All the 5 Star Reviews Can't Be Wrong. Can it? Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 anniversary speaker review

[@Jayiyagi]

Many people in the comments seem to think the 606 is a bad speaker because it has those requirements- the thing they seem to forget is… every speaker benefits from proper placement… the 606 is just more sensitive because of how they are tuned just like how mangepans are sensitive because of their design. The OUTCOME is a that of a rewarding one. related videos: Rotel A11 review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmakgX-LYshnorM NAD C298 review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHavaYeqetalrpY Line Magnetic 805ia review: Coming Soon similar: Willsenton R800i review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZDUdZygfZ11Y7s This video is not sponsored for more info on how we work: nbtsmedia.com/about-us/ Speaker stands: amzn.to/3ssRhI3 Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7-vintage-hi-fi-speaker-stands/ acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/ acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM BDI Cabinet I use: bit.ly/2OJRwQQ amzn.to/3chBuFZ other BDI Cabinets: bit.ly/3ctxXV1 amzn.to/30bsUCH 0:00 Intro 1:21 Specs & B&W Sound Tuning 2:08 B&W 606 S2 vs Elac Debut Reference 3:27 B&W 606 S2 Drivers 4:14 B&W 606 S2 Speaker Placement 7:44 Amplifiers for B&W 606 S2 Speakers 10:46 B&W 606 S2 Sound Review 20:03 B&W 6060 S2 Value 20:48 End Of Review

[@CatchyNameF1]

Proper placement is totally different from changing your setup to a degree where you have to move your seating position 4 feet, buy new speaker stands and replace the amp. Having a speaker that can play with 10% of the amps on the market is not ideal. I wouldn't make the sacrifices to make this speaker just listenable and tolerate it. This speaker is for people with hearing loss. It has it's crowd for sure..

[@Jayiyagi]

@@CatchyNameF1 I don’t have hearing loss (tested every year) and I enjoyed these speakers immensely

[@CatchyNameF1]

@@Jayiyagi The self censoring thing is like earwax.. it polishes the harsh highs and vanishes fatigue. I got fatigued within 15 minutes. I guess that is why you are the reviewer.. Let's hope it stays in your set up for years for you to enjoy!!

[@andreasmoller9798]

@@CatchyNameF1 i use b&w for years i can listen for hours with no listen fatigue, i don’t use the 606 and i never heard that speaker

[@wa2368]

@@Jayiyagi I, hereby, name thee "Anti Robinson"....A for Anti.

[@RumblestripDotNet]

Let me make this simple. These B&W's are like a hot, high-maintenance girlfriend. Occasionally it's great, most of the time it takes way more effort than it's worth, and takes a crap ton of money to keep her happy.

[@Jayiyagi]

That made me laugh

[@epi2045]

Wait till you meet a Magnepan for a girlfriend…

[@asm200sx]

They sound great matched with my NAD C368 which is still reasonably priced.

[@Jayiyagi]

@@asm200sx good to know

[@laowho]

Does that mean you need another set of speakers on the side for when you're tired of the B&W's

[@WhiteBubblySoup]

Andrew Robinson really went out of his way to dog these. Makes you wonder if there's more to the backstory. Having said that, if you have to have a 48w class A tube amp, pull the speakers four feet from the wall and have your ears within a 2 inch sweet spot to make these sound good, this speaker will not appeal to many people.

[@Jayiyagi]

Agreed but magnepan LRS has more requirements and they appealed to many people. So who knows

[@WhiteBubblySoup]

@@Jayiyagi the difference is a planar speaker is such a niche product that the buyer likely has an idea of what they’re getting into. Whereas these look like any other bookshelf. I would bet 99% of buyers plop these down next to a wall like any other stand mount.

[@epi2045]

I’m a fan of Andrew but he’s dead wrong on it. The very things he disliked about them, were reasons why I would like them.

[@epi2045]

@@Jayiyagi True that! My first 3 pairs of Magnepan’s pushed me into amplifiers costing $5K plus. But I love Magnepans!!! But I also like B&Ws, Zu Audio, Sonus Faber, Wilson’s, too!

[@Jayiyagi]

@@WhiteBubblySoup yea I agree. On the other hand, people shouldn’t be plopping down any speaker in non-ideal situations anyways. Many people in the comments seem to think the 606 is a bad speaker because it has those requirements- the thing they seem to forget is… every speaker benefits from proper placement… the 606 is more just more sensitive because of how they are tuned just like how mangepans are sensitive because of their design

[@Ebergerud]

I've had a pair for about four months and like them a lot. They play 100% classical in a well padded room. They're nicely powered by a Sherwood AVR. The detail is good and that's important to my music. And they look good.

[@techsamurai11]

I have to disagree or agree with this review assuming it's berating B&W for making such a speaker. This is the entry level speaker for B&W, not the Klipsch Lascala🙂 It should be easy to position, I can listen to it standing up, I can listen to it sitting down, I can listen to it while doing headstands, you get the point. You shouldn't have to move it around, you shouldn't have to sit at a certain height with the entire family hugging to find the speaker's sweet spot. It needs to create a soundstage that satisfies regardless of where you're standing. In short, everyone should be able to buy and enjoy this speaker just as I've enjoyed my 2 pairs of 601 S3 which were made in England and cost half the money. Sure, did the 601s sound better when placed on better weight-loaded stands? Sure. Did it sound better with a great toroidal AVR? Sure. But it also sounded incredibly good on top of my TV stand (pre-Flat TVs) and on cheaper stands.

[@hypnotechno]

start at YT channel please. I am subscribed

[@rsolsjo]

Just realized how rare it is to have both the tweeter and woofer placed that high up together. Leaves a lot of blank space at the bottom when it's not front ported.

[@godswitness3105]

common engineering. Having the woofer centre mounted minimises baffle reflection. Tweeters generaaly are not colored by negative sound reflections like woofers are. Now look at the rear port placement inline with the woofer replacement. front porting may suffer polarity issues the air from the port cancels the air movement (sound waves) from the speaker. Ahah moment!

[@dazaudio2131]

I had the original version and thought they were great, it's nice to see a review that explains why some people could be having problems with them instead of outright bashing them.

[@vitogenovese1586]

It might all depend on your room. My room is absorbant and the 606 and other bright speakers shine. Dali etc sound boring.

[@HifiundMusik]

Thank you for your Review!! By this 606 you can only listen to yourself, it‘s harsh, no it is shiny….so many different meanings. I own the 606 (not S2), i‘ am be about to sell them. Yes it‘s B&W Sound, and i normally love the Sound, but it‘s a little overdone. I know thats not all, and the room and electronic are important to a speaker, but look at the measurement diagrams, there are significant highs and lows in the Critical Frequencies of listening. In my option, they want a quick effect at the first hearing, maybe to sell it better in comparison to other speakers. They not bad over all. The Continium Driver is a Midway construction without suspension. The Material is much to soft for Bass Performance. Now i look for a previous Generation of B&W Speakers, 805 (S) or CDM 1 SE. Sorry for my not perfect english, and greetings from Germany, stay safe!!

[@sean_heisler]

That's the Elac Uni-Fi Reference, not the Debut Reference.

[@ZeroFidelity]

I laughed my butt off when I noticed this. I'm glad I'm not the only one who makes those kinda mistakes in a very public way. :D.

[@TheBishopFury]

Moreover, comments on the speaker sound exactly like the criticism on the DBR62 when actually compared to Unify Reference: that they're on the "safe sound" side...euphonic, forgiving...(forget about ASR review for the moment). I wonder what 606s would sound "safe" in comparison to...:)

[@josefernando3119]

@@ZeroFidelity some people need to chill, sometimes we take things personally and we’re forgetting all speakers are not for everyone, we all have different taste btw i love your reviews I respect you. Peace out

[@kevinwest1607]

I've actually got a chance to listen to these and I like a bright speaker I thought these were a little bright for my taste and I even listened to a Klipsch speakers that I own kind of weird.

[@juanbaclavab]

I have just bought them brand new after listening to them on an hour long demo next to the Triangle Borea 03's. The aspect that instantly made me buy them is their tweeter. They generate an image that I've never heard before. Wide and tall, it's like some giant invisible PA's are sitting right in front of me. The Triangles are very good speakers but sound less exciting, have less spark on the top end but their tweeter is just normal, you instantly know where the tweeters are at; but with the 606 s2's they disappear into the whole room

[@jaakanshorter]

When I had B&W's 605 I had them in a 30 x 12 room, ~7 feet from the rear wall. I was lucky enough to try AB, tubes, hybrid power amps on them at the time. I had speakers from Genesis with ribbon tweeters to compare them. That was almost 15 to 20 years ago. My ears were too sensitive and still are for them. Now the B&W's with the diamond tweeters I liked, 800D sig when it first came out was one of the ones I heard at the Time. I listen to music for hours I just couldn't with the 60x. Those B&W's seem to be made for people with hearing issues in the upper end. It's not a bad thing but just not for me.

[@johnbolton7657]

I've had a pair of 606's for a couple of years on Atacama stands bi-wired to a Marantz PM7000N and absolutely love them. Tbh I like B&W's so they are perfect for me at this price range. I don't find them too bright but love how dynamic they are. Not for everyone but like you say that's all down to taste.

[@Peter-tc3ep]

Love my older B&W Nautilus speakers but anything after they started with diamond tweeters is out for me, around 2010 buy out. B&W pre diamond tweeters had classic British sound now many B&W speakers are just much more bright and at times harsh.

[@fallenpumpkinhead]

Hearing you say I'm not going to waste your time and getting to the point is so refreshing. Thank you. Subscribed and liked.

[@puciohenzap891]

The problem is that you're buying a speaker that is designed for a certain sound curve, not neutral sound. B&W has a very distinct house sound with exaggerated highs. They are perfect dealer's speaker - get that 'wow!' effect in the first 5-10 minutes just to get the speaker sold.

[@RennieAsh]

683 S2 is not exaggerated to me. More of a dip in the upper mid . The 606 was definitely brighter

[@vrsekodkofoly]

Didn´t sold them and not planning it : ))

[@chucksimonds5164]

This review was deep, but one of your best! It really focused on the importance of placement. Of course, the speaker still has to provide the goods. Well Done!

[@DougMen1]

If you have to lock your head in a vise, then the speaker has extremely poor polar response and is very poorly designed. That shouldn't be the case in a $900 speaker!

[@solomonstewart1025]

Indeed!! One should not have work so hard at this price...probably what passed off AR.

[@Justwantahover]

I got some B&W 706s as reference speakers for my speaker building hobby. And I couldn't do without my reference speakers even though my made speakers flog my B&Ws.

[@Justwantahover]

Tip them up a bit by putting an eraser under each front corner might help. A half inch higher at the front.

[@stevezeidman7224]

Too many requirements for placement. If you misplace it because of room dimension or can’t afford a tube amp, like many people can’t buying a $900 speaker, this speaker will be a horror show. I think that’s the point of the negative reviews. Most people buying a speaker this price want to take it home, set it up and listen.

[@MichelLinschoten]

Doesn't that go for any speaker tho? I don't think any true audio enthusiast, expects their speakers to be plug and play and done.

[@stevezeidman7224]

I guess my answer will be to a certain degree. I’ve messing about with this stuff for very long time and a certain amount of placement alterations should be expected. When you start having to worry about whether the tweeter is higher by inches one way or the other. I guess that is excessive to me. This applies to me. I’m not trying to make a general statement that applies to everyone.

[@sdemosi]

I agree. This amount of fussiness for a bookshelf /stand mount speaker is off putting. Requires placement over 4ft into a room. My AV dealer recommends at least 80 cm which is unusual for them. Has poor off axis response in both lateral and vertical directions. Requires expensive amplification and even then the mids are a bit thin. It's just not worth it for me. My AV dealer recommends replacing the metal links between the bi-wire binding posts with the same speaker cable used to connect to the amp. 🤷‍♂️ Holy shit this is fussiness! The goldilocks of speakers. I'd put the effort into an expensive floorstander but for me, and many others I suspect , I look for more convenience in a stand mounter. I just wonder what B&W engineers are thinking? "Our brand is such that people will change their rooms and equipment to get a good sound from our speakers" . At this price is it acceptable that they can say it sounds rubbish with a Rotel a11 Tribute, for instance? Maybe the rewards are worth it but everyone buying this should know what they're getting into. More work than a 702S2 Sig... 🤦‍♂️

[@tonyhodgkinson4586]

In my younger days, I hated bright speakers, now I'm older I need a brighter speaker. To really enjoy B&W you need to go up the range to the 800 series.

[@findingwithterry]

Andrew Robinson making waves? Anyway, fun to hear a counterpoint. I agree that taste and differences in hearing make a big impact on how a speaker "sounds". I guess this is why you have to test listen for yourself before buying.

[@Jayiyagi]

absolutely try before you buy !

[@gbmwaz]

I find him painful to watch as his wife stumbles thru her "opinion".....I don't know why he does that....

[@timleelim9930]

@@gbmwaz So you'd say: "Mrs Robinson, you're trying to confuse me, ... aren't you"?😊

[@mikrophonie5633]

​@@gbmwaz Lol, AR does it because he's whipped. Having her blather from behind the camera for 15 minutes at the end of every video is an extremely poor decision, especially if YT is his main source of income.

[@r423sdex]

Don’t bother trying them, they will drive you nuts after a week.

[@randomtube8226]

I definitely did not hate them. Just wasn't for me. Actually asked myself the same question. As to why I preferred the sound of Klipsch. Even though the treble is brighter. Maybe because its in a horn. Not sure 🤔

[@BookClubDisaster]

what's weird is I have the 606 S3's and the Klipsch 600m's and to me the the 606's are actually brighter. But one reason to prefer Klipsch is the bass is much more present. B&W bass seems more analytical, you can hear it but not feel it in the same way.

[@igaldins]

I don't like B&W speakers in general. They sound artificial to me. Only the really expensive models sound good to my taste.

[@paulwibb.8944]

Lots of speakers nowadays sound artificial, I went threw a few before settling on a pair of Sonus Fabers,they were the most natural sounding & non fatiguing.

[@igaldins]

@@paulwibb.8944 i like sonus faber, dynaudio and q acoustics

[@MrSouzy]

@@paulwibb.8944 which model ? I remember trying some Auditors a long time ago. I almost bought them. They were by far (and I mean far) the best bookshelf speakers I ever heard.

[@yogiwp_]

Do they **demand** good room treatment? Could that be the cause for the polarizing high freq impressions?

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Depends. Sometimes you can "toe them" straight ahead to tame the treble. Sometimes room reflection won't let you. Start thinking about carpet, sofa, drapes. The speaker is affordable. You may have to spend on absorbtion via furniture. And you are just working around the speaker flaws. Better: start with a more forgiving speaker.

[@CesarRomeroTheOriginal]

It’s a very cinematic sounding speaker. It’s in your face and I love it

[@hypnotechno]

in that case maybe its what i want. for TV speakers

[@michaell5189]

Great review! Thank you so much for doing this very thoughtful and sophisticated video. I have the original 606s, which I have always felt has some really worthwhile qualities...but the high frequency response was always a little too much for me. After seeing your video, I have restored my 606s to a relatively prominent position (main speakers in a 3rd system) and placed them higher up so that my ears are level with the top of the woofer--perfect. I have them paired with a NuPrime IDA-8, which is a good combination (somewhat relaxed Class A+D amplifier with good detail and round punchy base, in my opinion). This position gives me nice soundstage, imaging, and micro-details without fatigue, even on recordings where the higher frequencies are emphasized. It's still on the brighter side, but a little extra sunshine can be a good thing. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy the 606s. Bravo!

[@DougMen1]

I haven't heard either in person, but in the KZbin videos of both, the original 606 is less sucked out in the mids and less shrill on top than the S2 is. I'd much rather have the original that you have over the new one

[@bobb.9917]

@@DougMen1 Why own either when their are so many other choices out there that don't burn your ears?

[@vitogenovese1586]

@@DougMen1 i also own the originals. They are very good. B&W bumped the curve when they wanted wow for the aniversary edition. Thus the mixed reviews.

[@johngregory8103]

They do take some running in, but once 'looser' I find them to be the right blend of articulate and accurate, not bright. I agree with the video on their great sound on vocals, but also a nice tight 'dry' bass. Excellent value imo. Available in UK for £479.00. That is feally good for a sound as sophisticated and measured as the 606 S2... I like 'em

[@hypnotechno]

@@bobb.9917 elaborate please

[@craigboyd542]

I run B&Ws 603s ( series 1) with Rotel separates - no issues with being too bright - or fatiguing- you can very quickly forget how loud it’s playing- main issue is the sensitivity with placement ( 2 feet from the back of the speaker to the wall and the sound stage becomes 3D - but any closer and it’s very flat although stretches way beyond the speaker sound stage) and the difference in sound by leaning forward or back even a few inches on how it changes. I am surprised by the mixed reviews of the 606 speaker though and its polarising effect on reviews- but thanks for your insights on this issue

[@netnakul]

By an chance the Elac is actually the "Uni-Fi" Reference? (rather than the Debut Ref). Additionally, I personally respect all honest review, good or bad (especially bad ones cause they're so rare in hifi industry, even you have to come out a make a video). Any logical viewer should know it's based on their environment and equipments.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

The DBR62 is an excellent speaker. The new Uni-Fi UFR6 is good, but they raised the price a LOT. Currently testing and comparing with last gen Uni-Fi 52

[@Raymondey]

Looking forward for Elac Uni-Fi Reference review 👍

[@nicktaylor7680]

I have the previous 685 S2 and they had similar criticisms and I had a love- hate relationship with them. Female vocals especially could be harsh -then I discovered DSP in Roon. I got the frequency response graph and dialed the peaks out then fine tuned it for the room doing this took out a lot of the trial and error. I am now very pleased with these speakers-DSP is a game changer to hell with what the purists say!

[@mattmcmaniac]

I power these with a Bluesound Powernode and they sound amazing.

[@RuiChambel]

I have a pair of B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition with a Pro-Ject Amp Box S3, in my bedroom, and they sound amazing (for the speaker size and price), helped by the amp's "smooth" sound. The living room system is a "bit" difference 😁

[@matthewhilty4209]

Glad to hear to your thoughts on this. It is not only a matter of taste, some speakers don't work well in some rooms. Room placement is key.

[@hypnotechno]

good

[@damianzaninovich4900]

Great take. These speakers have an exposed dome mounted near the top with wide dispersion, not so common these days. Their best speakers have a separate tweeter on top which even takes it to another level. Horns have controlled dispersion and probably sound okay if your room is highly reflective. A speaker like the KLH 5 with a big baffle will also probably sound good in that type of room. I think it’s also interesting how some manufacturers try to isolate the tweeter from vibration while some have the tweeter in the midrange where all hell is breaking loose, so there are different ways to get good sound yet they all involve compromise. Your room looks like a good sounding room unlike some I’ve seen on KZbin.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

I got B&W Nautilus 805 as my 2. hifi speaker and ran it with gear that was either not good or powerful enough (revealing and demanding speaker with tough impedance curves and phase swings) and boy can they punish you. Pair them to the right gear and setup then us properly in the right room though and they can sing!

[@HomeTheatre101]

I honestly love mine! 🤷🏼‍♂️ Some of my favorite Speakers to this day!

[@fletchermunson6225]

I'm shallow. I like a good looking speaker. These are two great looking speakers.

[@gb3496]

Sorry but most people do not want, or put, their bookshelf speakers 4 1/2 feet out from the wall... and then have to fool around with between the tweeter and mid/woofer ear placement - especially people who buy speakers in this price range.

[@Jayiyagi]

fair enough

[@gizzy2403]

Tweaking a speaker by towing in/out, pulling farther/closer to th wall, or even changing speaker wire are all normal perfectionist/audiophile things. When you have on hand numerous high- end amps & try them all ( including tube) & you can only tolerate th treble by decreasing it on Amp to ( -6 ). Hell, even Klipsch, Focal & KEF aren't that bright, respectively. Sounds like B&W have created a temperamental monster. No thanks🍻

[@Jayiyagi]

@@gizzy2403 I'm assuming you've heard them?

[@gizzy2403]

@@Jayiyagi No, sadly not. Th only hifi shop left here a few yrs ago. I used to go in & listen to their Nautilus series, & I miss that & miss brick & mortar a lot. I paid attention to Andrew Robinson video b/c I was actually shocked he had harsh things to say about B&W product, which he usually raves about. I was for sure he had a damaged or defective pair but he bought a 2nd pair to rule that out. His review seemed brutally honest & he normally tries to find th positive. I have no reason to doubt him

[@Jayiyagi]

@@gizzy2403 you are not him. You should listen for yourself. Cheers

[@Ebergerud]

I bought a pair of 606s two months ago. I play classical CDs 100%. The speakers are efficient so my Sherwood AV (100 wpc) powers them with ease. My room is very "damp". I also live in a condo, and will never rock the walls. And my ears are north of 70 years old. I've got them about 18" off the wall, and sit well below the tweeter. Altogether I'm very pleased. I like the detail - classical music begs for it. And if they're bright, my damp room and old ears bring them down to earth. Mine are pine color with grey covers - they look very good. I have no idea if there were other speakers out there in the same point that I would have liked better. I do know that I like these a lot and expect them to enjoy them for years. (BTW, at my house I've got a multichannel SACD system with BW 601s - maybe 12 years old - 8" drivers anyway - and they sound great too - and there I can rattle the walls.)

[@splfordayz9050]

I do agree with you people like different sound signatures. For me, I have never been a huge B&W fan as I find them too bright and fatiguing. In a showroom, I can see where they stand out, vs a more neutral sounding system during a brief listening test. With such great EQ options now, it is much easier to take a neutral speaker and elevate the highs a db or two (say above 2Khz or so and up) if you want that sound. The problem with these B&W speakers is that if you look at the measured response, there are dips and peaks that you really cannot EQ out as some of them are resonances in the cabinet. But people like what they like. If you are a B&W fan you likely won't be as bothered.

[@godswitness3105]

this is what happens when your not an engineer or do not understand sound waves and frequencies. Speaker stands WILL NOT effect soundstage nor volume. Tweeters on the other hand are directional toing a speaker in and out will effect volume of the tweeter. Eg the BW606 is a little bright on axis(toed in to sitting position) toeing them out will bring the brightness (volume) of the tweeter down in relation to its woofer. Otherwise a review on point! Andrew uses YT presence to control BW think about it, how many 100s of thousand Andrew effected BW sales. Now a series later (most probably paid by BW) the S3 of the same speaker magically is highly revered. Marketing and propaganda he lives off reviews its his job. Speakers are subjective, how many reviewers have mentioned as we age we lose the ability to hear at these higher freqs. That's why BW sound great to older listeners....Younger people with great hearing the tweeter may sound brighter than the woofer. If that's the case eq them -3db

[@kabes-us]

Would love to hear you thoughts on Harbeth speakers. I’ve never seen you review any.

[@jaigill7134]

Sounds like too much hard work to enjoy them

[@r423sdex]

The only way I could enjoy them ,was when they were on EBay.

[@stevepk8742]

The acoustic of the room and the equips

[@zeissiez]

I like Jay's reviews, because he always get to the important points.

[@tataemumu]

Great review! I got these 2 months ago. I can confirm about everything in this review. 1. B&W have their own sound signature nothing to do with the 606. 2. Yeah the tweeter is harsh, especially with Metal or bad recording. Positioning resolves the issue partially, with a tube amp this issue is almost gone. At this price point something got to give. The carbon soft dome tweeter on the 700 series is still bright but less harsh. With the 600 you get 80% of the performance at half the price, and it is absolutely great.

[@Keithwithfever]

So basically the stars have to line up for these speakers to sounds good. Some other comments here are on the spot. People who is able to do all the requirements will not be buying speakers at this price range.

[@benmills1837]

Keith......your opening sentence is absolutely brilliant. Yes, it seems that there needs to be a lot of initial work to be done in order to get a good sound from these speakers.

[@1997inspire]

The woofer in the 606 S2 is not the same driver used in the 800 series, it only uses the same cone material.The 800 driver has no rubber surround, uses a different spider and is optimized for midrange performance while the 606 driver is optimized for bass and midrange.

[@funkyfurballs1078]

I've found the B&W's sound much better for Rock/Metal but you can sweeten the vocal midrange with a nice tube amp.

[@brown-eyedman4040]

I've owned 3 pairs of B&Ws before the 606s, so if anything I'd say that I (used to) like the B&W 'house sound'. But I've got to say that I really don't care for the 606s at all. Way to bright and forward. Tubes don't help, placement didn't resolve the issues, cables made them dull or left them still too bright. Maybe they sound OK in the short term, like a review, but after a couple of years I gave up and took them out of my system.

[@lowrider007007]

Jay makes a very important point here regarding the 606, "the right amount sibilance", a lot of people won't understand this, why would you want any sibilance at all? I like the 606 because of this attribute, it's makes them fantastic for live recordings with good female or male vocals, I don't want my speakers to sound too comfortable, just as in real life sound isn't always 'comfortable', listen to a live band in a small venue and you'll know what I mean! Jay is correct about the down sides, these speakers do genuinely require work in terms of placement, that is the main negative about the 606, they need a lot of space to breath, a lot imo, but once they are set up right they are very rewarding, you sit in that sweet spot, close your eyes while listening to some good recordings and they do disappear.

[@init4fun]

Those are ELAC Uni-fi Reference 3-way concentric bookies, not ELAC Debut 2-way References.

[@thomasb4128]

To me the 606 is way too bright. With a lot of effort you can tame them, but this is not the most realistic scenario. We are talking about entry level. By the way: B&W recommends to place the 606 near to the wall, so that brightness is intended.

[@joeygonzo]

yup. yup.

[@hypnotechno]

really? they say that?/

[@stevenswall]

Taste? If someone prefers green magenta tint on their TV, we can call that taste, sure, but put next to a calibrated TV, I think most would see it as wrong... Yet people seem to think audio doesn't have anything similar to accuracy to strive for. People should think of accurate speakers more as a clean plate, or not adding pepper to every single dish, where colored speakers "add pepper" or tint to everything you hear. Curious if there is any point at which it's no longer taste and you rightly qualify something as a bad speakers with poor acoistic design and ragged frequency response. Maybe something 10dB brighter? Is it fair to call something a bad speaker if the number of people who would prefer it to even a budget Elac approaches zero? Speakers should rightly be criticized if they aren't anywhere close to best in category. "Forget this speakers unless you like a very bright sound" seems fair, though I'd highlight the other issues... It doesn't just have an upward tilt, which would be less offensive.

[@TheBishopFury]

Ruling out those who have been fooled by the quick audio store presentation of "attractively" (means: boosted in highs and mid-bass for example) voiced speakers, there are people out there who actually like colored, if not highly colored, audio gear - now, with You and maybe me thinking well of our tastes in this regard and our ability to spot the proper balance in things, we won't go out and keep telling people what they should like, will we? Best case scenario, we would end up considered patronizing jerks, worst, we would start hearing "to Soviet Russia with You!...";) Just a little joke.

[@andreasmoller9798]

Speakers is all about taste

[@stevenswall]

@@andreasmoller9798 Blind tests show convergence on similarities, not random divergence which would suggest things are more a matter of taste.

[@bs0000431]

Great review, I had my head scratching for the same reasons and was disappointed by the bad review, sounded strange picking just one out of the others. I have the original 606s and they pair great with my marantz 6015 AVR. And I boost the treble on the avr… also do not have the space, but they still sound great….

[@DougMen1]

I could tolerate the 600 series ones if they didn't have such sucked out mids, and TOO tipped up and TOO bright and shrill highs. The 700 and 800 series are better in both regards

[@buttonman1831]

I wasn't crazy about the 700 series overall, but they weren't terrible.

[@bobbulgi880]

Metallic highs weak mids and maybe some bass

[@markhampton7559]

I have bought B&W speakers half a dozen times. Included the 800 D3. I regret each purchase. I have stopped giving them a chance. Can't stand their "woolly" midrange.

[@Jayiyagi]

Hey, its not your sound and thats fine

[@bradleydurbin6784]

Why do you spend money on them then?!

[@markhampton7559]

@@bradleydurbin6784 " I reserve the right to be smarter today than I was yesterday." -- Konrad Adenauer. B&W makes "pretty" speakers, and I kept thinking that their technology had caught up the their aesthetics. Also, unfortunately, I live in a place where I cannot audition speakers in person.

[@MrSouzy]

thanks for a really intelligent video. What you said about synergy is really spot on. Building a hifi "system" is like baking a cake. You have to have just the right mixture of component to achive the sound you want. I am a big vinyl lover and I use nagaoka mp-110 on my turntable plus my musical fidelity phono amp plus my trusty 15 watt class A amp. With this setup the treble is somewhat tamed. The b&w has very low distortion and what I get is a very clear and very balanced sound which remained mega engaging but not tireing.. In one of the other reviews I saw the setup was always going to emphasize the highs with the speakers close to the listener and straight at him/her and the room sparcely decorated and a window behind the speaker .... naja ... was always going to be bright....

[@Justwantahover]

My 706s don't have that "croak" in the voice sound like my home built speakers do (witch is so satisfying)! Even though the 706s are my reference speakers. I don't copy the sound of the 706s exactly that's why, only use them as a guide. And in a 606/706 comparison on YT, the voice sound had more texture and sounded better than the 706 voice sound. And noticeably more treble on the 606s.

[@jaybowen2235]

Thanks for your opinion as sound reviews are not fact. As noted, rooms have a lot of influence and there is equipment synergy. There should be no "negative or positive" reviews just details, impressions and comparisons so the community can make a more informed choice to find their desired sound.

[@ben23a31]

There are audiophiles that believe speakers are the endgame, the tone, the voice and notes of sound from the source. But, there are up to 4 or 5 other components that get in the way of the speaker and alters it. Sometimes dramatically. The media e.g. disk, record player & cartridge , the streaming source and oh at what bitrate? Then you have the pre-amp to amp or DAC and then some would argue that cables make a difference. But let's keep it simple, an amp should ONLY amplify what it's receiving. Stay Neutral. Period. It should have no color of it's own, just power and the preamp is for taking the source/input signal before it and process it and plays a big roll on getting it right. I'll argue that speakers determine the sound more than the others combined. Synergy is only relevant because the front end changes the original content and we have to work around it. A bright speaker is what it is. A planar or electrostatic speaker is what it is. Horn loaded, paper cone, silk dome, metal drivers they all have av color. Yep it is what it is. Speakers are the endgame.

[@billythestalker]

Jay! I had these for about 4 months. Liked them but found the midrange a big vague. Loved the punch and dazzle on EDM, which is mostly what I listen to. Wanting to try something else I bought Elac Carina. Thought they sounded dull and boring by comparison. Just couldn’t get used to them. And then I tried both speakers in a different room/amp and much preferred the Elac. Funny I know. But at the end of the day these speakers were for my living room so I moved the Elacs on to someone else. It was a great learning experience and taught me that there is no single better solution for all applications and preferences.

[@willmac5642]

Is it possible this model has different filter specs for different regions or something. Such an opposite review, even the crossover integration part. Maybe B&W shd also give better advice with amplifier pairing, sounds like this is critical

[@pmizz7959]

I see them dual RELs t9x back there. :) Just got my t7x today and going through my break in. Excited to see what this thing can do once all setup

[@brucepruzansky5830]

The woofer in the 606 is not used as a woofer in the higher priced b&w's. It is used as a midrange driver in higher priced b&w's. It is a bright sounding driver.

[@HifiundMusik]

@Bruce Yes, so is it. The Continium driver is manufactured for Midrange without a suspension. In the D Series there is no woofer with this material. Someone who visit the B&W Factory say, Continium is so soft as towel. Imo is it not a good material for Bassdriver. They had to be light and stable! They wanna look them expensive about the new material. The old Kevlar was better for the 2 Ways Speakers.

[@brucepruzansky5830]

Totally agree!

[@DougMen1]

@@HifiundMusik Any cone has to have a suspension! The ones used as a midrange don't have a heavy rubber surround like the ones used as a woofer, but they still have a suspension of some kind. They aren't just floating! DUH!

[@HifiundMusik]

@@DougMen1 Yes, you‘re right, but the Continium ist very soft. In the Middriver it is a class for it self, but as a Bassdriver it‘s a compromise

[@MrsZambezi]

If that is so then it doesn’t matter if it is bright sounding because the tweeter is the reason for the perception of brightness.

[@josedesouzajunior6688]

your review is great, but, consumer don't care about speaker placement 99.9% of the consumer no have special leaving room to.listem music,they want kind of speaker can place any corner and sound great, I have kef ls50 meta, if a have second choice I choose Elac, so many complaints about B&W 606 S2, thank you I enjoy your review

[@Justwantahover]

Maybe sloping them backwards a little bit might help.

[@michaelpiede5601]

jay so we need to put this in a position very few of us have. and we should appreciate inaccurate response with exaggerated detail.

[@WhiteBubblySoup]

Nicely done with the sound demonstrations.

[@redrobbosworkshop]

These are a bad technical design. They measure like a dogs breakfast so I don't know why folk expect these to sound good. Impressive perhaps if you like extreme V response but it's basically a big crude tome control.

[@MrsZambezi]

I’ve not seen a proper review of these speakers with measurements anywhere. Where did you see one?

[@feelgeorge]

Any change of reviewing the 706 S2? It would be nice to hear you thought on them. Cheers

[@brantmann548]

Dude you saying 4 1/2 feet into a room for a bookshelf! That's CRAZY!

[@billfarrell4387]

Hey Jay I have B & W 803 s and when I changed from rotel 1080 200watts per channel yes bright, when I paired with Carver Crimson 275 tube amp 75 watts per channel this was so much smoother so so good Take Care

[@namelessmusik4345]

The thing is you won't get better sound for less. I got those for 500€ the pair new. Compared to so much speakers but liked them the most

[@6643bear]

Hi, great interesting video, I recently bought 606 s2 annerversary to replace my old DM 602s3, they do sound brighter, I have been looking at focal 806, and moniter audio silver 100 7g only I bought 606 because of the the price was £349 and was £599,. I looked at your previous video when reviewed the Rotel A11 at the time you said was petty good and that was one reasons I went for 606, As you know the A11 has 2 sets of speaker outputs so I still have my old 602 set up.Its interesting ask so that 606 had best award from What hifi in 2022, and also my old 602 also had best award from What hifi years ago. Thanks mark

[@harryb7097]

Get the placement right, put it on decent stands in a fairly large room and hook it up to something like a unity atom and it is amazing value for money. Rewarding to say the least and like it more because of the details you have to put into it.

[@georgemalone3318]

Thanks, I really enjoyed this review. You gave me a better understanding of speaker placement and I always like having a new refreshing take on things nice going keep it up

[@MrSchady44]

Thanks for the review. What stands are you using for the speakers?

[@llysender]

Personally the 606 S2 is tuned too safe and dark for a B&W. Pesonally I would have prefered if they kept the 607 S2 sound with the 606 S2 level of detail and speed. Sadly thats only the case if I pay for the 705.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

Good B&W start with the 7** series.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

If you feel you need treble your listening room must be very absorbent indeed, or you may be outside the "listening window". Try toe in. Point them straight at you. "Equilateral to isosceles" triangle.

[@llysender]

@@juanmillaruelo7647 Yeah makes sense since the demo room I heard it in is fully carpeted including the walls. I guess thats why I found it kind of dark. Then again my friend and B&W dealer called me a treblehead for wanting extra enunciated vocals so I guess I have that bias. Oh yeah I already tried toeing them in but the 606 wasnt capable of producing the density of air to satisfy me. Granted I come from a audio technica headphone background so needing good strong warm airy vocals is my jam. Personally I went with the BR03 and NAD316BEE as my first stereo but I dont mind droping for 705 a few years down the line when I get my own house. Donno if I will miss the slam and vocal texture of the triangles though.

[@Kjetilkm]

I love this speaker paried with a Hegel H90❤

[@Kjetilkm]

And great video 👍 thanks!

[@andreasmoller9798]

I use Hegel too with b&w its really good match

[@estenray6685]

That’s a lot of amp for a budget speaker!

[@andreasmoller9798]

@@estenray6685 yes but at the same time you get a lot out of the speakers, i use to run Hegel h190 with b&w 683 s2, i took almost full advantage out of those speaker, but i relised that i needed to balance my system so i bought 702 s2 and now their is signifikant difference, the speakers has the biggest impact on the sound

[@larstopac7851]

i love mine with audiolab6000a. i sold my dynaudio m20 because they are boring.

[@RennieAsh]

It's odd to me that people think b&W is all very bright accentuated highs. I've owned a few that are not that, and that's what I considered as the B&W sound. A little dip in the upper mid to remove hardness, a little bloom to enhance warmth lower down. Maybe it's certain models that are too bright. The 606 definitely were to me, more bright than other Kevlar models. With an active crossover direct to the drivers, they are smoother. More conventional, might not have that sound people associate with B&W.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Why do people like small bright speakers anyway, it’s not realistic sounding.. If someone is singing at the kitchen table, do you hear an excessive presence or sibilance in their voice? No! If you have an expensive stereo system and you can’t even hear a realistic sounding kick drum how can you call that audiophile equipment?! I mean really, does it make any sense ??

[@Jayiyagi]

This speaker does have bass. Some like a more open sound on the top with more forward presence. Some like a warmer richer sound Its all preference. For instance I will never understand my girlfriend’s amazement with tea as she will never get my obsession with black coffee

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@Jayiyagi Come to think of it, the quality of everybody’s hearing and their perception of sound varies greatly, so that’s really got to put a monkey wrench in statistics lol

[@adajar99]

I am upgrading from the PSB Alpha P5 that you reviewed sometime ago. I like it since I prefer the warmer sound. Do you think I should upgrade to the 606 considering the brightness that people observe in these speakers? Thank you very much and do continue to provide informative reviews like this.

[@giorgiovaloti4129]

Super interesting review. I like your approach. I would love to see a review of speakers that are _designed_ to put right against to walls / corners.

[@hypnotechno]

yes

[@martinmbokazi8372]

Bowers & Wilkins pair very well with Tube amps, Mosfet amps or combining Tubes at input stage with Mosfet at output stage

[@jamieirwin6333]

I enjoyed your review and gave it a thumbs up, but you cannot ignore the frequency response observed by ASR. These speakers are not neutral by a long shot, which definitely makes them a speaker of taste.

[@Jayiyagi]

absolutely. I never said they were neutral. Not in a million years haha

[@jamieirwin6333]

Did I win something? A free pair of BnWs?

[@Jayiyagi]

it is a scam. he has been banned

[@jamieirwin6333]

@@Jayiyagi I figured, I was really hoping for a free pair of 606s

[@WanderingSword]

I have bat hearing, these speakers will probably kill me. Highs and treble are the hardest to reproduce for speakers.

[@yuckysamson]

Shots fired across the bow. Hope people 'recover'.

[@Jayiyagi]

No shots fired. Just a general observation lol

[@davidstock3242]

@@Jayiyagi Admirably restrained. Gentle and gentlemanly.

[@yuckysamson]

@@davidstock3242 dare I say...sexy?

[@davidstock3242]

@Jeff Glickman I thought he handled the AR thing very diplomatically, that's all... like a real gentleman.

[@brydon10]

Some like it hot - some like it cold! Thanks for the review.

[@hugobloemers4425]

This is a very good expert review. It was really a learning opportunity which is not an easy task by it self.

[@hifiplants4330]

You're right it boils down to taste. My wife and I prefer the 606 sound than my kef r3 for some reason. Maybe because of my equipment, room setup or whatever. But yes for some reason the 606 worked well in my case.

[@germanmenendez1401]

After knapping with PMC, ATC, Dynaudio, Wharfedale and several more today I enjoy my classic rock music with a BW 706S2 are paired with Naim and a tube class a amp

[@theoracleprodigy]

So let me get this right, they are bright. So sit off axis and then the tweeter won't sound bright. Play them with warm equipment, tubes, ab, hybrid not digital. Put them out in the room maybe put extra room treatment in the room. Then they sound right.

[@DrDryce]

Now that’s a fair, well articulated review .not some like other youtuber couple out there

[@gg0297]

Andrew Robinson's ears are different than yours. The best way to discover them is to listen to them in person, I guess. It's a hard sell for me, since a pair of Wharfedale Evo 4.2, Elac Unifi 2.0 or a pair of Dali Oberon 3 cost less in my country.

[@MrSouzy]

anyone who knows that live music sounds like knows that it isn't alway warm and cuddly. The 606 is the only speaker I have ever had where a saxophone sounds like a sax and violin sounds like a violin. There is treble energy but it is used to great effect and depending on the music it can sound very realistic. I list to a really wide variety of music and the 606 makes everything really engaging. Yes you need to match your source and amplifier carefully. I don't think I would put these with a bright amp and a bright source at the same time. Given the right room and source these can be brilliant for sure. I prefer them to my LS50s

[@josegallardo8901]

I like bright and sharp sounding speakers!!!!I don't like warm sound.

[@hypnotechno]

Jay excellent presentation. Can i use these with a centre speaker for TV?

[@jackfalco5351]

I have Focal 906. It is not bright

[@midevil1980]

Neither are my Klipsch RP-8000F's, in fact they are actually quite neutral speakers, even the Audioholics review and measurements back up this fact. I really wish people would listen to speakers for themselves and form their own opinions, rather than parrot what others on the internet say "without any first hand experience of their own." It's doing a huge disservice to themselves and the industry as a whole.

[@David_Span]

"I placed them exactly where I placed all my speakers..." -- how far from the wall is that, for the initial set up?