vocals.
Sound is a little dry with solid state but if matched with tubes no other speakers in this price range will outperform them.

Eqm.
CAL-15
Jolida - 501A
Straight Wire cables

Mines are modified so they sound different then the standard ones. Mines are far more open and the bass is more tighter.

I think nothing is weak about these speakers.

Very good speakers best i have had. :)

Beautiful looks, incredible imaging, amazing vocals presence and separation, clarity, monitor-like neutrality, timeless design styling and build quality. Haven't heard anything near this price that sounds as good as these, or has the "grille's-off" elegant contrast of quality materials and real wood beauty of these babies!

A poor man's Nautilus 804

As an industrial designer, I can appreciate well conceived integration of materials, function, and beauty...and these speakers are that in a nutshell.
I have the natural cherry finish, and they are used as the fronts in my home theater system... and they hold their own against any fine furniture in the house. Beveled sides and separate elegant egg-shaped tweeter give it a classic B & W look. Their narrow, but tall (41"h) profile blend perfectly into the room. Very high wife approval rating.

Gorgeous clean midrange that is fast and free of clutter no matter how involved the music or movie sountrack is. Instrument renditions are true and precise; making noticing their individual timbres and subtleties continually enjoyable. Feed them clean power and they sing!

They may not have Matrix caliber internal bracing, but the P6 is essentially two vertically mounted cabinets sharing one box...with upper section Kevlar midrange driver having its own vented port, as well as the Cobex bass driver having one below. This configuration coupled with the sweet looking top mounted tweeter gives these speakers a wonderful spread out room-filling warm quality that I love.

They are intoxicating if you like classical music, power symphonies, and soundtracks. Rock and jazz sound great with these speakers. Female vocals are absolutely fantastic. Horn and string sections come alive, percussion is fast and tight with very convincing bass( down to 42 hz ). If you like your music to have a high or low "signature"...with thundering slow annoying bass to fortify your manhood or you require tinny ear-piercing highs then these are NOT the speaker for you.

Conclusion: I think these are truly magnificent "sleeper" B & W speakers for the money... that even after 5 years continually amaze me with their performance!

Current System Profile:
Marantz SR-96 THX AV receiver
(soon to upgrade to Rotel RMB-1095 200w x5 amp)
Marantz DP-870 Dolby Digital Processor
B & W Nautilus HTM 2 center
M & K SS-150 tripole surrounds
Sunfire True Subwoofer
MIT terminator 4 bi-wire interfaces

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Listened to several brands before purchase

Strong, very tight bass, excellent on mids especially for saxophone and vocals and clear highs. Looks good even in black. Remarkable detail & imaging for the price. Gorgeous terminals that can handle any cable. I listen to it fairly loud and find it performs better there than at low volumes. Warm sound. Ideal for jazz. I would have a lot of money to really upgrade and see no need to. In short, excellent value for money and satisfaction guaranteed.

Tweeter on top is as strong as possible but needs to be handled with care...looks kinda strange too. The highs, while clear are certainly not silky soft but the right cables can work wonders with this speaker. The sound is very warm and is slightly hollow at higher volumes. I personally feel it needs a neutral amp with 100-150W, my 60 watter is not really driving it. This speaker seems designed for jazz...it is certainly not a rock party animal. Again maybe with a 100 watter it could be...and it certainly needs to be bi-wired and well cabled.

Amp: Marantz PM-17
CD player: Marantz CD-19 (HDAM)
Interconnect: Straightwire Encore II
Speaker Cable: Nordost Super Flatline Mk II

Hard to tell what this speaker could do with say a Krell KAV 300i or even the Marantz PM-14 (100W). But assuming it's "under-driven" right now with a too warm amp, it is still one fabulous speaker. My sound could best be desribed as warm and smooth with a tight bass and reasonable highs. The cables were added recently and the difference is to be heard to be believed. The highs are no longer a problem and have improved in quality...much smoother now. The bass however, is where the P 6 really scores. Tight and deep, yet rendering excellent detail. The double bass notes can be "heard" clearly. The mids are smooth and this does wonders for vocals and horns, in particular the saxophone. If the piano is the ultimate test then this speaker passes with flying colours. In it's price range, i have never heard anything like it. It's also one of the most "under-rated" speakers ever. TDWR (talent deserving wider recognition) Very expensive to go up from here. B&W should come out with a P series 2 rather than attempt to substitute this with the CDM7SE.

Apu Sista

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Listened to the the 603S2 and the 604 S1. This one is far better for music.