B&W DM602.5 S3 Floorstanding Speakers

B&W DM602.5 S3 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

The DM602.5 S3 is the entry-level floorstander of the range and a new model for Series 3.

Superficially incorporating the same drive units as the bookshelf DM601 S3, the bass / midrange in fact uses a larger magnet. Together with the larger cabinet volume, this gives a more extended bass response with a different free-field alignment, more suited to the floorstanding format.

As with all the systems in the range, new style terminals are fitted that allow the connection of 6mm (¼-in) spades yet still allow insertion of large gauge stripped end wire up to 6mm conductor diameter in the side hole.

Ideal for small to medium size rooms, the elegantly slim DM602.5 S3 eliminates the need for a separate stand and retains a compact footprint. Combine it with LCR60 S3 at centre in home theatre systems.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 18  
[Apr 20, 2015]
Ed
Audio Enthusiast

My dream was b&w 603, but i got cheap these speakers, i am so happy right now. First of all jazz was playing fantastic, but rock music not enough, so after that i bridged mono my power amplifiers and now my rotels rb 850's gives 150 w to each speaker!! Diference between day and nignt, tight bass, so smooth, dynamic, one word - fantastic! After that i upgraded spikes with brick of granit and rignt now they sound tarrafic. For low budget, these speakers are perfect. But don't forget to collect all hifi system correctly, because mine b&w's with rotel are good company;)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 17, 2006]
rockran
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Highs, Midrange, quality, price

Weakness:

bass - in my opinion sounds best with a powered sub

What a great speaker. I have an Onkyo SR603 receiver and I audtioned both the DM603 and the 602.5. Both speakers are quite hard to drive and with the SR603 the DM603 just didn't have the range I was looking for. At the dealer I had to use the SR803 to get better range with the 603 and since I was not getting the SR803 this was a no brainer.

Instead the 602.5 sounded rich and full. Excellent mid-range and tight and precise highs. I'm a Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits fan and they sound awesome on these speakers. Mark's throaty voice and this guitar twangs couldn't sound better. Have to admit that I use these speakers with an ASW600 sub and without the sub the base is lacking but then I haven't quite broken them in yet.

To top it all up the finish is amazing

Yes these speakers do have a longish break in time but heck I've got another 400 CDs to run through.

Customer Service

Haven't used them yet but registered on the net and I got a free pen ;)

Similar Products Used:

JBL

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 22, 2004]
extraultralowbass
AudioPhile

Strength:

only look!

Weakness:

awfull sound and not so sophisticated vent.they claim that they made the golf ball type of vent to reduce port noise but if you check closer you will see that the flared end connects to the vent very poorly.i mean the vent is 2mm or more less diameter than flared end and that's making much more noise than a port without even flared end. of course even if it was perfectly built(the vent)it would be a waste because that woofer with an xmax of less than 5mm cannot produce so much air to be able to hear the noise. another marketing hype about the golf type vent.

another marketing hype and magazine scam. i was very skeptical about these "super" speakers.i have heard again b&w in past and was very dissapointed. this thing has nothing to do with high fidelity.totally unbalanced and muddy mid highs. i don't understand how a company with such a name produes so crappy stuff. everything is marketing and advertising.

Similar Products Used:

kef koda 7 mission m73(better but not good)

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Dec 11, 2003]
Bandeeta
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

creating the soundstage, all the instruments, and all the music styles

Weakness:

for the price nothing!

Fantastic speakers. Beautiful looking, nice, high quality construction. On jazz music every instrument plays very good, piano, bass, drums, wind instruments, etc. rulz! And with all types of music hearing these speakers is a joy! But! ALL speakers with a KEVLAR membrane NEEDS AT LEAST 1 MONTH of DRIVE-IN TIME! "advdg" don't hade to bring back after only 5 days! In the beginning sounds every kevlar-speaker not good! And it is rockstable even at quite high volumes too. I just can quote "gummy": "These speakers have taken a very long time to break in and have changed dramatically in that time."

Similar Products Used:

a pair of Tannoy mX3

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Sep 30, 2003]
gummy
AudioPhile

Strength:

smoothness, vocals, accoustic strings

Weakness:

lower mid bass, loud rock music

After listening to many speakers I compromised and brought the 602.5.My wife is a musician and liked the sound of the B&W over the others. These will be used as our rear channel later on as we intend to by the 604's for the front. These speakers have taken a very long time to break in and have changed dramatically in that time. The mid range is still a bit recessed but getting better.The deep bass is a little prominent and the treble a fraction harsh but is also improving. I use the bungs to tune the bass and that helps but placement is much more important. Overall the speakers are very smooth and have a laid back sound. I can't wait til we get the 604's as these are very strong in all the areas the 602.5 are weak. Not good for loud rock music. My system is HK AVR 5500, Sony SACD,Velodyne FA1800Rii Sub

Similar Products Used:

EV, JMlab, Dynaudio, AE, Mission,MS, NHT

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Aug 15, 2003]
advdg
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great looks!!!!

Weakness:

Truobles in the "mid-section"!!! No clean and clear soud on higher volume!

Hi, I’m from Holland and at first I will apologise for my writing in English! Perhaps it’s not correct, but I think my message is quite clear. I bought these speakers together with the DM303, LCR3, the Marantz DV6200 and the Marantz SR6300. I was planning to buy the DM309, but for a few Euro’s more I could be the owner of the DM602,5. They sounded a bit cleaner and calmer then the DM309, so I thought that should be right for me, because I like to play it loud! I had to wait for a week and a half before these speakers were delivered at my home. During this period I had some old Infinity’s to fill up the surroundsystem as frontspeaker. They sounded very good, but I could not wait before my DM602.5 could replace them! They would give me the sound I dreamed and saved the money for! You can not believe how disappointed I was after plugging in the B&W’s and playing them on a descent volume! This was not the speaker I wanted! They sounded very out of balance (like they were “blown up” already) and they didn’t fill up my room! If you understand what I mean. Replacing them in my room, turning them at diverse angles and even checking them out on a lighter amp didn’t make any difference. Just like what’s written in other reviews; these speakers do not have a proper “mid”. When you play them softly with “easy music” they are doing a quite good job, but not that what you may aspect from a speaker what cost that kind of money! The give a deep bass and a good treble, but between this there’s a lot of distortion! You can here that better when you turn up the volume a bit! It gives a lot of noise but no proper sound! In Holland we say: “It sounds like it come out of a can!” On a higher volume, the bass boomed the neighbour downstairs out of his chair, and I even did not notice that! To be short, this speakers didn’t fulfil my expectations and after five days of trying I decided to bring them back! A few hours of listening (I even checked out the DM602 and DM601 and tried the DM309 again but I wasn’t impressed anymore) I was overwhelmed by the sound of the Infinity Alpha 40! The had everything the DM602,5 didn’t have. They are also very calm, they are verrrrrry good in balance and they have a good, but no bumpy bass. The sound is very good at low volume (you can hear every detail!) and they live up when you give them more power. Before I took them with me, I checked them out on the same equipment I have at home (you should always do this! I did not at the first time!) and they were more amazing! At home, they sounded great and I do not regret my decision for turning in my DM602,5! The Alpha 40 fills up my room at any volume! You give them a position in your room and they wil play!!! By the way, I kept my B&W DM303 because there great (in proportion: they sounded even better as a frontspeaker than the DM602,5! Good balance and very bright; no Infinity good enough to replace them!) and the LCR3 also does a good job in combination with the Alpha 40!!

Similar Products Used:

DM309, DM303, DM602, old Infinty Reference 8i(?)

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[May 09, 2003]
Noname
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Wide soundstage, transparent, airy, and tight.

Weakness:

Limited bass extension - needs subwoofer

So far so good. They throw a nice sound stage. They are transparent. I perfer these of the Polk Audio LS90. They are smooth and easy to listen too.

Similar Products Used:

Polk Audio LS90, Norh Marble 9.0, Divas 2.1, B&W LM1

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 10, 2003]
Archenemy
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Beautifully made speakers. Sturdy. With a very well integrated sound that will sound good with anything

Weakness:

Despite what reviews say: these are difficult speakers to drive. Don't consider any amp without a minimum 100w TRUE RMS. One of the cabinets was a little rattly, but after taking it back to the shop they dismantled it - couldn't find anything wrong - put it back together and it was fine. Probably just a loose screw

I spent a looooooong time trying to decide on these speakers - drove my girlfriend crazy. I looked at locally made (Australia) ones, bookshelves and floorstanders. I wasn't entirely happy with the dozens I'd seen until I stumbled across the 602.5's. They really spoilt every other speaker I heard after them. I listened to them side by side with the 603 and found them to be too boomy - and I'm a bass player! My initial concern once I got them home was that the sound wasn't "exciting" enough, but over the months I've had them, they really have broken in. I like rock music a lot and was really disappointed when I put on some Rage Against the Machine and it didn't "kick". This has slowly changed over time. They have a very clean but tight sound. The bass has all the extension I want. Don't use this speaker with bright amps like Denon or Onkyo, it's way too steely. I'm buying a Marantz SR7200 and the sound through it is amazing. I only wish I'd heard them alongside the 602's (and I still haven't)...... But the 602's have had enough accolades already - let's hear it for their forgotten big brother!

Similar Products Used:

70's Pioneer and Sansui 3-way's. Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 26, 2002]
Emil
AudioPhile

Strength:

Excellent midrange, nice looks, clean and detalied sound. A bargain!

Weakness:

A bit lacking in the bass department (as is to be expected). For HT a subwoofer is a must.

I bought these speakers after listening to both the 602.5 and the 603 speakers. Although the 603 sounded better, living conditions (my listening room is rather small) and price, combined with a a fantastic sound-per-buck value made me by the 602.5 instead. I use a NAD760 reciever, NAD 541i CD player, Audiopro speakers for center, surround and subwoofer (will uppgrade those to B&W as soon as I can afford it =) and an old Pioneer DV525 DVD player. The 602.5 sounds fantastic. It took a while to break them in, but generally speaking they sounded excellent from the start, and has improved efter since. Midrange is wonderful, bass is not earth shattering but still adequate and still packs quite a punch when the speakers are used with the right equipment. I found the NAD/B&W combination highly satisfying and will continue on that path in the future. (Price is in skr)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 11, 2002]
liplap
AudioPhile

Strength:

Build qulity,Just really nice sounding speakers.

Weakness:

Took a while to get the placement right,although the room you put them in has alot to do with it.And what seems to be a break in period.(the same recording definatly sounds better now than a month ago)-lesson take burn in for what it's worth

My system consist of 2 602.5's,1 lcr3,2 303's ,athena p2 subwoofer a denon 1801 rec,denon poa 2400a amp,pioneer pd 27 cd changer.I first bought the 303's and lcr3 speakers with 2 optimas 7 mimi speakers as my home theater speakers.The 303's were a revelation in terms of sound,Tight bass a large stable sound stage and truly wonderful highs.I wanted to match up the tweeters for consistent sound all around.there is no doubt the 603's are a better speaker but at twice the price of the 602.5's.for $1300 I have a surround system that I would put up against any system in the price range,The 602.5's brought a sweet migrange and wide wonderful sound stage and sweet highs without any sibilance associated with metal dome tweeters.as I said truly a revelation.I M O A,B&W makes the best "BUDGET SPEAKERS" in the world.Liste to a Paradigm or NHT system of comparable price.Knock on the enclousers and ask about the drivers(NHT comes from china)Paradigm has different drivers for different models.B&W makes all drivers and crossovers in house and uses the same tweeter and midrange as much higher models.It took 4 times to get the placement right and even though there is a lot of talk good or bad about speaker break in, these speakers seem to get better every time I listen to them.Also remember good eletronics=good sound

Similar Products Used:

altec lansing model 95,paradigm titan,nht super 2's

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 18  

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