Price vs. what you get... m


WHAT A VALUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think one would have to spend thousands of dollars more to actually hear enough of an improvement to justify the price increase... I would love to own a pair of 800 D s .... But, I would have spend another $19,000.00 instead of $500.00... May be later...

NONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought these speakers used @ $500.00/PR. in Jan. 2006. They just keep sounding better and better... And with their 7" Kevlar Driver, Bass Flow Port and large cabinet, they think they're large floorstanders...Except for a very few (lfe), low frequency efects on some dvd 5.1 movies, I don't need a sub... In fact, I had a sub, the ASW600 and took it back... The 602s rolloff at about 40-45 hz... That is plenty low enough for some startling and realistic music reproduction i n the home at this price range... The lowest note on a bass guitar is 42 hz !!!! So , unless your room is very large, say, more than 2000 cubic feet, I don't think a sub is needed. Again, maybe boom from those 5.1 LFE sounds on DVDs are important to you...
I listen to music mostly in Two Channel Direct mode on my Yammy receiver... So , no processing happens and the amps really shine as a good analog device should, pushing the 602s well into audio bliss...

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Phase Tech, EPI, Paradigm, Polk, Mirage, Sony,

Vector research, Denon, Onkyo, Philips, Panasonic

Balanced. Balanced. Balanced. Not too much bass. Not too bright. It's all right in every department. They are very flexible speakers - if you like a wide range like me... jazz, classical, rock, alternative, oldies, techno, hip hop, rap, etc. these speakers can do back flips. My listening room is fairly large so I have a 12" sub running with these. My sub is set at 85HZ and volume set at slightly below the 1/4 mark. Since the these speakers have decent bass extension, the sub merges well with it. Voicing and imaging is superb.

If you have a small room, you won't need a sub. It can deliver solid bass even with the port plugged. If you have a need for a sub and have a small room, I'd recommend a sealed 10" or 8" sub.

I have a custom built McIntosh LS340 speaker set (new cabinet and revised with dual 10" drivers) - the 602 S3 with sub does 95% as well. Not bad considering the LS340's go for $5,600 a pair and with my mods, add in another $900.

Beats my Magnepan MMGs (I have a review here on these). But then again, these are apple and orange speakers. The MMGs can't be beat when listening to classical or vocal specific music.

Wish the grill or speaker box looked nicer. With the grill off, it looks cool. With the grill on, it looks like one black box. Is that really a weakness???

I bought these speakers knowing that the new "68" series will be coming out in a few weeks... maybe in a few days. It may sound odd that I would buy these older models, let me explain. The current 600 series 3rd generation, I believe is in it's best incarnation. Instead of having a 4th generation and further building on the 600 series ie. 602 S4, the new 68 series is a complete do-over and the whole 600 series is pretty much gone including the "S".

I saw the new specs and pics at B&W's new website at bower-wilkins dot com. There's a new tweeter design but I think the nautilus tweeters on the current system to be so sweet - very hard to beat. From the specifications and predicted prices on the forums, I believe we'll be paying the same for a shift down in product line. If you are a Paradigm fan, you know all to well that when the V5 series came out, all of the models took one step back but the prices remained pretty much the same. Newer speakers, same price, but one step back.

So... the 602 S3 goes for $600. And the new 685 is predicted to be $600. The new 685 will be manufactured in China - a first for B&W. It will be 15 lbs - about 8 lbs lighter than the 602 S3. The cabinet is smaller and the mid bass driver is 6.5" rather than 7". Also the crossover will be just a single Mcap - that's it. Can't really call it a crossover in my book. All of these changes to me look like a step down and a step towards theater speakers rather than a true 2 way music speakers.

I could be completely wrong and the new 685's could be amazing. And the pricing could be completely different from what I've researched. If they are amazing and lower priced, I may consider them as a second set in my den. BUT at this point, I purchased the 602 S3 because they maybe one of the last sub $1,000 bookshelf speakers that can be truly constituted as audiophile quality. Also many dealers have depleted the 602 S3s and I didn't want to be in a situation where I had to buy the floor model or get the Sorrento color (I just like the black ones).

I've auditioned these speakers on several occasions and had a buying latitude from $500 to $1,000. Within that range I found nothing in the bookshelf realm that could surpass it. I was particularly disturbed that many people have been putting the Paradigm Titans ($500) in comparison to these. These are apple and oranges. The Paradigms with the high sensitivity and leaner bass are best for theater systems with a sub. The Titans aren't terrible speakers but they sound like the treble knob has been turned to 10. Great for movies but not really for good for music. On the day I bought the speakers, my wife happened to accompany me. She thought, hey let's save $100 and get the cheaper Paradigm Titans. Well she listened to them and the first thing she said - they sound cheap and too bright.

Even though I've had these fresh out of the box for only 2 days, they sound great already. Completely different than my Magnepans which took 3 weeks to break in.

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Have an old pair of very low end B&W 302s that are 10+ years old. They are in my bedroom plugged to a 16x2 watt amp. They still rock and I will always keep them. I don't think they will ever konk out. They sound better today.

Excellent bang for buck! Neutral and balanced sound.Looks. Quality build. Don't highlight flaws in bad recordings!

None!

Before purchasing these, I was running a pair of Axiom M22's. I didnt purchase the B&W's because i was unhappy with the axioms. They were just an impulse buy because they were on sale! I think these have easily got to be the best speakers for under £500!! They're certainly the best I've heard in this price bracket, and yes incuding the axioms. The problem with the axioms is you definately need a sub. Where as the B&W's could run without one if you don't require thumping bass. They also have a more neutral and balanced sound compared to the axioms. I'm still not totally ruling out the axioms. They are very good speakers and have a very clear sound but i think they are just a bit overbright for my liking, this has been highlighted by the B&W's. The axioms are also more sensitive to bad recordings. I am planning to run both at the same time, just for curiousity! To sum up I don't think anyone will regret buying these speakers!! They are that good value!

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Axiom M22's, Cheap Eltax milleniums.

Detail, soundstage, big sound from a little box, looks

Are you crazy.

My first B&W purchase and definatly not my last. 9 months in and i loved them so much i decided to go up a notch and invest in 603's. I also just got some 601's for my mum. But back to the 602's. From day one i was totally blown away. These are perfect all rounders. The highs are better than i have ever heard. Evidence that these tweeters are not off the shelf jobs. Mids smooth and the bass is fantastic. I would go so far as to say unbeatable for a bookshelf speaker. Yes others say that this is where it lacks but that is compared to much larger floorstanders.
Nothing is truer than the statement that these speakers produce a much larger sound than they should.
These babies deserve every award they have won.

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Richter, Aaron, Mission

clarity
detail
soundstage
bass is very good for there size truly unexpected
they are not harsh and can listen to them for a liong time

if anything you should use good clean power
but other than that are you kidding

I have had these for about 2 mounths and purchased them used along
with the B&W ASW650 subwoofer
I must say that I have been very happy with these
considering there size and price you just cant get much better in a bookshelf speaker
of all the cone type speakers I have owned and the list is long these come the closest
to that sweet sound that I love from my maggies (smg-a)
I use them exclusively for music and for this they really shine
B&W really outdid them selfs with these I have owned several floorstanding speakers
that cost in the same range as these that could not compete the clarity, detail
and soundstage of these are to be heard to be believed you would not imagine
that this size of speaker(bookshelf) can sound as big as they do especially
when using clean power as I mentioned above I purchased these along
with the ASW650 sub but for music that sub just cant cut it I tried everything
placement, settings and nothing could make that sub work for music
I seems to be better suited for HT IMHO so I went back to my old
reliable 15year old velodyne ULD-15 and this did the trick
This combo of the 602 S3's and the velodyne make a truly musical system
and as you know it is very difficult to get a sub to be good at both music and HT
but for the money this velodyne is about as close as it comes for me
I listen to klipsch RF-5 for the HT setup and do enjoy those for that purpose but are a
bit to harsh for my musice tastes the 602 S3 are just the opposite that can still get very high but
without the harshness of the klipsch but I think this has more to do with the
horn tweeters in the klipsch's than anything else

I have tried these 602 S3 with several different amps NAD 916 ( bridged to 90x2)
an adcom 5503 200x3 and finaly a parasound HCA-850 which is the one
I am using now the NAD just seemed to lack the impact and dynamics
of the parasound and the Adcom was a bit to much for these 602 S3's
and I did not what to risk it by over powering them since
they are only rated to handle 120watts
the parasound seemed to be the perfect match for them just the right amount of power
but not over powering as in the Adcom
my front end for this setup is a Philips CD-80 player ran through a Carver C1 preamp
with of course high end cables for both inter connnects and speaker cables
These are very percise and will let you know really quick if its a bad recording
or your system that is lacking they are not forgiving you here every little detail and nuonce
and you can spot a bad recording a mile away with these
and they will let you know just how bad some of the modern cd recordings are

I have these sitting on top of the klipsch RF-5 and when some of my friends
have listened they automatically assume that they are listening to both the
B&W and the klipsch
but when I tell them that they are only listening to the top pair (the B&W's)
they simply cant believe it and go up to the klipsch to make sure I am not lying to them
they especially spoil the bose fans day when they find out what I paid for these verses
what the gave to the bose marketing charity for there little cube systems its not
a pretty site but they desearve it since most of them never listened to me when I told
them they can get much better than bose for less money
I look forward to some day getting a pair of 603 or 604 to gain
the extra bass that these lack but for now I can live with them as they are
so I for one can add myself to the long list of satisfied listeners of these amazing
little bookshelf speakers that dont know they are bookshelfs and think the are
floorstanders
but please dont nobody tell them that or you could jinks the whole thing

Customer Service

never needed it so can't comment

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klipsch jbl infinty polk audio wharedale magnapan MK velodyne

Incredible highs, faithful sound reproduction / incredible detail
Awesome looks, confident style.
Incredibly detailed, high quality construction
Bi-wireable
Great value

Could be nice to have more finishes to choose from (Darker woods)

I bought these after having to put up with a pair of Yamahas for four years. Needless to say, the difference was more than obvious.

I have more breaking in to do, but so far the spakers exceed my expectations. I'm literally hearing things in music that I was simply not able to hear before. They reproduce the dynamic range of any CD with such precision that I feel like I'm just now getting my money's worth from my CD's..

I was going between the KEF iQ3's and these, and very soon I realized the KEF's couldnt' even compete..Not even close..

For 600 dollars, these are a bargain.

Customer Service

N/A

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KEF iQ3

The price you pay.Big sound from such A small speaker

You will cry when these little speakers blow you bigger and much more expensive speaker you have bough in the past away.

I have had these speakers for about three weeks.I am very big into 70s equipment.( the monster receiver times.) I have a few krell components, but just cant get enough of that old school sound.One problem with monster recievers is the power and wall shaking abilities. The people that live around me seem to have a problem with that, so insted of getting rid of my babies I down sized in speakers. Well that is what I thought when I bought a pair of 602s. Was I wrong. The sound that comes out of these speakers is unreal for under 600 bucks, and a bookshelf speaker at that. I wasnt ready for what I heard. The highs were nice, lows were on par, and the mids were filling the room with a wide sound stage. If you close your eyes you would think the 602s are at least 3 foot tall.
I would recomend for anyone to buy these. I dont remember hearing A better speaker for under a thousand bucks. You might want to buy a sub if you are working with newer HT receivers.Now you old monster receiver lovers you should not t have a problem without a sub. I hooked my 602s up to a Pioneersx 1250 and a Sansui g9000DB. I was able to produce some wall shacking bass.
I allso was able to turn the volume up to the 11 hour on the SX1250 and didnt seem to phase these little monsters. Keep up the good work B@W. Perfect example of Let your ears do the listening, not your wallet.

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Just about A little of everything. JBL,mac,veanna,Jamesacoustics,boston energy,etc.

Great highs that are not overly stressed with great base for a stand mount.

need bigger heavy duty stands, but they look awesome on my Lovans.

Hi all -
i have had these speakers one full week now. I have powered them with an older Rotel as well as my NAD T753. For the money these are great sounding speakers. I am now a big fan of B&W and look forward to hearing these for years to come. There are many choices for speakers in this dollar range, I think B&W DM602's are the more happy medium speaker.

Customer Service

Not needed nor do I expect too.

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Axiom M22's, Energy C, Paradigm mini monitors and MB Quart QLS-530.

I had the B&W DM602 S3 on a Yamaha RX-496RDS receiver and a Yamaha DVD-S530 and they already sounded very good.
Now they're on the Yamaha RX-797 (allowing CD-direct amplification and SACD-ready) and most important the Marantz SA-7001 SACD-player and this combination shows what these 'budget' speakers are really capable of. Wow!
I chose the Yamaha receiver instead of the Rotel RA-03 which didn't sound that good on the B&W's. The Rotel amp is certainly a very good amp but the less expensive Yamaha proved to be a better match to the B&W 603 S3. This once again shows that the combination speakers-amp-cd player is very important and that one cannot choose one of the elements in a hi-fi system independent of the other elements.
B&W DM602 S3 are still on sale everywhere in Belgium and they should be, because they're worth more than every penny they cost.

Tweeters-Highs appearence sound vs. size resale value bi-wire connectors

A little pricey if bought new. Expensive OEM replacement parts, but most are. Grills seem to block a considerable amount of sound.

I've had my eye on these speakers for over a year. I've annoyed the local shops every few months, auditioning the 601 s3's and the 602's3's, I was always too cheap to buy them. I like them both but prefer the extra bass and warmth from the 602's. With limited space, they were ideal. I came across a pair of black DM 602 S3's for $175 and it was time to make a purchase. If you’re looking at these speakers, your considering bookshelf speakers. At 19" high, keep in mind that these are larger than most bookshelves. They are very good looking speakers, if that matters. A little boring with the grills on, but with the grills off, they look great. So I got them home and hooked them up. I was worried that they would sound bad in my 12' x 24' apartment echo chamber. Not at all. I was blown away. Truly impressed Highs. The first thing I noticed were the tweeters. I've been more mid-fi guy my whole life (Tannoy, Wharfedale, Polk, AR, JBL-S,etc) so of course these sound incredible. They really opened up the sound stage. The highs are clearly the highlight of these speakers. Mids/lows. The 7" woofer provides smooth mids, but clearly comes up short on the low end reproduction (of course, I wouldn't expect it to handle the lows with the size of the woofer/cabinet). Listening to them w/o the sub, the lows of the base drum, organs and bass guitar were missing. You WILL most likely want a subwoofer with these speakers, as with (in my opinion) the majority of bookshelves out there. Anytime I listen to new speakers, I run almost all types of music from them, though mostly rock, blues, jazz and alternative. Playing Stings Brand New Day, Thievery Corporation and some Reggae, Midnite’s Ras Mek Peace, it seemed that half the bass was missing. Turning my 10 year old Acoustic Research S12HO up 1/3 of the way filled in all the missing notes and bass I needed. I am extremely happy with these speakers. I listen to them on very average, slightly aged equipment. I flop between amplifiers: a Rotel RA-985BX or and an Onkyo Integra M-504 amplifier. Both amps are traditionally "bright", especially the Onkyo. I think I like the virtually distortion free Onkyo M-504 the best. I did try them with an Adcom GFA-535. The speakers seem to want a little more power that it could provide. I use a Sony CD player w/a gain and run it straight into either the amps. Speakers are sitting on B&W Stav Speaker stands 24" high, which is a perfect height for these speakers. $20 Interconnects, and 16 gauge wire from parts express, no plugs/pins (I don't believe the hype, but I might if I had the money). At $175 and my limited space, this was a no brainer for me. You'll have to pay $600. At that price, I'd consider some floor models–if you want the bass and have the space. If not, definitely audition the 602 S3's. You won’t be disappointed.

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