Ed Selley
Hi-Fi Editor
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I think it has something to with the continuum drivers, not sure though, so the color needs to be the same.Why cannot we have all the drivers the same colour?
A lot of people do not like B&W tweeters, apparently.I’ve demoed the Bowers speakers last summer.
They sound quite good the midrange (voices particularly), but the upper midrange sounds shrill in my ears.
Bass is extended, deep yet not as punchy as I’d expect from class leading speakers.
Treble sound metallic too.
If Dynaudio has less expensive speakers I’d rather buy them
Like me. I had 685 s2's and found them incredibly fatiguing. Wanted to swap them out after a month, but couldn't afford to for nearly 3 years.A lot of people do not like B&W tweeters, apparently.
I don't see why they can't have the drivers in a different colour unless the material makes it impossible. Other manufacturers have changed the colour of their cones without affecting sound quality. Monitor Audio Monitor series are available in black cones (4g) as well as the orange cones (3g) and the specs are exactly the same. Dali have made the cones darker in the Opticon mark 2 series.I think it has something to with the continuum drivers, not sure though, so the color needs to be the same.
Yesterday I was listing to these speakers with Hegel H190.Looking the earlier 603 model review which is going to be close to S2, measurements and owners thoughts from another sites they have said the speaker can sound very different depending of toe in. James at Audioholics felt that only slight toe in max is needed or shooting straight ahead, they can become overly bright (see on-axis). Also the dip at 2kHz is not ideal. Typical B&W house sound? Actually quite many says "show room sound" and bit tiring for long term, although one should definitely play with the toe in angle. For movies something like Audussey will flatten the response if doing full range correction.
Remember those yellow drivers.I don't see why they can't have the drivers in a different colour unless the material makes it impossible. Other manufacturers have changed the colour of their cones without affecting sound quality. Monitor Audio Monitor series are available in black cones (4g) as well as the orange cones (3g) and the specs are exactly the same. Dali have made the cones darker in the Opticon mark 2 series.
They remind me of the old Wharefedale Diamond 8 series and the Nautilus 805Remember those yellow drivers.
This is exactly the reason listening to speakers for an hour in a demo room makes no sense in most cases. One has to live with them a while.Like me. I had 685 s2's and found them incredibly fatiguing. Wanted to swap them out after a month, but couldn't afford to for nearly 3 years.
This is exactly why buying speakers without listening is a lottery. These speakers aren't for me but are perfect for you/your room. Neither of us are wrong. We just have different preferences and rooms.I managed to listen to the 603 S1 in a decent listening room, with the same amp that I was intending to purchase with them - an Arcam AVR550. I also managed a good half hour listening to loads of music without interruption- Sevenoaks in Reading were really patient to secure the sale
They really are superb. Personally I don’t find the treble fatiguing at all, but very neutral and accurate, but then I did ask for them to have minimal toe-in and do the same at home. This also helps with the stereo imaging: if you toe them in a lot it sounds awful but at almost-straight it’s spot on.
Day to day I find them very accurate and great to listen to and fill a decent size room. I don’t think they’re as musical as some speakers nudging the £2k mark but then mine cost me £1.1k just after release and I actually think that the neutrality helps them perform better when in a surround set with the 606 and HTM-6.
The build quality is superb as noted but very brutal looking (which I like but my wife hates). Overall I’m very very happy with them.
Worth noting I run them bi-amped which imo makes quite a difference and they sound a lot better with the Arcam than on my cheaper Denon. The Arcam gives them much more oomph as well as pairing really nicely for sound.