Building a 5.1 system around 603s2

[sanchoucsb]

I currently have a pair of 603s2s that I'd like to use as my front speakers in a 5.1 system. Does anyone have suggestions as to the best matching center and surrounds?

I would think that for the center a CC6s2 would match the best (and since I would have to buy used I would save a little money), but would the better sound of a new center be more important than a perfect match? I have heard that some people are not happy with the CC6. I am considering the LCR60, but am certainly open to suggestions if a center from one of the other lines might be better.

I was also hoping to get away with Series 300 surrounds to save a little money, either new 303s or used 302s. Have people tried this with good results?

I am planning on using an NAD T754 receiver, but I haven't bought it yet, so feel free to throw in suggestions there too

I already have a Definitive Technology 15" sub that I plan on using.

Thanks!

[Lectoid]

I am doing almost the same thing you are. I just bought 603s3's and am building a 5.1 system. I also want a NAD receiver, probably used from Audiogon. I have paradigm Titans as my surrounds right now and don't have a center. If you don't have a center, I would go for the CC6s2's since they would be voice matched to your mains.

From what I've read and heard from my own rears, the surrounds are not near as important as the center. I am very happy with my titans in that position, so I would imagine anything from B&W would suffice as surrounds.

[PewterTA]

For the 603s, the LCR600 is your best choice, it'll match it just about perfect. The LCR60 isn't the best thing, just a little too small and most people that buy the 60, end up getting the LCR600 instead. So I'd just go with the 600, it'll really create that seemless soundstage up front.

As far as the surrounds, I think the 601s would be your best choice. The 600s seem a little bit too "small" sounding and my friend has the 602s (603s and LCR600 up front) and the 602s you can tell are a better speaker, it's a little more clear than the 603s. SO you wouldn't need to go with them, I think the 601s would be your best choice for rears.

That should give you a perfect setup.

[dknightd]

If you are considering the 303 for surround, give the 600s3 a listen. It sounds
better to my ears, is smaller, and costs only a little bit more.

Another, more expensive option - sorry - would be to get new 602 for the
fronts and use you old ones for the rears. . .

[shades]

For the 603s, the LCR600 is your best choice, it'll match it just about perfect. The LCR60 isn't the best thing, just a little too small and most people that buy the 60, end up getting the LCR600 instead. So I'd just go with the 600, it'll really create that seemless soundstage up front.

As far as the surrounds, I think the 601s would be your best choice. The 600s seem a little bit too "small" sounding and my friend has the 602s (603s and LCR600 up front) and the 602s you can tell are a better speaker, it's a little more clear than the 603s. SO you wouldn't need to go with them, I think the 601s would be your best choice for rears.

That should give you a perfect setup.

I second that. The LCR600 is the best match. I had the 602s3fronts, 601s3 rears, LCR600 and i loved the sound. As you can see i'm still using the 601s for surround duty with my 800S so you can use an alternate. Until i get the HTM3 for the fronts and move the HTM4 for center back. Going for the smaller center will have you kicking yourself. Just save and get the best match for you center.

[sanchoucsb]

The 600 S3 sounds like a good idea for the surrounds - wall mounting actually works out pretty well for my room.

I have also been thinking about trying to track down an LCR6 S2, though they seem a little scarce on ebay/audiogon right now. (If anyone is trying to get rid of one, let me know!).

Thanks for the suggestions regarding LCR60 v. LCR600 - it sounds like the 600 is worth the extra money.

[Clepto]

You may also want to consider the DS6 if you like the dipole sound from your surrounds. Keep in mind they can be switched to mono for 5.1 audio... They are similar spec wise to the 600 though, so 601 would be a better sounding speaker from a musical perspective...

[mannoiaj]

From b&w website:

The LCR60 S3 replaces the CC6 S2 and is a re-design featuring, for the first time, the B&W Nautilus™ tapered tube tweeter. It is exceptionally intelligible on speech, and has sufficient bass extension to keep up with all of the B&W main stereo models. For those requiring greater output, the LCR600 S3 is a refined version of the LCR6 S2, offering a cleaner and more focused performance.

I remember you posting this in ecoustics, and glad to see you have found the right place to find the "best" advice on b&w's. With the 603s2's, I would still go with the lcr6 s2 if you can find one. I have the cc6s2, the lcr6s2, ds6's, 605s2's, 601s2's, 603s2's, asw675, 303's. I bought them all used over the years. For my main rig, I move stuff around alot, but I found the best sound for my room is the 605s up front, lcr6s2 center, ds6 sides, and 601s rear for 7 channel home theater. The lcr6s2 is far cleaner and quite a bit more powerful sounding with action movies than the cc6s2 which I found to not do dialogue as well and couldn't dynamically keep up. You could go with the lcr600 center, but it is series 3 and could affect timbre and voicing, soundstage imaging, etc...

PM me if you have any questions about any of this gear as I have owned most of the series 2 stuff from the 600 lineup for a considerable time and have extensively listened to all of the speakers in HT and 2 channel applications. I like the ds6's because they sound really good wall-mounted and disperse the movie "effects" quite admirably to me.

regards,
Jeff

[Gene Simmons]

I have 604 S3's up front, 602 S2's in the back, and CC6 S2 as my centre. I think its a fantastic combo, and the CC6 is very underrated, thats why the used market is so hot for them. I would honestly save your money and buy a used CC6 S2, you wont regret it!

[kenkkk]

lcr600 i think is the best match and 601 as your surronds.... i am very happy with the same setup.. but 602 as my fronts =p

[sanchoucsb]

For the record - I posted here before ecoustics

Thanks Jeff for the suggestions - I think based on what you and others have said I am going to look around for a LCR6 S2, but if I cant find one for a decent price I will go with the LCR600. It just doesnt seem worth it to hurt the sound quality of the whole system just to save a $150-200, so I'm crossing the CC6 and LCR60 off the list.

Thanks again!

[mannoiaj]

wise decision, good luck

regards,
jeff

[Ryx]

I just found this LCR6 S2 on ebay and thought I would let you know it was there.
http://cgi.ebay.com/B-W-LCR6-S2-Blac...em130076715672

I use this speaker as my center with a pair of 603S2s and 602S1s in the rear and find is is a very nice center channel.

good luck :-)

Ryan

[sanchoucsb]

Thanks!