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New member Username: BentwookieePost Number: 3 Registered: Jul-11 | I am in the market for some B&W tower speakers and I was wondering what peoples opinions were on the B&W DM603 S3 and the DM602.5 S2? What are the main differences between these towers? Does S3 make much of a difference over the S2 (ie: would DM603 S2 be much different that the DM603 S3)? And what does the .5 mean for the DM602.5? And are the following prices reasonable: DM603 S3 - $500 (these have barely been used, so pretty much brand new) DM602.5 S2 - $400 (used but in good condition) |
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Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 5570 Registered: Apr-05 | B&W is a great choice. They hold their value well, are built well, and have a fantastic sound. I must confess I'm a big fan myself and my speakers are only B&W, and will likely stay that way since I have a source that gets them for amazing prices. I think both models you're referring to are S3 at the end. The difference is the 603 has an extra bass driver for a lower frequency response. You'll see it in the pictures. The DM602.5 is basically just the floorstanding version of the bookshelf DM602 speakers (hence the .5 just means it has more cabinet area and better low frequency response as it's a tower). The prices are quite good, actually. I'd say go for the DM603. I've heard those and they're very nice. The thing that always gets me about B&W, though, is their speakers are ALWAYS smaller than I expect. This includes their bookshelf speakers, towers, even subwoofers like the PV1. But once you hear the sound, you'll agree that the small size makes it that much better. Not sure where you're located, but a local seller here has a pair of mint B&W 683's that he's selling for around $600 (he might go down on price, as well). Buut the models you listed are made in England, and many B&W speakers are now being made in China (though I contend that the Chinese made B&W's sound fantastic if not better and are still built well). |
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Gold Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 1403 Registered: Jul-07 | What are you going to drive these with ? Neither are considered an easy load. The 603's dip down to 3 ohms in the upper frequencies and down to 4 ohms at a couple of points in the low/mid frequencies. I couldn't find measurements of the 602's. Don't let the sensitivity rating fool you. If your amp or receiver is not up to the challenge you may be disappointed in the sonic outcome, and you may overheat your amplifier.....especially if you play music LOUD. I've read reviews that describe the 603's as great for Jazz and the 602's not so great for Jazz, but great for rock/pop. So, keep in mind what music you listen to, and how you want it to respresent that sound. Don't just buy a set of speakers because you've read good things about them. B&W's are typically not my cup of tea at all, although I did hear a couple of models that sounded ok to me. They just never seem to have the midrange presence that I need. But that's just me and everyones tastes are different. Obviously a lot of people like the B&W sound. If you can listen to these before you pull the trigger, do so. If not, it's a crap shoot. |
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New member Username: BentwookieePost Number: 4 Registered: Jul-11 | Hey Guys Thanks for the info. I went and gave the 603s a listen and couldn't walk away from them. They ended up being 603 S2 (http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/b-and-w/dm-603-s2 /prd_119127_1594crx.aspx). They had a few nicks and scratches on the wood, but the speakers were undamaged. I managed to get him down to $350, so I just had to take them for that price! I'll be using them mainly for music. We listen to a lot of indie folk and folk rock (stuff like Josh Ritter, Iron and Wine, The Decemberists, etc). We brought a Josh Ritter CD with us to test them out and I thought the 603s were really well balanced. The mids and highs were clear while still having some nice deep lows. I'm now looking at amps/receivers to hook them up to. I'm thinking these are my top 3: Onkyo 609 - from amazon for $399 Onkyo 809 - from amazon for $699 Rotel RSX-1550 - haven't found a set to buy yet I think all 3 of these amps should be able to drive these speakers without any issues. Of if there are other suggestions for around this price range, I'd be more than interested. |
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Gold Member Username: IlluminatorUSA Post Number: 5571 Registered: Apr-05 | Getting the right amp with B&W speakers is key. On most amplifiers, they are a bit bright and the midrange isn't so great. However, if you find the right amp, the speakers are simply thrilling! I actually cannot stand B&W speakers on Rotel amplification (in general I do not like Rotel at all, honestly). AND WOW. $350 is an incredible price!! At that price it wouldn't matter how they sounded as long as they worked haha. Congrats! Those Onkyo's would be quite good with the B&W's. See if you can listen to a rotel amplifier on your speakers before you go with Rotel. In general, most people love Rotel with B&W since they're manufactured by the same company. |
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Gold Member Username: SuperjazzyjamesPost Number: 1700 Registered: Oct-10 | Denon receivers do a nice job with B&W as well. Don't be afraid to give It a listen. |
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New member Username: Tom_loftisPost Number: 1 Registered: Sep-11 | I don't get this whole business of different recievers. I have a Denon and an onkyo. there is a difference but how do you know what reciever to use with the Cerwin Vega LS-12's that I have? Also, is there a website that explains how surround sound works? my problem is that I have a harmon/kardon/bose 301 set up and when I put it on surround of any kind, the rear bose cut off??? well, I thought it was just that system, but my other system with the Cerwin Vegas do the same thing. What could I be doing on both systems that the rear won't play. I thought I should hear sound out of all of the speakers all of the time. http://nabacar.com |
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Gold Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 2555 Registered: Oct-07 | Jexx has a point about the 'right amp' for a given speaker. B&W, at least some models, are considered 'difficult'. It is not just the impedance which may take a dip, but the phase angle of the load, as well. This is called reactance and is the measure of how much a given impedance does NOT act like a resistor. But instead a capacitor or an inductor. Different amps are able to make power into these kinds of load....or NOT? A good amp will be able to drive a difficult load and deliver much of its power. A poor amp? May have the same RMS rating, but fall apart when presented with a more difficult load. Check out the link for further information and some visuals..... http://www.audiograph.se/Downloads/PowerCube_12p_brochure_complete.pdf |