LOUDSPEAKERS
think that was from the 13Hz parts of the LFE
channel on this movie, but there was certainly
significant stuff in the 20Hz region, and even a
bit below.
There was also plenty of capacity in this
subwoofer. It went loud. It wasn’t so much a
matter of keeping up with the other speakers in
the system. It was more a question of whether they
could keep up with it. Don’t worry, they could.
But we would not be averse to combining this
sub with a higher-end speaker system. As it was,
given the dependence of the whole system on the
subwoofer for deep bass, it proved to meld pretty
much perfectly with the other speakers both in
surround and stereo modes.
Just to make sure our impressions were right,
we measured the output of the subwoofer, with our
measurement microphone placed up close to the
sub’s cone. It came in at 21 to 111Hz ±3dB. Add
one more decibel of latitude and it reached out to
145Hz at the top end. And for the -6dB point? We
had it at 18.3Hz. That’s pretty incredible from a
subwoofer that’s a little more than a foot on a side.
It shows what a good company can do with gobs
of power and a very, very sturdy box.
When we did our stereo listening, we did what
we normally do: we chose the ‘Direct’ mode on the
home theatre receiver. With Denon receivers that
cuts out the subwoofer and ensures that there is
no signal processing. Part way through the stereo
listening we changed our listening regime. You
see, while we enjoyed the sound immensely from
the pair of 603 speakers, and had they been the
sole elements of the speaker system we would have
remained satisfied, we felt that even with stereo
music they would benefit from the addition of a
little more bass. So we switched to ‘Stereo’ mode,
and made sure all processing was switched off
except for the bass crossover.
With that added heft,
the sound was extremely
good. With or without,
stereo imaging was
excellent, with a fine
three-dimensional
sense. With that
sub in place, tonal
balance was very
nearly perfect,
with no emphasis
on any part of
the spectrum
over the rest,
and fine detail
throughout.The Denon receiver is rated at 105W per
channel, so a middling output. Given the quite low
sensitivity of the 607 speakers used for surround,
we were a little concerned that they might run
out of capacity — or the amplifier might — with
surround-heavy material. That turned out not to
be the slightest problem.
We ran through several of the movies and
scenes which truly test the surround performance
of a speaker system, not least the street battle
in ‘Heat’. That has much-louder-than-usual
gunshots from the full 360-degree soundstage,
including the rear and side/rear directions. The
607s didn’t falter in the least, happy delivering
the bite and impact (supplemented a little by the
sub) that this scene required.
For a more up-to-date cinema sound we tried
out the opening catastrophe Superman is inflicting
on a city in ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’.
Given all the buildings being destroyed, this has
a bass-heavy track, and even at near-cinema levels
it was delivered with power and authority by
the system. But it was this which decided us on
switching the front crossover frequency back to
the higher setting. The front speakers seemed to be
lacking just a little of the truly deep stuff.
The speaker system was also fine with subtler
surround tracks. The ambient mix, gentle insects,
drops of water, on ‘Atonement’ sounded simply
beautiful.
We do confess to liking deep, deep bass. Clear
and tight, of course, but strong bass extension
is one of the things that really tickles us. The
subwoofer with this system simply belied its size.
The bass was clear and tight, and we expected
nothing less from a B&W subwoofer. But it was
also remarkably extended. With ‘Titan
A.E.’ there was a true sense of bodily
impact during the opening
minutes as the earth
is destroyed.
We don’t
CONCLUSION
‘Entry level’ is a relative term. The Bowers &
Wilkins 600 Series system again demonstrates that
an ‘entry level’ floorstander-led B&W loudspeaker
system is better than top-of-the-line systems from
many other brands.Bowers & Wilkins 600
Series 5.1-channel
speaker package- Fine ‘English’-style sound
- Brilliant value for money
- Attractive styling and build
- Somewhat reliant on quality electronics
Package price: $6246B&W 603 front speakers x 2
Price: $2699 (pair)
Drivers: 1 x 25mm tweeter, 1 x 150mm
midrange, 2 x 165mm bass
Frequency response: 48-28kHz (-3dB);
29-33kHz (-6dB)
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 88.5dB (2.83V@1m)
Cabinet: Bass reflex (rear port)
Dimensions (hwd): 1055 x 190 x 320mm
(370mm incl. plinth)
Weight (each): 24.1kg
B&W HTM6 centre speaker
Price: $799
Drivers: 1 x 25mm dome tweeter,
2 x 130mm bass/midrange
Frequency response: 72-28kHz (-3dB);
42-33kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 87dB (2.83V@1m)
Cabinet: Bass reflex (rear port)
Dimensions (hwd): 160 x 480 x 279mm
Weight: 9.2kg
B&W 607 speakers (surround) x 2
Price: $949 (pair)
Drivers: 1 x 25mm dome tweeter,
1 x 130mm bass/midrange
Frequency response: 52-28kHz (-3dB);
40-33kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 84dB (2.83V@1m)
Cabinet: Bass reflex (rear port)
Dimensions (hwd): 300 x 165 x 231mm
Weight (each): 5.6kg
B&W ASW610XP subwoofer
Price: $1799
Driver: 1 x 250mm cone
Frequency response: 25-140Hz (-3dB);
-6dB at 18 hertz
Power output: 500W
Inputs: 2 x RCA, L+R speaker-level binding
post inputs
Cabinet: Closed
Dimensions (hwd): 337 x 325 x 375mm
Weight: 18.65kgContact: B&W Australia
Telephone: 02 9196 8990
Website: http://www.bowers-wilkins.net