B&W new 600 series (replacing S3)

[mike c]

http://www.kundas.net/600s4.pdf

if the link dies, I can email it to someone who can host it somewhere.

 

[mike c]

pics from the pdf

 

[mike c]

bookshelf pics

 

[mike c]

the two bookshelves seem to have replaced the 600 s3 and 601 s3

no replacement for the 602 s3. bad news for me.

 

[annunaki]

Finally

I was wondering when they where finally going to redo this series. It looks as though the hav emade aome big advances. I especially like to see the FST midranges in this series.

 

[emorphien]

The 600 series has been long overdue for an overhaul. Looks like they really went through and redid a lot. I'll be curious to hear them, even though I'm not a big B&W fan.

 

[robot]

I don't know what you guys mean... the only sightly major design change is using a kevlar midbass driver where there used to be an aluminum bass driver on the 603. I'm curious to hear what that sounds like...

Also, I suppose we can't really make any definite predictions from these pictures, but it looks like they're now using the midbass driver from the 704 and 705 in the 600 series. Not much of an improvement in my opinion, I think it sounds a little too "hard" and flat.

I would also like to hear the updated 604... as annunaki pointed out the FST driver looks interesting.

I think the new bit of aluminum surrounding the tweeter looks strange.

Far from a "redo" or an "overhaul", they are almost the same. I thought the 600 series was very modern and awesome as it was. The 602 sounds amazing for its size, the 603 is beautiful and is the best sounding speaker I've ever heard in that price range.

 

[emorphien]

Well it has the new tweeters and midbass drivers I thought, that can constitute a fair bit of change. Have to see though, popular as they are I've never been impressed.

 

[annunaki]

There were more significant changes if you actually read through the article. A fixed phase plug comes (though an unfixed phase plug is really a glorified dust cap) to mind as does different damping and mass solutions for the tweeter as well as the FST midrange, all can have a significant effect on sound. It also appears that they are addressing the linearity of the drivers (tweeter and woofer) by using copper in conjunction with the pole pieces.

I would not make any generalizations on the sound until I hear them though. If they sound anything like the CM series they should be quite nice. I listened to the DM601 S3 and the CM1 bookshelf in an a/b test and was quite impressed by the CM. Though one should be for twice the price.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

The 602 S3s are among the very few bookshelf speakers in their price range that don't require a sub. The CM1s sound great, but have almost no bass. If the 685s combine the best of both of these, they will be great.

 

[mike c]