602+601: 600/675? Lcr60/600?

[csuzor]

I've finally decided to move to 5.1 instead of stereo hi-fi, so bought an AVR1804 (6x90W) and 602 fronts and 601 surrounds. I have a 6x5m room half open on 1 side, high ceiling, hard tiles. I listen to 90% music / 10% movies, at low levels (just enough to hear all the sounds). I have always been against subwoofers, they just sound unnatural, but I have never been exposed to a good sub. But I feel there is a whole dynamic area missing (<55Hz)

1st, knowing I am budget conscious, is the ASW-675 worth the extra money over the ASW-600? (The ASW-650 just seems like a louder version of the 600, not what I need). Is it useful for stereo CD as well?

2nd, do I really need a centre-channel? if yes, the LCR60 or 600?

There is no B&W dealer with this gear to hear, anywhere in my region.

Thanks for your advice.
Christophe

[DrBoom]

Regarding the centerspeaker, the only way I can see you getting away without one, is if you have a perfectly symmetrical setup (fronts equally spaced from each other and the TV) and you sitting exactly in the middle of them, being the only occupant of your TV viewing area.
If that is not the case, get a center speaker
Even with a symmetrical setup, the slightest offset from the center listening position will result in voices coming either from the left or right instead of "out of the screen" which is very unnatural and ruins the effect.
You need the centerspeaker to keep the on-screen action locked to the screen when you're not sitting exactly in front of it.
Definately get the LCR600 if you can place it, it's a worthwile upgrade over the 60 and a better match.

Then the subwoofer part, if you've always found subwoofers to be unnatural and booming, you've either never heard a decent sub (>$300) or you've never heard a properly set-up sub
You NEED an SPL meter to get the sub right, otherwise you'll be fiddling with the knobs forever. (it's bad enough with an SPL meter)
While the ASW675 is a better sub than the 600, if you're budget conscious I don't think it's worth the extra money.
I have an ASW650, which is as you said the bigger and louder brother of the 600 and it does a fine job for movies as well as music.
Well I used to use it for music with my old setup, but since I got 804's now I prefer to use it just for movies.
For music the 600 will suffice, the 650 could provide a bit more grunt during films though.
I can't really justify the price of the 675 myself, if you're not concerned about looks or size you can get much better performance for less money from companies like SVS and the likes (or so I'm told).
Just like the centerspeaker, I find the sub a very rewarding addition to a system with medium sized frontspeakers like yours, even for music.

[alkalay]

600 or 675

Hi Christophe,

I haven't been the one to listen to stereo with a sub either.
Of course that has changed after adding an ASW-675. For me music is also the main thing.
The best thing I could tell ya is go and have a try. If that's not possible I could offer you my experience with those two.
As the 600 does a good job with movies the 675 for music is a great improvement. I found the 600 to be not as responsive as it should and not fast enough for music. The 675 would play every note that's there with an accuracy and a tightness that blends great with my mains. (they are floorstanders B&W CM4's). The 675 brings a great bottom end which is very clear and controlled, keeping up the pace with music.

Hope it helps,
Itai.

[BlazeMaster]

Hi, Christophe, I have a very similar setup to yours and here's my take on what you should do to maximize your performance.
First, I'll 2nd the notion of getting the LCR600. If you look at the specs of LCR600/60 vs. the DM602s, you'll notice that the LCR600 is much more comparable in terms of drivers sizes and power handling, which will give you more seamless front stage. The difference gained by going with LCR600 can be very noticeble in both HT and Music, since music is more important to you.
Secondly, as for the sub part...I've never heard the B&W subs myself, but I have the SVS ones. I don't know how much it would cost to ship one of those to France, I'm sure it's not cheap. But if you compare the specs of the B&W600s sub to SVSs new PB10-ISD, the SVS comes with a stronger amp, can hit considerably lower frequency for the price, more color options and about 20% cheaper in US MSRP. This is the reason why most US members on this site and other AV forums favor SVS over other big-name manufacture's subwoofers. If you look at all those factors, going with SVS is a no-brainer. If you go with a ASW675 ($1000 MSRP) you can get a SVS PB12ISD/2, that's a 10 inch woofer vs. a TWIN 12 woofer. I think you get the picture here, with SVS the more you pay the more you get. And they got a GREAT customer service to go along with their great product.