Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3
Pressure makes diamonds, but are these 603 S3 towers true gems?
Floorstanding speakers| £1999| whf.cm/603_S3
There’s a younglad somewhere in Argentina who has quite the sporting family. His father, Sergio Agüero, is generally considered to be one of the finest strikers in Premier League history, while his grandfather (and Sergio’s father-in-law) was also a keen footballer by the name of Diego Maradona. He has a godfather too: one Lionel Messi.
Whether that young man ever chooses to go into football or not, he is surrounded by excellence such that the weight of expectation must be galactic. That feels akin to the situation we have with the new Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3, a pair of floorstanders that are central to the brand’s new 600 Series and that have the weight of some serious pedigree, not to mention competition, resting upon their metaphorical shoulders.
The much-coveted 600 range from Bowers & Wilkins has produced multiple What Hi-Fi?Award-winners in the past few years, including the 607 S2 Anniversary Edition and 606 S2 Anniversary Edition standmounts, while the new series continues that trend with table-toppers in the shape of the 606 S3 and the 607 S3 standmounters. Our expectations, it’s fair to say, are high.
Like their five-star stand-mounted S3 siblings, these are nicely made towers that look handsome enough, even if our white-and-oak test pair do have just a whiff of Don-Johnson’s-jacket-from-Miami-Vice about them. Still, other colourways, including black, are available, and you can always double down and go for an all-white finish if you are truly stuck in 1984.
These are the largest and most costly speakers in the entry-level 600 series, designed mainly for “larger rooms and home theatres”, packing in a 25mm titanium-dome tweeter, B&W’s custom Continuum 15cm midrange cone and a pair of 16.5cm paper bass drivers. They are relatively sizeable towers, too, standing at 102cm high when mounted on the plinths (which come as standard) and dwarfing one key rival, the shorter, slimmer PMC Prodigy 5, by over 10cm.
Terminals, ports and plugs
Staying at the underside of the towers, look around the back and you will find twin terminals – giving the option of bi-wiring. They are also rear-ported, and Bowers & Wilkins will supply you with a pair of foam plugs that can be used to lessen the impact of the bass response if absolutely necessary.
Much of the internal DNA and clever tech from the more costly 700 series has trickled down to the new 600 range, including a mo
