... Borrowing my brother's old amp and a portable cd player I had my first 'seperates' system. It wasn't exactly mind blowing and in fact sounded worse than my old hifi.
Roll forward a few years and i've left home and got my own place. Now I can at least position my setup properly in a decent ... Read review
Advantages: Amazing sound, great build quality. Disadvantages: Needs careful positioning to stop the bass becoming 'boomy'.
# Intro #
I've been an avid reader of What Hi-Fi magazine for a number of years. Happy with my first hifi, an all in one Sony unit that i bought when i was 12, i didn't think music could sound any better.
Of course as my musical taste evolved from dodgy pop to music that had a bit more to offer I found my hifi lacking.
I eventually ditched the system but kept the speakers as I could re-use them. Borrowing ... ...had my first 'seperates' system. It wasn't exactly mind blowing and in fact sounded worse than my old hifi.
Roll forward a few years and i've left home and got my own place. Now I can at least position my setup properly in a decent sized room. But still there was a lot lacking so I eventually bought a new amp and cd player deciding the speakers were ok for now. Move forward a few more years and i've not got a new place with a larger ... more
# Intro #
I've been an avid reader of What Hi-Fi magazine for a number of years. Happy with my first hifi, an all in one Sony unit that i bought when i was 12, i didn't think music could sound any better.
Of course as my musical taste evolved from dodgy pop to music that had a bit more to offer I found my hifi lacking.
I eventually ditched the system but kept the speakers as I could re-use them. Borrowing my brother's old amp and a portable cd player I had my first 'seperates' system. It wasn't exactly mind blowing and in fact sounded worse than my old hifi.
Roll forward a few years and i've left home and got my own place. Now I can at least position my setup properly in a decent sized room. But still there was a lot lacking so I eventually bought a new amp and cd player deciding the speakers were ok for now. Move forward a few more years and i've not got a new place with a larger room. It's then I realise my old Sony speakers just aren't up to the job any more.
Still with me?
Anyway it's at this point I decided to get some decent speakers to match my amp and cd player. After reading many good reviews of both B&W and Kef I decided to audtion some. I looked into the Kef Q1s and the B&W 602 S3.
After much listening I decided the B&W's suited the music I listened to better.
# About #
The 602 is the largest of the 3 standmounts in the 600 range.
Coming in at 21kg for both speakers in one large box these probably aren't the best speakers to try and take home by foot as I found out. I was so worn out by the time I got home I had to recover for a few hours before being able to set them up.
Build quality is excellent. They feel solid and robust and I'm glad I chose some decent stands to put them on.
They're finished to a very high standard and available in Black Ash, Sorrento (Light) or (Dark). I plumped for the Sorrento Dark.
# Sound #
Like with a lot of speakers these needed time to burn in in order to sound at their best. However even out of the box I was in awe of their musicality. So much so that it led me to raiding my cd collection to see if i could hear all the extra details that these speakers bring out.
They use the same Kevlar cone on the bass/midrange driver as found in B&Ws more expensive speakers. This means the bass is tight and controlled even at loud levels. In fact they really sing if you give them some volume.
They have great stereo imaging and the soundscape is open and clear.
They also benefit from bi wiring and can take both banana plugs and bare wire.
I tried out a good different style of music while testing including rock, hip hop, dance and jazz and they work with everything.
They do need a decent amp and cd player to sound at their best however. I've already upgraded my amp and cd and the difference is very noticeable.
They're probably not suitable for small rooms as the bass these guys kick out can become boomy if you're not careful. B&W supply some foam bungs to help combat this..Their smaller cousins the 600 or 601 may be a better bet.
# Price #
I paid £299 from a local branch of SuperFi. They have a good resell value on places like Ebay.
Advantages: Fantastic sound, placement of voices and instruments Disadvantages: Hard to place, hard to get bass right
...hiss in the background, Dolby B (it would take the hiss away but also the highs), and ferro cassettes. Lately I had used a Sony mini stereo system which my ex took upon our divorce. It was OK, but not spectacular and the surround suffered from hiss in the rear speakers. Being faced with having to buy a new stereo I listed the choices. Firstly I could buy a middle of the road all-in-one stereo from a mainstreet store. Having seen them, I thought they ... ...lights but without evidence of intelligent design. I was sure it would annoy me in less than two weeks. Second choice was a more 'grown up' stereo, all in one, sleek looking, shiney metal and glass. It was tempting, I admit, but the sound was like my head was stuck in a cardboard box (try to listen to a stereo in a busy Curry's on a Saturday!). Final choice was to behave like a real grown-up and go for separates. Despite the price difference, this ...
FrankNL 25.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of B & W DM 602/S3
Advantages: Sound is perfect, looks are amazing Disadvantages: Slightly heavy
These are AMAZING speakers! They have lasted for nearly 10 years and are still going strong, despite surviving through severla house moves and far too many parties!
The sound quality is incredible, and I still haven't ever managed to put them up to the full volume as they're just so powerful!
The build quality is fantastic, and for the price they offer amazing value for money.
If I was to try and pick a fault with them, I would say that they are ... ...happened to me yet thank goodness, but it's only a matter of time!) once you place them on top of the obligatory speaker stands - a slight push and they start to fall! You can't do without the stands though, because from the floor or table you lose that amazing clarity of sound. ...
atki5 02.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of B & W DM 602/S3
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