An improvement on B&W DM602 S3 speakers

[Mark Dunlop]

I have a pair of stand-mounted DM602 S3s, 16/17 Y.O. bought when I had a larger listening room (!). Not planning to change them any time soon, but they are a bit on the large side and I have been wondering how much I would actually have to spend these days to buy bookshelf speakers that are actually an improvement on what I have - given that the DM602 S3 was B&W's reference unit as recently as 2016. Not running anything fancy - Rotel A11 Tribute, Rotel CD14, Rega P2. Just interested to know whether I could get anything better than the ol' girls for, say, less than £999 which is the current price of the Kef R3. I'm assuming the Kef R3 would be an improvement, but haven't checked them out in person yet...

Any thoughts?
m.d.

 

[Al ears]

It's going to be a very personal thing.
Not sure what the issue with size is but the R3s are only 4" shorter but other measurements are similar to the B&W's so not a great deal.of difference.
Everyone will have their own opinion on the KEFs and others so you really are going to have to audition as many as you can and make up.your own mind.

 

[Mark Dunlop]

It's going to be a very personal thing.
Not sure what the issue with size is but the R3s are only 4" shorter but other measurements are similar to the B&W's so not a great deal.of difference.
Everyone will have their own opinion on the KEFs and others so you really are going to have to audition as many as you can and make up.your own mind.

Thanks! Maybe I shouldn't have referenced the R3s. They were only an example of a £1000 speaker - I suppose the real question is "How much should I expect to pay to get a noticeable improvement on the B&Ws?". Doesn't seem like there's much under £1000, but then I haven't been testing speakers since I bought the B&Ws.
m.d.

 

[plastic penguin]

You could try B&W 606 Anniversary Edition, although no idea how they compare to the 602 S3.

For compact floorstander worth considering Totem Arros.

Regarding small standmounts, Amphion Argon 1s are excellent. But these last 2 are over budget if bought new.

 

[matthewpianist]

The 606s2 are excellent speakers and may well offer an improvement. B&W do make a natural partner for Rotel, and that has continued despite the previous shared distribution deal no longer being active.

If you want to try some compact floor standers I'd suggest looking to Dali Oberon 5s. They perform well beyond their price and would work well with the A11 Tribute.

 

[JDL]

I have a pair of stand-mounted DM602 S3s, 16/17 Y.O. bought when I had a larger listening room (!). Not planning to change them any time soon, but they are a bit on the large side and I have been wondering how much I would actually have to spend these days to buy bookshelf speakers that are actually an improvement on what I have - given that the DM602 S3 was B&W's reference unit as recently as 2016. Not running anything fancy - Rotel A11 Tribute, Rotel CD14, Rega P2. Just interested to know whether I could get anything better than the ol' girls for, say, less than £999 which is the current price of the Kef R3. I'm assuming the Kef R3 would be an improvement, but haven't checked them out in person yet...

Any thoughts?
m.d.

I have a pair of stand-mounted DM602 S3s, 16/17 Y.O. bought when I had a larger listening room (!). Not planning to change them any time soon, but they are a bit on the large side and I have been wondering how much I would actually have to spend these days to buy bookshelf speakers that are actually an improvement on what I have - given that the DM602 S3 was B&W's reference unit as recently as 2016. Not running anything fancy - Rotel A11 Tribute, Rotel CD14, Rega P2. Just interested to know whether I could get anything better than the ol' girls for, say, less than £999 which is the current price of the Kef R3. I'm assuming the Kef R3 would be an improvement, but haven't checked them out in person yet...

Any thoughts?
m.d.

It seems to me that decent speakers are getting smaller and smaller and whatever anyone says smaller speakers don't have the depth or presence of the bigger speakers. I'm no expert but even though I intended to replace the 602 S3 with the 707 S2, I realised that I'd only get a couple of hundred quid for them and the 707, whilst it is a fantastic little speaker, it just didn't vibrate your innards the way the 602s can. Thus, for me the answer seemed to be run both together since the amp I have is designed to handle the load. I spent the whole night emptying the room, stripping the four wire run into two wire runs, installing banana plugs putting the room back together but I'm very pleased* made the effort. I've had the 602s since 2006. I've always looked after them and they sound as good as the day I bought them. I won't bother thinking about changing them again in the future.
I'm a fan of B&W.👍🏻

 

[WayneKerr]

It seems to me that decent speakers are getting smaller and smaller and whatever anyone says smaller speakers don't have the depth or presence of the bigger speakers. I'm no expert but even though I intended to replace the 602 S3 with the 707 S2, I realised that I'd only get a couple of hundred quid for them and the 707, whilst it is a fantastic little speaker, it just didn't vibrate your innards the way the 602s can. Thus, for me the answer seemed to be run both together since the amp I have is designed to handle the load. I spent the whole night emptying the room, stripping the four wire run into two wire runs, installing banana plugs putting the room back together but I'm very pleased* made the effort. I've had the 602s since 2006. I've always looked after them and they sound as good as the day I bought them. I won't bother thinking about changing them again in the future.
I'm a fan of B&W.👍🏻

Must admit you a getting much better John, this thread is a mere 7 months old

 

[JDL]

Must admit you a getting much better John, this thread is a mere 7 months old

Ha ha, you know by now.....I'm thick and maybe stupid as well.....🤣

 

[Deleted member 201267]

Must admit you a getting much better John, this thread is a mere 7 months old

Thread resurrecting is an art form !

 

[JDL]

Thread resurrecting is an artform !

Well thank you Sir, I'm an artist as well!!

 

[Mark Dunlop]

It seems to me that decent speakers are getting smaller and smaller and whatever anyone says smaller speakers don't have the depth or presence of the bigger speakers. I'm no expert but even though I intended to replace the 602 S3 with the 707 S2, I realised that I'd only get a couple of hundred quid for them and the 707, whilst it is a fantastic little speaker, it just didn't vibrate your innards the way the 602s can. Thus, for me the answer seemed to be run both together since the amp I have is designed to handle the load. I spent the whole night emptying the room, stripping the four wire run into two wire runs, installing banana plugs putting the room back together but I'm very pleased* made the effort. I've had the 602s since 2006. I've always looked after them and they sound as good as the day I bought them. I won't bother thinking about changing them again in the future.
I'm a fan of B&W.👍🏻

I really like the 602s too, John, and mine still sound really good. In fairness, I had basically binned the idea of replacing them for the time being on the grounds of £. If I ever do, I'll probably do it by using the A11 as a pre-amp, buying a power amp and then getting some speakers in the £2000 ballpark rather than going half-measures. Saying that, I think I'd struggle to part with the big 602s after all these years.
m.d.

 

[JDL]

I really like the 602s too, John, and mine still sound really good. In fairness, I had basically binned the idea of replacing them for the time being on the grounds of £. If I ever do, I'll probably do it by using the A11 as a pre-amp, buying a power amp and then getting some speakers in the £2000 ballpark rather than going half-measures. Saying that, I think I'd struggle to part with the big 602s after all these years.
m.d.

Yes, I agree. I had toyed with the idea of selling mine, but when I saw the kind of prices they sell for on eBay, I thought it would be pointless to sell such a fantastic pair of speakers for the sake of a couple of hundred quid.
Speakers, generally seem to be getting smaller and I must say it's very impressive how the latest generation of speakers are able to have a good bass response and volume but they don't sound the same as bigger speakers.