good bass for this size monitors. the 602 s2 series
improvement with the newer tweeter seems to actually
is awesome !!

this is a great upgrade set of speakers for the budget
audiophile. i primarily use this to listed to lps on my
rega which seems to be a good match for it. the gold plated
connectors in the back are great. the upgrade to series 2
is evident of the great sound.

Similar Products Used:

kef

Clear, Balanced, Smooth

Upper bass might be slightly lacking?

Last summer(1999) I was considering the purchase of a DTS surround system. I talked to people at a few of the stereo shops in town. I found that there is 1 HiFi shop in Great falls. This shop carried Difinitive Technologies, Magnepan, B&W, and a few other brands that I don't recall. I had tentatively decided to buy some other brand (not B&W)of speakers, but need wife approval first. I brought her in. The has excellent ears and her ears remember everything!

Without any price tags on the stuff in the store, she chose the B&W speakers. After about 9 months of listening to them, I now know why. My ears have grown to appreciate good sound. I really can tell the difference between a good sound and a bad sound. I have also listened to the following speakers in the same range as the B&W DM602.

Boston Accoustics Speakers: Models ranging in price ranging from $400 to $1100. Comments: They didn't sound too bad, but they lacked the clarity and imaging of the B&W 602. B&W's are an easily better speaker.

Jamo: Models ranging in retial price from $400 to $1500. Theese things sounded awful. Sure there was music coming out of them, but it sounded like a chimpanzee banging on a trash can lid compared to the 602's. Mayble their $2500 speakers actually sound good, but I'd doubt it. Try finding a positive review for these in Stereophile magazine. It isn't there. If your used to listening to bad sound, and you want more of it, then by Jamo's.

Definitive Technologies: Models ranging in price from $600 to $900. These sounded very similar to the Boston Accoustics speakers. They had a little more bass than the 602's, but lacked the clarity.

Bose and other mimi-monitors: They all sound poor from a musical perspective. Ask any good mechanical engineer to explain why, and you will understand. They miss large gaps in frequency response curves, have no imaging, and poor clarity. I write this with relativity in mind. They might sound good to you if your used to listening to consumer grade pioneer, JVC, sony, or other similar speakers. Jamo listeners might also like the sound of mini-monitor setups.

Hales Rev III. $2200/pr. These might be my next speakers. They sound great! But they are not in the same price league as the 602's.

Additional Note: Electronics make a huge difference in the quality of the sound coming out of the speakers. Anyone telling you otherwise needs to get their hearing checked. In my comments above I have tried to consider the quality of electronics on my subjective comparisons to these other speakers.

The only area of the frequency spectrum the 602's might lack is in some areas of Violin reproduction. At the upper end of the bass they might sound a little bit muddy??? @2200hz??

Associated equipment:

Sonic Frontiers Anthem CD-1
Bryson 3B-ST
Creek OBH-12
Kimber PBJ interconnects
Kimber 4pr speaker cable
The 602's sit on very solid speaker stands with spikes and stands. This makes a huge difference. The stands weigh about 50lb each.

If you have any quesions, please e-mail me.

After reading such great reviews about the b&w 602s I went
to my nearest high end dealer to auditon them.I originally
wanted the energy c4s that were on sale for 500 dollars
down from 1000.Unfortunatly my friend bought the last
pair.Anyway I wanted to move up from the bose 501v I have
to a REAL speaker.The 602s sounded very clean and had good
bass not as deep as the energy c4s which go down to about
38hz.The imaging was good power handling was good for a
speaker of this size.I thought the 602s were a steal for
500 bucks and far more superior than the bose am5s I was
considering.Hats off to b&w for a great speaker and I will
enjoy owning these babies in the next two weeks.

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said. Read the other reviews...
I can add that I had B&W 604s and ended up returning them and getting the a pair of 602s AND 601s for less money. I borrowed 602s and auditioned them at home to compare them to the 604s. I found no difference in sound with a sub equipped system; ok maybe a little, but very subtle - not worth the $1,000 difference in cost.

I actually posted a Review of the 604s on this site about a month ago that details my quest for speakers. If you are interested read that post...

To sum it up, I am VERY happy with these speakers and highly recommend that anyone how is considering spending over $500 for a pair of speakers give them a listen; you may find that you don't need anything else, as I did...

I recently conluded my comparison shopping by purchasing the B&W DM602s.I also auditioned similarly priced ($500) models by Paradigm, PSB, Canton,
Infinity, Mirage, and Atlantic Technology. Based on what I had heard
from these contenders, by the time I got around to
hearing the 602s I was fully prepared for them to sound so similar to the
others that my decision would be painstaking. Instead, after listening for
about an hour to my favorite discs I took home the B&Ws. They so thoroughly
blew away the competition that I was almost embarrased that I had considered
buying some of them. The 602s throw a lush, smooth soundstage with generous
bass for a speaker this size. They have a musically involving refinement
about them that I can listen to for hours. A great product!

I'm pretty new to the hi-fi world, but having played various musical instruments for the past few years, I think I have pretty good ears. Anyway, I was looking for a bookshelf speaker for around $400-800 /pair and heard the following speakers: Boston Acoustics CR-9, NHT 1.5, Energy C2, Castle Isis, Mourdant-Short MS30, B&W 601, and of course, B&W 602. (I also wanted to hear Paradigm Studio/20 and NEAR 15M.)
Out of all the speakers I heard, I was most impressed by the B&W's. Though other speakers excelled in specific areas--the Castles were fast and unbelievably detailed, the Boston Acoustics had very dramatic bass and clear treble--all in all the B&W's were the easiest to listen to. They were the only speakers that really drew me into the music.

Objectively, I'd say the B&W's main strength lies in its smooth and listenable midrange. It has deep and rich bass that is superb for a bookshelf speaker, although I would augment them with a subwoofer (most people probably wouldn't, though). However, I wouldn't describe the 602's as crystal clear... I personally like a warm, rich sound, but if you're looking for clarity you'd be better off with another speaker.

Overall, I think it is a good speaker and a great value. If you are looking for a bookshelf speaker on a budget, definitely give these a listen. Also, if you like a rich sound like the B&W's, and if you have the space, check out the Sound Dynamics SD300ti.

I, however, have decided to hold out until I can afford a higher-end speaker!

-jmc

I really like the good bass response of these speakers. With only a seven inch woofer it had tons of bass!

None!!

I like to listen to a lot of rap music. I know what you're thinking. Rap isn't musical (just like my dad says). However, there are very good qualities to rap though. Rap has many lows and highs. These speakers played everything I had perfectly! I am very pleased with the amazing bass these speakers have. I would reccommend them to rap, classical, R and B, jazz, etc. any kind of music listener.

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AIWA system-thumbs down! I actually heard music reproduced the way it was supposed to be with B&W.

all you can think of!!!

none

I really like these speakers!!!
If you're thinking about buying rhese speakers, don't hasitate!!! these are the best I ever heard at this priceclass.

Very accurate sound reproduction.

Clipping at very high volumes.

I originally purchased the 602s2(newer model)and I did not hear much difference with 12gauge wire. BUT! when I used a set of bi-wire capables (monster) I did not hear any difference between the 602 and the 602s if you can get a good deal on the 602 0riginals I would recommend you get them and save some money. Luckily the salesman was willing to take the newer model back. Just remember to biwire these badboys.

Similar Products Used:

602s2,620i,601s2

Last review:
You have to be joking, or maybe you just tried connecting these speakers to your old porta-system, which is not something I'd place beyond the stupidity of someone making the comment you just did.

Remember, it's not the speakers that make the system, it's the components driving them. Garbage in, garbare out.

These are the best speakers for the money, hands down. Nothing on the market touches them.