B&W 600 Series S3: perfecting the legendary range

Following the recent update of the B&W 700 S3 series, British manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins continues to renew its ranges with the latest generation of the legendary B&W 600 Series. The new B&W 600 S3 floorstanding, bookshelf and center speakers borrow some of the brand’s best technologies, including the legendary Continuum cone drivers and Flowport port. They are now combined with a new tweeter to deliver high-fidelity reproduction for both hi-fi and home theater.

B&W 600 Series: an iconic range

The B&W 600 Series is one of the British manufacturer’s most popular and longest-running ranges. Launched in 1991, the first generation of B&W 600 Series speakers quickly gained in popularity thanks to their excellent value for money. Over the past three decades, the B&W 600 Series has been perfected and renewed many times, notably in 2020 with the Bowers & Wilkins Anniversary Edition. The new B&W 600 S3s mark the 8th generation of this long lineage, and still manage to include impressive sonic and aesthetic improvements. It now includes the following models:

• the B&W 603 S3 floorstanding speakers (€2,299)
• the B&W 607 S3 (€799) and B&W 606 S3 (€999) bookshelf speakers
• the B&W HTM6 S3 center speaker (€749)

B&W 600 Series S3: new titanium tweeter

The B&W 600 Series S3 speakers all feature a new titanium dome tweeter. This material is selected for its transparency and ability to reproduce very high frequencies without distortion. The dome is decoupled from the speaker chassis to limit interference and to maximize the transparency and depth of the soundstage. This tweeter is protected by a new metal grille for more precise, unobstructed transmission of sound waves. The result is a pure, natural sound without coloration or artifacts.

B&W 600 Series S3: Continuum driver

All B&W 600 Series S3 speakers also feature FST Continuum technology for the midrange and midbass drivers. This technology, also found on the B&W 700 S3 and borrowed from the 800 series, uses braided composite materials to design a particularly rigid cone to maximize control. The cone is more responsive while reducing the distortion of the emitted signal. Continuum drivers are renowned for their open, transparent reproduction, particularly in the midrange.

B&W 600 Series S3: FlowPort

The bass-reflex port on Bowers & Wilkins 600 S3 speakers is optimized by FlowPort technology. In order to avoid any stagnation of the sound wave in the port, it is covered with golf ball-like dimples and has a flared opening. This ensures that the air flows quietly, even at high volume. This port is located at the rear of each B&W 600 S3 speaker.

B&W 600 Series S3: bi-wiring and bi-amping

The B&W 600 Series S3 speakers are identical to their predecessors when it comes to their design. Only the silver banding around the tweeter has been slightly redesigned to perfectly match that of the adjoining driver. Each speaker has a metal plate on the rear, bearing the model name and range. A double pair of terminals is also present. All speakers in the B&W 600 Series S3 range are therefore compatible with bi-wiring and bi-amping, including the B&W HTM6 S3 center speaker.

With the eighth generation of the B&W 600 Series, the British manufacturer perfects and refines its most popular models to offer ever more accomplished speakers, equally suited to hi-fi and home theater. They are an excellent introduction to the brand’s acoustic universe. Here are the specifications of each model: