Tight bass. Clean and clear midrange and highs.

None.

The B&W DM604S3s are currently being driven by a Sherwood Newcastle R-725 receiver. They make up the front speakers in my home cinema system along with the LCR600S3 for the center channel, DM602S3 for the rear and an ASW650 subwoofer. Once I decided on their final location, I fitted the floor spikes to them as well as the subwoofer. With them coupled to a slab floor, the sound improved. The bass is tighter and the mids are cleaner. These loudspeakers sound excellent no matter the program material and no matter how loud they are played. The bass, while it doesn’t go real low, is tight and clean. The midrange sounds are always clear and voices sound natural. Highs are clean and clear. Even when played at uncomfortably loud levels, the sound is always undistorted. They can be listened to for long periods without fatigue. With all the technology and quality built into these loudspeakers, it’s surprising they don’t cost more than they do. Weighing in at 64 pounds each, two people should unpack and move these into place. After four months of listening to them, I can find no weaknesses. The DM604S3 is an excellent value and is hard to beat.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Musicality, awesome HT performance, sturdy packaging, typical very high quality binding posts

Cheap spikes, but that's fixable! I would have preffered more sensitivity, but what can you do?

Hello people! I've been wanting to write this review for quite some time now, since I've been saving up for these speakers for so long...! I actually bought the demo speakers from a shop, and the guy who runs the shop replaced the diaphragms of the tweeters, but they work perfectly! The normal price here is 1600 Euro, so I actually saved alot! My system at its present state: B&W 604S3 mains B&W LCR600S3 center B&W 602S3 surrounds Solidsteel Speaker stands and spikes Sony STB-840 reciever Pioneer DV-535 Monster speaker cable Roister interconnects Even though I have these speakers less than a week, I know them preety well, considering that I demoed them quite often before I bought them in different shops! Their frequency range is unbeatable, (both extremes), and in a small living room (less than 50 sq meters)you won't need a sub, if you mostly listen to music. Unbeatable at the price, the only speakers I've listened to and liked better are JMLab's Electra 936-946, but their price is 3000 - 4000 Euros respectively. Just don't have the money, and even if I had, I'd probably use it to go to New York or Paris or something... And before you ay anything, I know, I need an amp... Working on it! 100 % recommended

Similar Products Used:

JMLab Electra & Cobalt series, Klipsch and many quick demos of others (too terrible to mention)

Excellent transparency, excellent midrange, very good highs and lows. Excellent value for the money and sound quality.

You will still need a subwoofer for movies and bass-heavy music; Other than that, you won't need a sub. The steel spike feet can ruin tiled/wooden floors; B&W should have included alternate plastic feet attachment.

What can I say? I am the 25th person to review this B&W speaker which has so far garnered an average rating of 4.96 out of 5.0 (almost perfect!). Could all the previous 24 reviewers be wrong? Read on... I have owned these speakers for more than 3 months. I have auditioned B&W's most expensive Nautilus speakers and I can say that these speakers truly sound very close to them at 1/10 the price... Simply unbelievable value for the money! These speakers have an excellent midrange and have very good lows and highs. Several times when listening to these speakers, I get a feeling that the singer or performer is just right in my living room. The performers sound so real and alive! If you can only buy one set of hi-fi speakers in your entire lifetime, and you want the best value for your money without sacrificing on hi-fi sound quality, include these speakers in your top 3 list. You won't regret it. These speakers are very sensitive to every piece of equipment that you have. Make sure you have high quality cables, interconnects, amplifiers and players to fully appreciate the sound quality these speakers can give. Also, room acoustics is VERY IMPORTANT. To achieve excellent soundstage, keep these speakers at least 2.5 feet away from back or side walls. If possible, your ceiling should be sound absorbing (covered/treated with sound absorbing material) while your floor should be moderately reflective (wood or tiles, limit carpet/rugs). Walls should be partly reflecting, partly absorbing and partly sound-diffusing to avoid standing waves/bad resonances. Space the speakers at least 30 degrees apart from your listening position for good stereo separation. Room acoustics comprise 50% of the resultant sound quality (the other 50% is the quality of the speakers and other equipment/accessories with it) so don't take it for granted.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 600 series 3 speakers; Kenwood (not really hi-fi)

Natural lively sound. Beautiful sober design (i like simple things)

No spikes provided to stabilise, but holes are available

I just bought the speakers to replace my 11 year old home built KEF 2 way floorstanders (own design and quite good may i say). I have a Luxman A384 Amplifier with an Onkyo DV SP500 DVD/CD player. I immediately tried out all genres, from Classical, Singer, Rock, Blues, Jazz. I am a very happy, it sounds great.... Fine detailed high, silky natural mid and well controlled powerful bass. I heard Celine Dion and Whitney Houston like i never heard them.

Similar Products Used:

KEF Home built, Vifa Format Home built. B&W CM6 (not better than these guys).

Excellent mid - low range Very good high end especially for the money.

Needs at 150 - 200 wpc to sound the way they should.

I recently upgraded my B&W DM 603 S3's to the 604's, and what a difference! I am an avid B&W fan. I just do not think it is possible to beat the midrange B&W can put out for the price. The 603's were my first high end loudspeaker to buy and I had them for just under 1 year. They are excellent speakers, I just wanted a little more low end, so I traded them in for the 604's. I mostly listen to symphony, jazz, blues and rock, and the occasional movie of course. So far, I have been pushing the 604's on my Integra DTR6.3 which can put out a conservatively rated 100 wpc when in stereo mode (85% of my listening) and they sound very good. When I listened to the display speakers in the store they were powered with a Rotel 6 channel 130wpc only utilizing two channels. There is a definite difference to these speakers when you do not have at least 150 to 200 watts of power dedicated to each speaker. I have recently acquired an Adcom GFA-7500 (5 channel 150wpc) to add to my system that I am going to bi-wire to 3 channel, and I can't wait to get it hooked up. I will post another review when I get the amp hooked up to let you know how it performs. Overall, if you are interested in a speaker that has an excellent mid - low range response and a great (not excellent) high end this is a very good choice. Do not take my word for it though, there is no substitute for listeneing for yourself.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm, Energy, other similar models in the $1200 price range

Looks. My 604s are 1 day old, and I'm leaving the grills on for a little while to let them break in so they'll take better shape to the cabinet so taking them on and off will be easier. Other than that, I would more than likely leave the grills off when I trust/know who may or may not be coming in close contact with the speakers. The sound is full, with plenty of punch and not tiring. Plenty of slam even with poor amplifiaction.

The grills. Simply putting them on in less than 3-5 seconds isn't going to happen. Currently, I have to run my hand around the entire perimeter of the speaker grill while pressing moderately firmly so all pegs are inserted into the peg holes in the speaker cabinets. This is a grill issue - like I said, it's slightly, and I mean slightly bent. Probably a shipping issue anyhow. No other weaknesses at this point of usage.

This is my first true high-end piece of equipment/component. I'm currently running a CDP-CE375 into a VSX-D812 VIA optical connection, and considering the Pioneer receiver's faults, this sounds awesome. The bass is powerful, tight, and controlled. With certain recordings, I am rattling miscellaneous things in the listening room at mark -20 on the VSX-D812's volume knob(starts from -94 and works towards 0). The 604s don't sweat it one bit. As a matter of fact, I can't tell you what a pair of 604s sound like when distorting. They're such an awesome speaker thar my VSX-D812 thermos(overheats) on me before the speakers distort. This is why I'm moving to a RMB-1095 for the amplifier section very shortly(I'll use the VSX-D812 as a pre for a little while until I select a separate pre). The speakers are very clear, dynamic, and sound very full and punchy. They are pin-point positionable, which is somewhat unfortunate as if you were to use simply a pair of 604s and nothing else while casually moving around your listening room, the sound would change quite a bit, even if you move a matter of 2-3 feet. Sitting about 6 feet away from the 604s spaced apart properly, in an adjustable height chair, the sound changes simply from standing up after sitting down. More bass is noticed. Room placement will give you a lot of options. Not to be taken back by this however, the 604s sound great when positioned poorly too!

Similar Products Used:

None.

The highs, mids, tight fast bass

They have a hearty appetite for POWER but even that's not really weakness

I have had the 604 s3's for about a month now and they just seem to get better every time you listen to them! I traded in my 601 s3's for these and what a huge difference it made, natrually there's more bass and they just sound so warm and open. I was using a Rotel RB1080 200wpc to power them but traded it up for a RB1090 380wpc, I couldn't believe what it did for these speakers, can't explain the sound, amazing!! for the money these are awsome!! They take anything you can throw at them and make it sound unbelieveable!!

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Pioneer-Elite, Denon{crap}

good looks(especailly black ash), very natural sound, smooth strong bass. low power output to drive the unit

a bit sluggish, tend to be a bit flat, cheap gurad grills

My first choice of preference is actually a PSB 6T, after listening to it, my preference finds it a bit tight. Don't get me wrong the PSB are very good speakers but if you are looking for transperancy, natural sound and openess. You will know the difference. Then I went to this dealer and have a 603 S3 setup, I was disappointed as was going back to the PSB then I ask him how would the 604 S3 sound. To my amaze the bass is smooth, vocals clear and you can hear the actual instruments on the back ground. Listening to Diana Krall's Live in Paris album "The look of Love". Unlike the 603 it does not take that much juice to crank up the speakers to produce the necesary sounds needed to appreciate the original recordings. I brough it home and set it up as an AV system. The sound coming from the receiver on DTS mode comes to life. Especailly watch Saving Private Ryan on 5.1 channel mode on chapter 16 of the movie, you can feel the low frequency of the sound of the huming tanks marching in the ruins not realizing of an ambush then all of the sudden gun fires rang out all over the place. Looking around my small room as if I was in the middle of this gun battle. I know I have not yet fully utilize the full potential of my speakers for I am driving them with my small mass produced Sony STR-DE485 system. Wait till I get my Rotel RSX 1055 preamp out to a RMB 1075 poweramp, and we are talking into serious business.

Wicked bass, pinpoint imaging, good transparency, very liquid mid range and good to very good highs. No graininess, not at all harsh. Top-notch soundstage and very, very impressive detail. Can't believe they're so CHEAP! Go out and get a pair!!

None really.

I did not buy these speakers, nor was I looking for new speakers when I received these as surprise "gift". Anyway, I feel that makes me especially UN-biased in writing a review. I am familiar with the quality of B&W, as is anybody who considers themselves an audiophile or enthusiast. However, these speakers really took me off guard. They sound magnificent. They retail for roughly $1400 a pair, and this is a bargain. I would have easily guessed the price at $3K. Seriously! Extremely deep bass for all you bassheads, but not muddy or sloppy. Foam inserts can correct any boominess due to room acoustics/resonances. The midrange, which has always been the forte of B&W, is top-notch and on par with top of the line systems-no kidding! If there is one "fault", it would be the highs. They are good, just not as good as it could be. But overall, this speaker sounds as good as B&W's best minus the highs. And when I say minus the highs, I'm talking a very small margin, so buy with confidence, these speakers truly rock, from Mozart to Metallica, you WILL NOT be disappointed. I really couldn't believe my ears. And if I had to guess, the only reason B&W doesn't charge $2500-3000 for these babies is because they save on the build materials. They are vinyl, not wood. But who the hell cares??!! They sound great and the build QUALITY is top notch! My only piece of advice is to have a good amp to drive them. They have a 90db sensitivity, which isn't bad, but they enjoy the power. Happy listening!!! Associated equipment: B&K PT-5 Pre-amp, Rotel RB-1090 Amp, Klipsch RSW-12 Sub, Tributaries Silver Series(SCA-300) and Monster M Series interconnects(M1000i) and Speaker cable(M2.4 Bi-wire), Monster HTS-2600 Line Conditioner, Yamaha EQ-70(when needed) Sony XA-20ES CD player, Sony SCD-C333ES SACD Player, Klipsch RF-7's

Similar Products Used:

Klipch RF-5, Klipsch RF-7, Vienna Acoustics Mozarts, Thiel 3.6's, B&W 801's, Sonus Faber Grand Piano's. And let me tell you, these guys can hang with ANY of these.

Sound range, accuracy, tweeter, reputation of the company, and the price

finish of the cabinet, but hey thay are all crap nowadays. The cones are garbage also, you'll want better.

These are really really nice sounding speakers. I auditioned many and decided that the B and W 604's are by far and away much nicer than the Paradigm and totems. For price they can't be beat. Extend right down to 30, so you don't need a sub. Placement is crucial depending on the room, and they do take a couple of hours to place. I guess that would be a bit of a fault, but not really. I have a very live room, 2 1/2 inches of wood on the floor to the joists, and solid plaster board walls that do not vibrate. The 604, can take everything my bryston 3b st can throw at them. In fact I'm at cop calling volumes before the bryston clpis out, and I can't listen anyways running 150 watts through them. I went with the B n W's as the Abbey road studio runs brystons and B and W speakers. I can't complain one bit. Yes they have Bass, but they do run the full range, and I do find slight mid defeciences, But unless you want to drop 3-10 G on a pair of speakers these will do great. Very High tech kevlar mids and ALUMINUM (yes aluminum) subs and woofers. 4 speakers per cabinet. If you are considering speakers please check these out and have a look at B n W's web site. They have crappy cones and yes the black isn't the most appealing color, but sound is what counts. Definately without question Bi wire them, and definately don't run a piece of crap amp/cd through them, get a quality amp, and quality interconnects. You will here the weakest compenent in your system through these (including the crappy source material). I've owned Klipsh, PSB, soundstage, and realistic speakers, none compare. I considerer the 603's but the dealer offered the demos at 500$ off I couldn't say no. The 604 allow you to upgrade your other components and are a true 3 way as oppossed to the 2.5 way 603,s. I am running a Nad 7100 pre amp, Rotel 975 cd player, B n W 604's Bi wired with 12 gauge acoustic research speaker wire and gold ends(which is all you really need), do waste your money on 18$ a foot Kimber it' TRULY not going to do anything, but make you poorer. Belden 9860 custon interconnects(this twinax 100% RF crosstalk free cable is 16 gauge solid strand with a 78% VOP and showed the entire freq. Range without being way overpriced or having any coloring) they are also double sheilded) Solder your own, 2$ a foot It is the best interconnect you'll hear). Bryston 3b st amp. NAD tape deck, and Thorens TD 160 turntable (grado cart.). I paid 1600 cnd or about 1100 US for them.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned JBL(garbage), PSB stratus gold(4 ohm, but power pigs), also paradigm (still just not as well regarded or established as B n W), totem (overpriced). I've owned Klipsh sf 1's, PSB 500's, And