Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 Anniversary Edition review

SpursGator

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First post here in quite awhile, but I hope this is helpful to someone.

I don't know about you, but I am a little suspicious when WHF reviews the big brands. B&W have won quite a haul of awards around here over the years, and even though I have nothing against the brand, I have never truly loved their products the way some people do. I always considered them reliable and high quality, but I never really warmed to their sound. I tend to like paper drivers and soft dome tweeters, and their preference for woven cones and metallic domes was just never my thing. Once we hit the streaming and docking era, the company's focus on these kinds of consumer products further dented their reputation in the mind of THIS hi fi snob. It's not like any human could ever afford the 800 series anyway, sniff.

Once I became obsessed with speaker building, I became further ensconced in my snobbery. Mass produced speakers have cheap drivers, poorly damped cabinets, and most of all, crappy crossover components. How else to sell a pair of speakers for under $1000 and make any money? Your component cost needs to be 10-15% of that - how good can each little detail really afford to be?

Then I found myself needing to replace my son's stereo speakers. He had been using a pair of first generation Roth Audio RA2s, which he loved, and which I destroyed while testing a new sound system that I built for the kitchen (don't ask, yes in the end it sounded great, and yeah my wife is cool). We have moved to the States, so another pair of Roths was not really an option. I was in the middle of the other project and had just melted his speakers, so telling him I would be spending 6 months (and likely a lot of cash) building him a set of speakers for his bedroom was not really going to fly either. And I did not have the bandwidth to do a huge amount of auditioning. I needed to buy him some speakers, and they needed to be good (because the ones I killed were good, and I wanted these to be an upgrade, since he was pissed).

There were a number of reasons I chose the 607s: very solid reviews and awards, a dealer who would take them back no questions asked if we weren't thrilled, the good reputation of the big company, etc. But these were 40% over my budget of $500 USD, and of course you could argue that that 40% was going towards having them imported, not towards better speakers. The thing that made me give it a go, actually, was B&W's insistence that they had paid extra attention to the Anniversary Edition crossover components, using some of the same components (sourced from Mundorf, which to us speaker geeks means a lot) that they used in the new 800 series. NOBODY in the sub-$1000 sector even wants to discuss their crossover components, not to mention tries to source name-brand capacitors! This little nugget of marketing was blindingly effective when deployed against yours truly, and that, combined with liking the looks of the updated, polypropylene midbass driver, somehow convinced me to spend extra to bring them home.

I know I'm a speaker geek and everything, and there aren't any Danish drivers in the things, but since this is getting long I will get to the point: These speakers are stunningly good. Like - I can't believe how good. The soundstage is sharp and wide, and there are hints of dynamism that belie their size. Like St. Nick, they are lively and quick. But what makes them so stunning is the lack of grain. At this price, I didn't think it was possible. The extra attention that was paid to the crossover, in my opinion, has paid off here - upper female voices, horns, and harmonica have a clarity and organic timbre that you just don't get at this price. I am beyond blown away - these are hands down the best bookshelf-style speakers under $1000 that I have heard.

Don't get unrealistic expectations: They are small. Because of this, they can only go so loud and still sound natural. This is physics - it can't be avoided if you want any bass. Also, polypropylene drivers have their limits - they will not deliver the last ounce of detail that a metal or sandwich cone would do, especially if you have lots of high-end components and you are chasing perfection.

But anyone chasing perfection will soon want something bigger. If bookshelf speakers or small standmounts are really what you are seeking, these sweet-sounding little jewels are almost guaranteed to please, and are a massive step up from the many (already very good these days) options that are a few hundred less. I'm sure B&W are making a lot more money from Zeppelins and home theatres in a box, but at least this time, they clearly decided to bring the resources of a giant to bear on this Anniversary project, and their engineering team really the mark.

One footnote: My son loved the speakers (he's running them from his PC through a Schiit Asgaard DAC/Pre and a kit-built Hypex UC180 - it sounds damn amazing, the spoiled brat). But six months in, he blew one of the speakers. He had disconnected everything and moved some things around - clearly he made a hash of something during reconnecting. I contacted B&W and was very straightforward about what happened - it clearly was not their fault. I explained he was a teenager, he screwed up, we expect to pay, just please help us out because no way can he afford another pair at full price. They said they would take a look and do their best. So I packed them up and sent them to a service center. Three weeks later, I got them back - they are as good as new. No charge.

There are so few great companies left in the world but I guess Britain still has at least one: Bowers & Wilkins. Every word I wrote about the speakers is truth - but I figured the least I could do is take the time to share it here. My brother still has a pair of 606's that he bought in uni in 1996 - they are still in the front of his living room three amps (and a wife, two kids, and four houses) later. The speakers of the updated Anniversary edition range are significantly, noticeably better in almost every way. Highly recommended - the WHF review is dead honest.
 

Edbostan

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First post here in quite awhile, but I hope this is helpful to someone.

I don't know about you, but I am a little suspicious when WHF reviews the big brands. B&W have won quite a haul of awards around here over the years, and even though I have nothing against the brand, I have never truly loved their products the way some people do. I always considered them reliable and high quality, but I never really warmed to their sound. I tend to like paper drivers and soft dome tweeters, and their preference for woven cones and metallic domes was just never my thing. Once we hit the streaming and docking era, the company's focus on these kinds of consumer products further dented their reputation in the mind of THIS hi fi snob. It's not like any human could ever afford the 800 series anyway, sniff.

Once I became obsessed with speaker building, I became further ensconced in my snobbery. Mass produced speakers have cheap drivers, poorly damped cabinets, and most of all, crappy crossover components. How else to sell a pair of speakers for under $1000 and make any money? Your component cost needs to be 10-15% of that - how good can each little detail really afford to be?

Then I found myself needing to replace my son's stereo speakers. He had been using a pair of first generation Roth Audio RA2s, which he loved, and which I destroyed while testing a new sound system that I built for the kitchen (don't ask, yes in the end it sounded great, and yeah my wife is cool). We have moved to the States, so another pair of Roths was not really an option. I was in the middle of the other project and had just melted his speakers, so telling him I would be spending 6 months (and likely a lot of cash) building him a set of speakers for his bedroom was not really going to fly either. And I did not have the bandwidth to do a huge amount of auditioning. I needed to buy him some speakers, and they needed to be good (because the ones I killed were good, and I wanted these to be an upgrade, since he was pissed).

There were a number of reasons I chose the 607s: very solid reviews and awards, a dealer who would take them back no questions asked if we weren't thrilled, the good reputation of the big company, etc. But these were 40% over my budget of $500 USD, and of course you could argue that that 40% was going towards having them imported, not towards better speakers. The thing that made me give it a go, actually, was B&W's insistence that they had paid extra attention to the Anniversary Edition crossover components, using some of the same components (sourced from Mundorf, which to us speaker geeks means a lot) that they used in the new 800 series. NOBODY in the sub-$1000 sector even wants to discuss their crossover components, not to mention tries to source name-brand capacitors! This little nugget of marketing was blindingly effective when deployed against yours truly, and that, combined with liking the looks of the updated, polypropylene midbass driver, somehow convinced me to spend extra to bring them home.

I know I'm a speaker geek and everything, and there aren't any Danish drivers in the things, but since this is getting long I will get to the point: These speakers are stunningly good. Like - I can't believe how good. The soundstage is sharp and wide, and there are hints of dynamism that belie their size. Like St. Nick, they are lively and quick. But what makes them so stunning is the lack of grain. At this price, I didn't think it was possible. The extra attention that was paid to the crossover, in my opinion, has paid off here - upper female voices, horns, and harmonica have a clarity and organic timbre that you just don't get at this price. I am beyond blown away - these are hands down the best bookshelf-style speakers under $1000 that I have heard.

Don't get unrealistic expectations: They are small. Because of this, they can only go so loud and still sound natural. This is physics - it can't be avoided if you want any bass. Also, polypropylene drivers have their limits - they will not deliver the last ounce of detail that a metal or sandwich cone would do, especially if you have lots of high-end components and you are chasing perfection.

But anyone chasing perfection will soon want something bigger. If bookshelf speakers or small standmounts are really what you are seeking, these sweet-sounding little jewels are almost guaranteed to please, and are a massive step up from the many (already very good these days) options that are a few hundred less. I'm sure B&W are making a lot more money from Zeppelins and home theatres in a box, but at least this time, they clearly decided to bring the resources of a giant to bear on this Anniversary project, and their engineering team really the mark.

One footnote: My son loved the speakers (he's running them from his PC through a Schiit Asgaard DAC/Pre and a kit-built Hypex UC180 - it sounds damn amazing, the spoiled brat). But six months in, he blew one of the speakers. He had disconnected everything and moved some things around - clearly he made a hash of something during reconnecting. I contacted B&W and was very straightforward about what happened - it clearly was not their fault. I explained he was a teenager, he screwed up, we expect to pay, just please help us out because no way can he afford another pair at full price. They said they would take a look and do their best. So I packed them up and sent them to a service center. Three weeks later, I got them back - they are as good as new. No charge.

There are so few great companies left in the world but I guess Britain still has at least one: Bowers & Wilkins. Every word I wrote about the speakers is truth - but I figured the least I could do is take the time to share it here. My brother still has a pair of 606's that he bought in uni in 1996 - they are still in the front of his living room three amps (and a wife, two kids, and four houses) later. The speakers of the updated Anniversary edition range are significantly, noticeably better in almost every way. Highly recommended - the WHF review is dead honest.
That is a great review from a consumer rather from a marketing journal. The speakers obviously have provided you and your son with enjoyment and have fulfilled their brief
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Interesting review as B&W these days, especially at the lower end, really divide people. I must say, I've heard the 606 S2 quite a few times when testing out amplifiers and so on and really did not like what I heard - a very showy, stand up and "look at me" type sound. I have read other very good reports of these so maybe the anniversary model changes everything. It sounds like you know a thing or two about speaker design so I'm sure we should take notice of what you have to say.

I thought I'd found an under £1000 champ (for small speakers) in the Triangle Titus EZ but maybe these are also a contender.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
I have just looked and these speakers have very low sensitivity: 84db. My Triangles are 90db sensitive. This surprised me as the price of these (£399 at some retailers) means they are firmly in the upper end of the budget bracket and I wouldn't expect they would be bought by people with very powerful amplifiers. They are, however, very small so I suppose that would make them easier to drive.
 
I have just looked and these speakers have very low sensitivity: 84db. My Triangles are 90db sensitive. This surprised me as the price of these (£399 at some retailers) means they are firmly in the upper end of the budget bracket and I wouldn't expect they would be bought by people with very powerful amplifiers. They are, however, very small so I suppose that would make them easier to drive.
the fact they are small and a low sensitivity makes them harder to drive not easier....
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
It is kind of strange because this guy's description of this speaker is unlike anything I've experienced with recent B&W bookshelf speakers which to my ears are all about the shouting. I think if he could hear the unforced detail of the titanium tweeters of Triangles his chin would end up on the floor!
 
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robdmarsh

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What I said above about low sensitivity, larger cabinet conforms to my experience. Elac Debut b5, 85db and small cabinet absolutely fine with my Marantz. Elac DBR62, 85db but considerably larger cabinet, not a chance in hell of being driven properly.
 

SpursGator

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Currently in the US, Rob, your Triangle Esprit Titus EZs retail for almost double the 607's, so the comparison is a bit unfair. Target.com was the cheapest I could find at $1,100. My son's 607s were $749.

I am definitely saying that the Anniversary Edition sounds different, and this from someone who never loved the predecessors' sound. And specifically, I'm saying (maybe because of the crossover upgrades, and certainly because of the lighter poly cones) that the specific thing that is improved is that they are a lot less "shouty," if we are using that word.

A lot of you guys are misusing the sensitivity "measurement" that is given by speaker manufacturers and this conversation is a good example. The Triangles are nominally 4 ohm speakers, and the B&Ws are 8 ohms. So that accounts for 3 dB right there - twice as loud, but the amplifier is working more than twice as hard. It doesn't mean anything.

Every small speaker has poor sensitivity. If one is better than another, it just means that it is in a larger cabinet or produces less bass. The B&Ws are certainly inefficient speakers - they were designed to have enough bass to be fun, in the hands of customers who largely have plenty of amplifier power.

And so what if they didn't? This sensitivity number is practically irrelevant here - you could argue that it means that if you want to play these speakers loud, you'll need a big amp. But you can't play small speakers loud anyway! You could have the most expensive amp on the planet. When you try to play a small speaker beyond a certain volume, it won't sound natural, full stop. So why worry about your amp sounding good loud, when your speakers won't sound good loud anyway? Unless you have a 2 watt SET amp, this is all just a big red herring (with bookshelf speakers).

Plus, the numbers released by manufacturers are fiction anyway. It's a bumpy response curve. Are they giving us the maximum? The minimum? The average? When I see a small speaker with a low sensitivity, literally the only reaction I have is to think, wow, they are honest (and if it's high, wow, they are liars - or maybe, damn, I hope they sell you a subwoofer with these).

I haven't heard the Triangles but I have no doubt they are excellent - opinion seems almost unanimous. I am not a fan of titanium tweeters personally. I built a set of speakers with a pair of Scan-Speak aluminium domes that alone cost as much as my son's 607's. And yeah. hard metal tweeters can give a level of transparency that is indeed jaw-dropping. The way acoustic guitar strings sound on those speakers will have you looking behind the TV for the guitar. Nonetheless I still used soft domes for every subsequent pair of speakers I built (except for one ribbon). It's a matter of taste.

Bottom line I have built at least six sets of speakers that make any of these speakers look like toys (well look is the wrong word - that continues to evolve - I meant SOUND like toys). All of them cost a LOT more than the 607s (or the Triangles), even though I was building them.

AT THIS PRICE, I feel the B&Ws are massive winners, and they do it in a way that sounds different/better than in the past, to my non-B&W-loving ears. Even with metal domes lol.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
So why worry about your amp sounding good loud, when your speakers won't sound good loud anyway?
"Loud" is of course totally relative but 80db is plenty loud enough in my room to fill it with sound and I'm usually listening at 65 to 70db. I suppose you mean party or club level loud but I don't think most people want that in their living room.

As for the Titanium tweeter, well you might think they would sound harsh but the do not, they just sound detailed. It surprised me too, I had always liked silk domed tweeters but the Titus has taught me to love another sound.

You're getting a bit ripped off in the States for the price of the B&W: you can get these here for £399 but I'm not going to feel sorry for you cos normally it's the other way round. :LOL: ;)
 
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SpursGator

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"Loud" is of course totally relative but 80db is plenty loud enough in my room to fill it with sound and I'm usually listening at 65 to 70db. I suppose you mean party or club level loud but I don't think most people want that in their living room.

OK - so - let's say my inefficient reference speakers are 83dB. That means you only need around half a watt to hit 80 dB at 1 metre distance. 2-3 watts would easily be enough to fill your room with music at greater than 80 dB, which should sound no worse than doubly efficient speakers using 1-1.5 watts.

Now in real life things are a bit more complex - more efficient speakers sound different and sound better (more dynamics, gutsier). But that is when we are talking about bigger speakers - then, sensitivity is a massively important measure IMO. But with these little bookshelf speakers, the easiest way to understand it is this:

For a given size small speaker, more bass = less sensitivity. The designer can make it bassier and require a bit more amp juice, or thinner and easier to drive.

But regardless, any solid state amp can drive any of these small speakers. Only people with tiny tube amps should even bother paying attention. I guess if you have a subwoofer it would free you to choose more efficient satellites.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Hi SpursGator I hadn't seen your reply to this last message.
It looks you know your stuff when it comes to speakers so maybe this is a chance for me to finally understand what these numbers really mean. My Triangle Titus EZ have a sensitivity of 90db, a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a minimal impedance of 3.9 ohms. The synergy with my amp (50 wpc into 8 ohms, 80 into 4 ohms) is excellent and I get a punchy, detailed sound with a tight but not particularly extended bass with ease.

Another speaker I home trialed recently I had much less success with, the Elac DBR62. These are rated at 86db sensitive and have a nominal impedance of 6 ohms (Elac doesn't specify a nominal and minimal impedance on their website). With my previous amp (Marantz m-cr603) they sounded out of puff very quickly, almost as if they had asthma and it was obvious that the amp couldn't control them. Thing is that I got the Triangles before I upgraded my amp and they already sounded very good with the little Marantz so when I got my new amp, I never tried it with the Elacs because I loved the sound of the Titus so much.

So I'm a bit puzzled. The Triangles have a higher sensitivity number so should be easier to drive. They have lower minimal impedance number, which means they'll need more power to shift them. They are small, which according to what you said, means harder to drive. The Elacs are lower sensitivity, 86db, harder to drive. The nominal impedance is rated at 6 ohms, harder to drive than the 8ohm nominal impedance of the Titus. The Elacs are significantly larger by volume than the Titus (36x21x27 vs 31x17x26), which should, from what you said, make them easier to drive. The result of my comparison of these two speakers was that the Triangles were much happier with lower powered amplification than the Elacs. But from what you said, this is a bit surprising, isn't it? Another factor I suppose we need to take into account is the impedance number. If a speaker has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms and a minimal impedance of 3.9 ohms, what impedance is it normally operating at?

That's an interesting user name you have. Is it anything to do with the London football club Tottenham hotspur?
 
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SpursGator

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Rob,

Your post illustrates exactly why these numbers are not very useful to the end user - in most cases they do not actually map to any real world results that would be useful in your buying decision.

For every speaker, when you measure the impedance or the sensitivity, you get a curve across the frequency response - it is NEVER flat. All speaker manufacturers will give you some numbers, but single numbers do a poor job capturing a curve, obviously. Even in an anechoic chamber (already not anything like your living room), how they measure can change everything (or even how they express it - "1 watt" doesn't necessarily mean at 2.8v unless they say so).

You can go online and find response and impedance curve for many popular speakers. They all look totally different from each other even though many have similar stats. A speaker's minimum impedance could be at 80 Hz or at 2000 Hz - same number, totally different speaker. Same thing with sensitivity - a speaker that hits 90 dB at 8000 Hz may not sound as loud as a speaker whose max is 88 dB at 600 Hz - there is just more music in that octave. But the stats would tell you that the first speaker is louder.

What I saying, is that these numbers are valid but not very useful - it's like comparing a BMW 3 series, a Merc S-class, and an Astin Martin Vantage by looking only at their top speeds and 0-60 times. The info you are getting is artificially gathered, may not be replicable in the real world, is easily manipulated, and is mostly irrelevant to the differences between the three cars that are actually meaningful.

A hifi system, when it's all plugged together, is one large, unified electrical circuit, from the source to the loudspeakers. You can look at individual components, make educated guesses, read reviews, ponder third-party measurements, and try to decipher what the numbers provided say about where manufacturers are placing their own products.

The bottom line is that these numbers are practically irrelevant to determining what it will all sound like when it's hooked up, which is exactly what Rob discovered. The numbers are a starting point when comparing similar speakers. But until you try it with your ears and the rest of the circuit, you never know. I built a pair of two-way floorstanders that measured at a fairly flat and efficient 89 dB, anchored by the famous 7" Revelator sliced-paper midbass from Scan-Speak. 89 dB should be easy, and they do go loud easily, but they really don't sound great with less that 300W. In fact the more power, the better they sound - they soak up the power and the bass they produce is shocking for their size. But without masses of power the grip is lacking.

Why? The answer is lower efficiency in the bottom end and stiff, low-Qms cones. But the point is that you would never be able to look at the "numbers" as a consumer and determine this. It just isn't that simple. You have to listen.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
Ok I think I understood some of that but one generality that I think I did pick up is that smaller speakers are harder to drive than larger speakers, so why isn't that so with the two speakers I talked about above, which on paper have similar specs?

Oh and by the way I think you might change your mind about Titanium tweeters sounding harsh if you heard the Titus EZ.
 

manicm

Well-known member
Ok I think I understood some of that but one generality that I think I did pick up is that smaller speakers are harder to drive than larger speakers, so why isn't that so with the two speakers I talked about above, which on paper have similar specs?

Oh and by the way I think you might change your mind about Titanium tweeters sounding harsh if you heard the Titus EZ.

It's not always given that larger speakers are easier to drive, especially as the price goes further north. It's generally true of lower rung ranges from B&W and Monitor Audio like their 600 and Bronze lines respectively. But go to the 700 and Silver series upwards and their bigger speakers are not any easier to drive, in fact MA are very honest on their paper specs, whereas with B&W on paper seem reasonable but everyone knows it's not the case in practice.
 
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The size of speakers has nothing to do with their efficiency. Generally a larger boss will give you more wiggle room but drive units and crossover components make a big difference.
Paper specs need to be investigated in their accuracy as many that do review to this level have shown the quoted specs of many speakers to be debatable at best and laughable for some.
 
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manicm

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The size of speakers has nothing to do with their efficiency. Generally a larger boss will give you more wiggle room but drive units and crossover components make a big difference.
Paper specs need to be investigated in their accuracy as many that do review to this level have shown the quoted specs of many speakers to be debatable at best and laughable for some.

True, but Monitor Audio seem to be more honest in their paper specs from Silver upwards - no 30w sugar coating there.
 
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robdmarsh

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Ok, it's just that this spursgator dude is further confusing the issue about specs seeming to say contradictory things. My experience with the three speakers I'm talking about in this thread seems to reflect the on paper specs of the manufacturer seeming to suggest they are pretty honest. It was this guy that said the thing about larger boxes being easier to drive, well not in my experience.
Elac Debut b5: 86db sensitivity, 8 ohm nominal impedance, smallish box, ok to drive with 30wpc Marantz m-cr 603. Elac DBR 62: 86db sensitive, 6 ohm, significantly bigger (6.5 inch drivers), not a hope of being driven properly by Marantz. Triangle Titus EZ: 90db sensitive, 8 ohm nominal, 3.9 ohm minimal impedance, small but slightly deeper than debut b5, driven very nicely by Marantz, and absolutely effortlessly by 50wpc Denon 800ne. I'm guessing it's the nominal and minimal impedance thing where the devil is in the detail. Anyhow, my current and last combination is a match made in heaven, not loooking to upgrade, just wanting to understand....
 
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Ok, it's just that this spursgator dude is further confusing the issue about specs seeming to say contradictory things. My experience with the three speakers I'm talking about in this thread seems to reflect the on paper specs of the manufacturer seeming to suggest they are pretty honest. It was this guy that said the thing about larger boxes being easier to drive, well not in my experience.
Elac Debut b5: 86db sensitivity, 8 ohm nominal impedance, smallish box, ok to drive with 30wpc Marantz m-cr 603. Elac DBR 62: 86db sensitive, 6 ohm, significantly bigger (6.5 inch drivers), not a hope of being driven properly by Marantz. Triangle Titus EZ: 90db sensitive, 8 ohm nominal, 3.9 ohm minimal impedance, small but slightly deeper than debut b5, driven very nicely by Marantz, and absolutely effortlessly by 50wpc Denon 800ne. I'm guessing it's the nominal and minimal impedance thing where the devil is in the detail. Anyhow, my current and last combination is a match made in heaven, not loooking to upgrade, just wanting to understand....
Minimal impedance is everything.....
 

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