Here’s one thing that made me really feel previous: The groundbreaking Toy Story debuted in 1995, and there have been three sequels since. That 12 months additionally noticed the debut of one other standard collection: the Bowers & Wilkins 600s. The loudspeakers are actually of their seventh iteration — the 600 S2 Anniversary Series reviewed right here — and very like Pixar, B&W retains the successful system going.
LikeExcellent end and constructed qualityHigh-end transparency and dynamicsEasy to drive with a midrange receiver
Don’t LikeCan expose harsher sonic components in some materialsMore costly than comparable audio system from Q Acoustics and Elac
The Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition appears to be like loads just like the speaker it replaces, however lots of the adjustments are on the within. The outcomes are an actual sonic improve that brings to thoughts the dearer 700 collection: These audio system carry transparency and slam in equal elements.If you discover that your films and music lack vibrancy and affect, and also you wish to put money into one thing higher-end than the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 or Q Acoustics 3030i, these peppy B&W audio system look good and sound nice. If, however, you already personal a pair of 600 audio system — and particularly ones with Continuum cones — then there’s most likely no tearing hurry to improve. The variations between the 606 and the older 685 had been audible, however a brand new receiver might make a greater funding, for instance.
The Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is out there now for $900 (£599, AU$1,299).What’s within the field
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Just a few years in the past, B&W launched a alternative for its iconic, yellow Kevlar driver, a proprietary materials it calls Continuum. It took a while for the drivers to make it to the 600 collection, however now that it is in its second iteration, it is what you might name a tried-and-tested know-how. Like the unique 606, the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition makes use of a 6.5-inch Continuum Cone mid-bass driver. The speaker field can be ported in the identical means on the rear, which leaves the fascia trying clear. The entrance is topped with a decoupled double-dome aluminum tweeter, which comes with a mesh guard and a commemorative stamp. The 606 S2 additionally contains an upgraded crossover inherited from the current 700 Series Signature line that, in my testing, did make a distinction.
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The audio system are generously sized for a stand-mounter at a top of 13.5 inches, a depth of 11.8 inches (or 12.8 inches together with grille and terminals) and 7.5 inches in width. They are available in a alternative of matte-black (the one I acquired), matte-white or white and oak. While I had some misgivings in regards to the end on the final speaker — the white entrance plate did not match the field’s shade — I had no such points with the pattern I reviewed. The audio system include magnetically hooked up grilles.The specification sheet lists a comparatively excessive 88-decibel sensitivity, that means they will go fairly loud with most midpriced receivers or amplifiers. In phrases of frequency response they will attain right down to about 40Hz (-6dB) in a fairly sized room and as much as a claimed 33kHz.While you may place them on a credenza or shelf, I’d advocate shopping for devoted stands — I used them with the STAV 224 ($200), but when that is slightly spendy then the Monolith by Monoprice 28-inch speaker stand appears to be like respectable for $120 a pair. How do they sound?
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As the “Official Speakers of Abbey Road Studios,” Bowers & Wilkins has a popularity to uphold for making merchandise that sound extremely revealing and involving. The 606 S2 lives as much as the billing by bringing the hi-fi ideally suited to life, whereas additionally making music you may dance to. I’ve owned B&Ws myself and through the years I discovered that, like earlier variations, the 606 S2 likes to play loud however it was additionally capable of play at quieter volumes with out sounding too ahead. At occasions, the brand new 606 delivered to thoughts the 707 S2 with its capacity to let the listener peer right into a recording.While I did not have a set of the unique 606 audio system readily available, I did have a pair of the older 685s alongside the brand new Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB5.2. I powered the setup with the Marantz SR6015 and our reference Oppo UDP-205 disc participant.In common I discovered that the extent of stereo imaging and focus had been comparable between each the Elac and the 606 S2, however the B&W pulled away in its capacity to sound good with a better vary of music than the Elac UniFi. Of course, just like the 606, the newer model will expose issues with some “poorly” blended music.I began with a stay recording of Ryan Adams enjoying Oh My Sweet Carolina — a tune I keep in mind listening to on the 706 — and the advantages of the 606 got here instantly to the fore. Compared to the laid-back 685, the 606 S2 provided a greater digital picture of Adams on stage, capturing his voice because it bounced off the partitions of the big room. The phrase that got here to thoughts was “crystalline,” and the speaker confirmed a bit extra dynamic heft as soon as the guitar got here in. The harmonica was proper there, and I might hear extra of the singer’s breath passing by means of the reed.Meanwhile, the Elac Uni-Fi was probably the most cavernous sounding of the three audio system and was capable of make the gang appear monumental as they cheered the singer’s entrance. Similarly the guitar’s echo was straightforward to discern, as was the clicking of the participant’s fingers on strings. While the 606 highlighted the metallic nature of the guitar and harmonica, the Elac pulled again slightly and wasn’t as steely. The Elac was capable of seize his tenor voice however it did not provide as a lot bass as the 2 B&Ws, and likewise sounded the least dynamic.
I then turned to one thing much more abrasive: the bass synth stomp of Future of the Left’s You Need Satan More Than He Needs You. The 606 S2b provided a better sense of energy than the 685, with the pounding drums sounding extra current and alive whereas additionally accentuating the metallic fringe of the distorted bass guitar. This is a monitor that must be heard loud, and in contrast to different songs I listened to, the 606 did not open up fairly as a lot because the 685 did at quantity. Most stunning of all was the Elac: Instead of sounding bloated, it activated the room’s pure bass response and have become probably the most entertaining of the trio with this monitor. The track’s chanted backing vocals additionally appeared bigger on the Elacs. It wasn’t all excellent news for the Elac although, and it began to unravel with complicated music. The stay model of The Cure’s A Night Like This compressed considerably and have become midrange-heavy, whereas the B&W 606 S2 sounded extra balanced. The B&W saved the bass guitar current, even when the quantity was turned up.I spent lots of time watching TV and films with the B&W’s and located the vocal articulation to be crisp, particularly when in comparison with the 685s. This speaker makes an awesome addition to a house theater setup and I used it at the side of Klipsch and SVS audio system. I discovered the 606 S2 was extra thrilling than the Elac when watching the Thanator chase scene from Avatar — the beginning of the sequence begins with mumbled dialogue and buzzing bugs, and the brand new speaker elevated these sounds, making them extra current. It additionally provided a weightier sound on male voices and the thump of the shell vegetation as they retreat from Jake’s contact. The Elac was equally thrilling on this scene, however it was a contact extra measured and relaxed; the falling bullet casings and clinking of weapons weren’t as metallic-sounding.Should you purchase them?Like Toy Story, the know-how behind the Bowers & Wilkins 600 collection solely will get higher with age. If you wish to hear each final element in your music then upgrading to the 606 will carry a few of the advantages of hi-fi with out an exorbitant price ticket. The speaker’s not all about transparency although — there’s nonetheless an honest bass basis for extra forceful kinds of music.While I personally favor the older, gentler 685, the 606 S2 gives a style of the high-end in a means that the previous speaker does not, and it does it for beneath a grand. If you’ve got had your eyes on the 700 collection however haven’t got the money, the brand new 600s are nearer to them in sound high quality than they ever have been. Bad downside for Bowers & Wilkins, good downside for the remainder of us.