Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3
The new 606 S3 speakers are a bold step forward
View online review whf.cm/606_S3
We have always had a soft spot for Bowers & Wilkins entry-level 600 range. There are rave reviews throughout the range’s 20-plus year history, and here we have our latest Award-winner in the best standmount speaker £500-£750 category, the 606 S3.
The 606 S3 is the bigger sibling to the freshly minted five-star (and also Award-winning) B&W 607 S3 speakers.
Like their smaller siblings, the 606 S3 look almost unchanged from their predecessors. Build quality is of a good standard for this level, with crisp edges, minimal fascia and a smart, smooth finish.
The 606 S3 have a larger footprint than the 607 S3 at 34 x 19 x 30cm and use a larger 16.5cm mid/bass driver (the 607 S3 use a 13cm unit). It's a two-way vented design, with a 25mm dome tweeter and the 16.5cm cone. While the mid/bass driver continues to use B&W’s proprietary Continuum material, for the tweeter the brand has decided to use titanium for the first time in its stereo speakers. The new material should improve resolution and refinement in the high frequencies, says B&W, while the grille mesh covering the new tweeter arrangement (inspired by the top-of-the-range 800 Signature Series) aims to deliver a more open sound.
Elsewhere, plenty of design concepts and tech derived from the step-up 700 S3 series have been incorporated, including an improved, more powerful motor assembly for the mid/bass driver, updated crossover with higher-quality bypass capacitors, neater speaker-terminal layout and reflex port design at the back of the speaker, and a longer tube-loading system to further reduce the amount of unwanted radiation from the back of the tweeter affecting the sound.
The 606 S3 is a leaner, more precise and more refined beast than its smaller sibling. It offers a bigger, more open and spacious-sounding presentation, too, with plenty of room for songs to breathe and flourish. Nine Inch Nails’ Right Where It Belongs is a fantastic test of ho
