2.1 fronts to 5.1 rears

[p203557]

Hi there,

I'm considering buying either B&W DM601 S2 or B&W DM602 S2 speakers. Their initial use will be as the fronts in a stereo only system which I then intend to upgrade to 5.1 when they would be used as the rear speakers with hopefully better speakers for the fronts. The price difference is about £50 to get the 602's but then they are quite a bit bigger and not as mrs friendly. Any advice gratefully received. If I go for the smaller 601's will they be a bit lacking in bass for music? If it makes a difference they will probably be powered by an Arcam alpha 7 amp in stereo then an Arcam avr300 or the new 350 upon upgrade.

Thanks,

Richard

[Knyght_byte]

what size is the room they going in?

the 601's still carry a reasonably good bass.....but if the room is quite big then the 602's would definitely fill it up more....

anyhow, you could always get the 601's first, then add a sub as your first upgrade to the world of 5.1.......make sure it can be connected via high level connection, that way you can hook it up to your Alpha 7 and it can underpin the 601's.......then eventually add your other speakers and surround amp :-)

Altho dont forget to check out some of the opposition at the price point, various makes exist that give the somewhat older B&W's a run for their money....it mostly comes down to what kind of music you listen to most to decide the speaker.....some suit classical, some rock, some dance etc.......oh, also a lot of the more recent models are liable to be a lot more Mrs friendly in the looks department....heh

examples would be KEF, Monitor Audio, Quad, Castle (i think they do speakers that cheap, not sure tho) plus various others.....check a few shop websites then look for review both on magazine websites AND on forums like here.......
then get a demoing!!!...heh

[Miniholic]

If you're set on the B&W's I'd go for the 601's if you intend to use them for surrounds at a later date, as unless you have a big room, 602's will probably be a little OTT (not to mention the WAF). You could always keep 602's up front and add 601's as surrounds later though.

If you are considering 2.1 from the start, then you will probably get away with smaller speakers, as the lows will be handled by the sub.

But, as Knyght_byte says, there are lots of other options in this price range. I've got 600's and have no intention of swapping them for some time, but be sure to check out the competition.

Castle did do some speakers in the same price range (my ex had a set, great speakers) but I'm not up to speed on their current range.

[p203557]

Thanks for the replies. The room is about 12' by 22' although I will be listening across the 12' bit of it. The main reason I'm looking at the 601 / 602's is that there are some on the classified forum here and I'm on a budget. I'll be having a quick look at what I can get new for similar price and then will probably make an offer.