601 s3's + sub or 603's

[corysmith01]

I've got the upgrade bug, but very limited funds and I thought of one that's definitely within budget, but was wondering how practical it is. I'm currently running 601 s3's as my mains. Now under most circumstances, I'm sure everyone would chime in that those are not enough speaker to be used as mains...however, I do have them paired with a thumper of a sub, an SVS PB10-ISD. With the sub, the 601's don't seem to be lacking. However, lately I've been interested in listening to pure 2 channel music using the Source Direct mode on my Marantz SR8400. Now when I do this, and there's no sub, the 601's can sound a little thin...go figure, they've only got 1 6.5" driver each. They sound great in terms of reproduction, but are definitely lacking some low end. With that in mind, I've been considering trading them in and getting some 603's. Recently I've convinced the little lady that floorstanders wouldn't occupy much more space than bookshelves on stands and she seems to be okay...previously it was bookshelves only.

So, my question is, can I expect significantly more low end from the 603's vs the 601? The frequency response specs certainly seem to indicate so. But at the same time, if the difference is only going to be slight, perhaps I may just want to save the money until I can make a serious upgrade (800 series...hmmm). Anyway, was just wondering thoughts from B&W fans who may have heard both and could offer thoughts on whether there's significant value in moving up from the 601's to the 603's.

Thanks in advance.

[BlazeMaster]

well the 603s do have more bass, so yes, they'll sound fuller.
I'm not sure if you can do this on your PB10ISD, but when you listen to stereo, you should be able to use the high outputs of the sub also. This way the sub will get the same signal as your mains, and the bass will supposedly blend in better. You might want to check with SVS and see if it's possible with the 10ISD and you might think the 601s w/sub might be better than 603s alone. Of course you'd probably want to get a better amp to drive the 603s, so that option might end up more expensive than you think. Just something to consider.

[george_k]

I own a pair of 603 S3's and don't have a sub (I live in an appartment building) for my tastes in music (mostly Rock and some R&B) I find the 603's rather lacking in bass.

I can only get an acceptable amount of bass by my standards when I place the speakers closer to the wall. If your really after a pure 2ch setup you might want to consider listening to some 604's as well.

I prefer the sound of a sub+sat combo as it better satifies my taste for the low end provided the sub integrates well with the sat's.

[PewterTA]

If you can afford the 604s, they do a wonderful job of bass. There's definitely no lacking in that department and that's the step I would go to. Plus you will be absolutely amazed at the sound difference over the 601s (in terms of sound stage, imaging).

I agree with George_K that the 603s don't really offer the same and are somewhat lacking in the bass department (my friend owns the 603s, and after hearing his I had to go for the 604s).

Blazemaster, the SVS PB10-ISD only has low pass input, there's no high-pass on the sub in order to bring the costs down since it's supposed to be a primarily HT sub.

However, with that said, if you are seriously thinking about the 800 series... I would recommend holding off purchasing anything. Just live with what you have until you can afford the 800 series. The trade in credit/full price on 601s isn't a huge amount anyways (when compared to the 800 series) so what you might loose in trade-in value, you will gain in the long run for not having spent extra on another set of speakers in the interim...

Had I done it all over, I would not have purchased my 7.1 600 series and gone with just a two channel 802/803 series, then built on that. But the more I watch movies, I do really enjoy having a seemless (if not the full 800 series like I want) soundstage while watching. All in all too the 604s are half decent 2ch speakers as well.

I'd say hold off on purchasing anything if you think anywhere in the near year or so you can make it to the 800 series. But if it's going to be a while, the 604s might be worthwhile since you can get a pretty good resale value on them!

[corysmith01]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like the 603/604 may only be a bandaid for a more serious future upgrade, so why make the minimal jump now? Yes, I can use the sub, if I select "stereo." I was only in source direct that it does not work...i think it's because this is a mode on the receiver that shuts down/bypasses all video circuitry focusing only audio for a more "pure" sound. So, maybe source direct is just out for the moment. I will say this; the 601's paired with the SVS sound incredible. Very full and very loud with a beautifully project midrange, especially when I think back to how my old Boston Acoustics sounded. So, why change that...or change that minimally. Thanks again for weighing in.