B&W DM 603 Floorstanding Speakers

B&W DM 603 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

7" Woofer, 7" Passive and 1" Tweeter (1996-1999)

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 75  
[Aug 10, 2005]
stijn_n
AudioPhile

Strength:

Virtually none except the resale value (B&W has a name).

Weakness:

Bass (it is there but sounds horrible) Highs (same as above but less so) Price

Lack of good highs and good lows. (S2 and S3 fixed most of these problems, so buy these instead if you must buy B&W at this pricerange) Pretty decent midrange and the sound is like most B&W gear to warm (uncoloured sound anyone?). The price on these is ridiculous, even 2nd hand. For half the price you can find better and for the full price there will be no comparison. Got lucky to sell them at the price I bought them.

Similar Products Used:

Alot of speakers in the upper and lower pricerange.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jun 12, 2002]
Bguy
Casual Listener

Strength:

Clarity of highs and lows. Look good with matching sourrounds.

Weakness:

Lack room stomping bass for those who want it.

These are great speakers when all said and done. I actually have 602.5 S2 speakers which are the same but with the nautilus Tweeter (apparenty not available eveywhere). I bought these as the price was right - About 360 pounds - and B&W reputation. I was told they need some time to be at their best & I must say this is true. My setup includes Denon 1602, Denon DVD 800 B&W 602 S2 Rears and CC6 Centre. No sub yet!. At first it seemed they lacked bass but I was impressed with the clarity of what was heard in HT and music. I found myself listening to old CDs to see what they sounded like. I hate to say it but guitars, PIANO's & voices sound very real. Piano's - Sad eh!. Anyway over time I am finding the bass is just getting better and better, not like a serious bass producing speaker but very noticeable tight bass that's a pleasure to hear (especially when the volumes wound up). I look forward to these combined with a good sub to have each speaker doing what is does best to produce a complete sound for both HT and music. I like them - A lot!

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 26, 2002]
dcmulli
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good bass and midrange. Great sound with a small footprint.

Weakness:

Tweeters are a little dull.

Great sound for the price! Will work in a small or large room. A lot of bass from a passive radiator. Tweeters could use some work. The series II have Nautilus Tweeters(A Big Improvement!!)

Similar Products Used:

B&W cc6-II,LM1,&605-II

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Feb 10, 2002]
IANLINNMAN
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Beautiful presenattion of virtually all musical styles

Weakness:

Sound a but thin at low volumes. Some cabinet resoances at very high volumes with big bass (Thievery Corporatiom etc.)

I have now used these speakers for 3 years. They are top material. Used with a Linn Mimik CD player, Linn Wakonda pre-amp and a Linn LK100 amp. I wonder how many of the negative reviewers of this product actually listen to the music. (you question their intelligence when they didn''t realise the speaker contains an ABR rather than driven woofer) If you appreciate music rather than hardware, you won''t be diappointed.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 27, 1997]
an Audio Enthusiast

Now that I've had my speakers for over a month, I can finally send in my review. For the money, they are excellent, providing a wonderfully detailed and balanced sound. For comparison, I checked out the following: Paradigm Monitor and Reference (Reference is excellent, but Monitor is awful); KEF Q Series (okay, but not enough detail); and Polk RT (worth listening to, especially since it's cheaper).
After a month's worth of listening, my initial impressions are reinforced. The 603 doesn't have the best high range, mid, or bass in its price range. I bought it b/c it has excellent overall balance. It sounds musical with good sound stage. The highs are detailed, but not etched. The midrange is easy to listen to and the bass is nice and tight. Overall, a great choice.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Aug 27, 1997]
an Audio Enthusiast

Now that I've had my speakers for over a month, I can finally send in my review. For the money, they are excellent, providing a wonderfully detailed and balanced sound. For comparison, I checked out the following: Paradigm Monitor and Reference (Reference is excellent, but Monitor is awful); KEF Q Series (okay, but not enough detail); and Polk RT (worth listening to, especially since it's cheaper).
After a month's worth of listening, my initial impressions are reinforced. The 603 doesn't have the best high range, mid, or bass in its price range. I bought it b/c it has excellent overall balance. It sounds musical with good sound stage. The highs are detailed, but not etched. The midrange is easy to listen to and the bass is nice and tight. Overall, a great choice.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Oct 17, 2000]
Marty
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Incredibly crisp, clean highs, quite transparent sound, very accurate.

Weakness:

In an "L" shaped room it's hard to position them properly. I have tried everything, but Bass seems to skip over the main listening area and head towards the back of the room.

The design of these speakers really draws attention. The kevlar drivers are very accurate and produce a clean, warm sound, even at very loud levels, because digital speakers can handle more power accurately. Bass is very good, and easy to control & manipulate with the foam inserts that come with them.
The 603's require a fair bit of power. They need a minimum of 25 watts rms power, otherwise they could be damaged through distortion. A good amp will help them sound better.

I am using a Sony STR-925 (5x110 watts rms) digital receiver to drive my B&W's. I'm also running 6 ft. of Monster Cable to each one.

It's hard to find a flaw in these 603's. The sound is matched perfectly to my centre channel (B&W CC6) and surrounds (DM601's) for incredible home theatre applications.

20 years from now they will still sound fantastic, and will still astonish people.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco's (10" drivers - analog)
Audio Sphere Research (15" drivers - analog)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 09, 2001]
Gary Blunk
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great highs and mid-range. They sound better with age.

Weakness:

None.

I have these in a home theater system with a B&W CC6 as the center channel, Boston Acoustic CR6s as the surrounds, and a Velodyne CT-100 subwoofer. I have an Outlaw 750 amplifier (165W x 5) and the B&W603s provide so much detail and clarity. I have no regrets about buying these speakers, and when I go to buy my next speakers, I'll audition B&W first. You won't be disappointed if you buy these.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 28, 2000]
Nelson Navedo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Good Look, Fine Bass, Clarity

Weakness:

No found at moment

Good sound by the price..This speaker match perfectly with me Rotel Amp..

Similar Products Used:

B&W 602 S2, Bose 301, Linn

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Sep 22, 1998]
GyG
an Audio Enthusiast

The bass is slow, coloured and has no resolution, the highs are dull....I think they are only useful with electronic pop-music. Forget to hear them with acoustic music !!!!
You have to decide what you need : quantity or quality !
I think you can buy better speakers at this price level .... (eg. Dali 104)

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
Showing 1-10 of 75  

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