The Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series, one of the most popular lines of speakers in hi-fi history, has had a renovation. Drawing on tech first seen on the flagship B&W 800 Series Diamond range, such as the excellent Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, the new 600 Series promises high-end sound at competitive prices – as the series has always done.
The key thing is that these are the most affordable speakers to use B&W’s new Continuum Cone midrange driver. It’s a woven composite with an aluminised structure. Compared to the Kevlar cone that B&W has traditionally used, Continuum promises less unwanted noise, making for a cleaner and more insightful sound.
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The new B&W 600 series also has an updated version of the tried-and-tested Decoupled Double Dome Tweeter. This maintains a dual-layer aluminium diaphragm, but has been upgraded with the neodymium magnet from the 700 Series. The dome has been slightly repositioned to improve time alignment. The grille mesh is now made of steel, and has a more open structure.
The 603, the floorstander model, also benefits from a new bass cone made of paper. This design is a hybrid: the old CM series cone mixed with the anti-resonance plug on the new 7000 Series.
Aesthetically, the old white finish is carried over to the new 600 Series, but the old black ash vinyl wrap has been replaced with something lightly textured and more modern. It’s also a cleaner look, with magnets used to hold speaker grilles in place instead of pegs.
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Below are the model specifics.
B&W 603
- Floorstander
- 3-way vented-box
- 2 x 165mm Paper-cone bass
- 1 x 150mm Continuum FST midrange
- 1 x 25mm Decoupled Double Dome tweeter
- Matte black and matte white finishes
- Replaces 683 S2
- Price: £1249/$1799/€1599 per pair
- Standmounted/bookshelf speaker
- 2-way vented-box
- 1 x 165mm Continuum bass/midrange
- 1 x 25mm Decoupled Double Dome tweeter
- Matte black and matte white finishes
- Replaces B&W 685 S2
- Price: £549/$799/€699 per pair
B&W 607
- Standmounted/bookshelf speaker
- 2-way vented box
- 1 x 130mm Continuum bass/midrange
- 1 x 25mm Decoupled Double Dome tweeter
- Matte black and matte white finishes
- Replaces 686 S2
- Price: £399/$599/€529 per pair
B&W HTM6
- Centre speaker
- 2-way vented-box
- 2 x 130mm Continuum bass/midrange
- 1 x 25mm Decoupled Double Dome tweeter
- Matte black and matte white finishes
- Replaces HTM62 S2 and HTM61 S2
- £399/$599/€529 each
The new B&W 600 Series will be in shops from September 2018.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
