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Hello Everyone,
A few weeks back, I had picked up a pair of DS6 S3 for surround duties. They sounded almost identical to my 600 S3 (that's a really good thing), but it just didn't work out for me for HT duties. Sold them, and bought a pair of brand new FPM2's.
Upon first playing them, these little speakers really impressed me. So I decided that I would hook them up to my bedroom to let them burn-in a bit, and then do a comparison with the 600 S3.
Fifty hours later, I placed the FPM2's in the living room along the 600 S3.
Test Configuration:
Source: HTPC (FLAC/APE, ASIO, optical out)
Receiver: Marantz SR7002 (using speaker A & B connections)
Speaker Cable: Canare 4S11
Immediate Impression:
The obvious difference was, of course, the bass. The 600 S3 has a bigger driver and bigger cabinet resulting in a good amount of bass. Whereas the FPM2 doesn't have any bass at all. So most of the songs that I listened to, I switched the Marantz to play as Source Direct, and then switched to sub+speaker(@80Hz) to make it fair and see what each speaker can do at 80Hz and up. However, it was not so easy to determine if one speaker was better than the other.
Appearance & Built:
Facing the speakers, they are both about the same size. From bird's eye view you really see just how slim the FPM2 really is. I really should have taken pictures (I will later this week). The build quality is hard to compare though. My 600 S3 is in perfect condition, but it's wood. The FPM2 has a metal enclosure. It is VERY well built. I had heard complaints about the magnetic frame, but I didn't encounter any problems at all. The terminal connections on the FPM2 are also a higher quality. The FPM2 grill is good and bad. It feels very snug and secure once in place, but also feels like you're gonna break it when you pull it off. So good and bad on that part.
Highs:
As I mentioned, it was not so easy to determine if one speaker was better than the other. I played quite a few tracks and found different results all around. I played some Amy Winehouse, Alicia Key, Miwa Yoshida (Japanese artist), Dr. Dre, Mongol 800, and Norah Jones.
With these artists, I found that the FPM2 emphasized a bit too much on the highs. With a few of them (Norah Jones, Dr. Dre), it emphasized the highs TOO much. While at the same time, the same songs I played made the 600 S3 sound as though there was a veil over them. So it appears as if the FPM2 is too harsh, and the 600 is too muffled, right? Wrong.
So I played a few other tracks by the same artist. When I played Alicia Key's "No One", the FPM2 sounded harsh, but with Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You", the FPM2 sounded completely different compared to "No One". This time, the FPM2 sounded great. The piano sounded very real, the vocals were clear and clean. So was true with the 600 S3. Next I played some Faye Wong and Evanescence. Amy Lee's voice sounded so pure on the FPM2. Faye Wong's voice as well. Even though they both sounded so clean with the FPM2, it seemed a little more controlled in the 600 S3.
I played a song by my favorite artist, Rimi Natsukawa (Japanese artist), and the FPM2 sounded dead flat. Like a little radio. The 600 S3, again, sounded like there was a veil over it. Then, I played another song from her called "Shima Uta". The FPM2 sounded perfect! The 600 sounded great, but something seemed limited. Like it was CD versus a concert. Does that make sense? With this song, the FPM2 had a wider, more natural, soundstage compared to the 600 S3.
So as I've noted, the highs were a little weird to really say which one was better. At some points, the FPM2 was too harsh, and the 600 S3 was too muffled. Then at some points, the FPM2 was very clear, crisp, and clean and the 600 S3 was more controlled.
Mids:
The FPM2 really doesn't have a good mid-range. I mentioned Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You" sounded great with both speakers. However, the big difference were the mids. The FPM2 was lacking in this area, and the 600 S3 just sounded really well balanced.
I played some Carrie Underwood, but always found the 600 to have a hard time with her voice. Her voice seems to be in a range that just seems too muffled on the 600 S3. With the FPM2, her vocals sound great!
Male voices just didn't do too well with the FPM2. I played some Marc Anthony, and the FPM2 sounded little. The 600 S3 just sounded better all around with his music. The same was true with some Squirrel Nut Zippers (GREAT STUFF! :B ), the FPM2 sounded small with their music, but with the 600 S3, it sounded very balanced.
Soundstage & Imaging:
I'm not sure if it was Carrie Underwood's album alone or not, but it seemed that the FPM2 has potential for creating a greater soundstage (perhaps with better equipment). There were certain albums where the 600 created a far better soundstage and image compared to the FPM2. Several times, the 600 gave a more "live" feeling compared to the FPM2. And then to confuse matters more, certain songs from Carrie Underwood and Rimi Natsukawa made the FPM2 created a much more image-clear soundstage compared to the 600 S3.
Strange Findings:
George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. I could barely hear any noticeable difference between the two speakers. I played them loud, soft, sat near and far, but they sounded very very similar. So it would seem that with classical/symphonic music, they are equal. But then a few hours later, I was listening to some Joss Stone, and again the same thing; equal performance and sound. Very strange.
Movies:
This is where the FPM2 really excels in my scenerio. My sofa sits against my back wall. I mounted the FPM2 on the wall about 50" from the floor, facing the frontstage, angeled at about 10 degrees towards the center. The 600 S3 was placed on some kind of stand about 36" high. Both were at about the same angle (accounting for the 600's depth). I played a few clips from some blu-ray disks such as The Matrix, Dark Knight, Fast & Furious, and Iron-Man. Even though the 600 usually had a more controlled soundstage with music, with every movie scene that I played, the FPM2 sounded much bigger compared to the 600. Things sounded more 3D compared the 600 S3 in this case. The FPM2 highs did not always blend in well with my frontstage (805/HTM2), but I will keep playing with that until I get it right.
Final Notes:
The FPM2 was VERY easy to mount it on the wall. It seems B&W put a lot of time into making it as easy as possible.
I will do another comparison later this summer with the McIntosh once I complete my HTPC audio upgrade. This way, I can hear the full potential of both speakers. I also want to let the FPM2 burn-in some more. Did I hear a difference with the FPM2 after 50 hours difference? I don't know. I never listened to it again in the bedroom. My normal practice is to leave speakers playing for 100 hours before any comparisons. It's just my practice.
Conclusion:
The FPM2 is a great speaker. However, it is expensive compared to the 600 series. Is it a better speaker than the 600? No clear answer. It really does depend on how you plan on using it.
For music, well... it looks great in my bedroom, but the 600 is a better all around speaker if you're not using a subwoofer. With a sub, it really is a matter of personal taste. Some points favor the 600. Some points favor the FPM2.
For HT, I think the FPM2 is far superior to the 600. My testing was just with a Marantz receiver. I'll see later this summer if that still stands true with better components.
A few weeks back, I had picked up a pair of DS6 S3 for surround duties. They sounded almost identical to my 600 S3 (that's a really good thing), but it just didn't work out for me for HT duties. Sold them, and bought a pair of brand new FPM2's.
Upon first playing them, these little speakers really impressed me. So I decided that I would hook them up to my bedroom to let them burn-in a bit, and then do a comparison with the 600 S3.
Fifty hours later, I placed the FPM2's in the living room along the 600 S3.
Test Configuration:
Source: HTPC (FLAC/APE, ASIO, optical out)
Receiver: Marantz SR7002 (using speaker A & B connections)
Speaker Cable: Canare 4S11
Immediate Impression:
The obvious difference was, of course, the bass. The 600 S3 has a bigger driver and bigger cabinet resulting in a good amount of bass. Whereas the FPM2 doesn't have any bass at all. So most of the songs that I listened to, I switched the Marantz to play as Source Direct, and then switched to sub+speaker(@80Hz) to make it fair and see what each speaker can do at 80Hz and up. However, it was not so easy to determine if one speaker was better than the other.
Appearance & Built:
Facing the speakers, they are both about the same size. From bird's eye view you really see just how slim the FPM2 really is. I really should have taken pictures (I will later this week). The build quality is hard to compare though. My 600 S3 is in perfect condition, but it's wood. The FPM2 has a metal enclosure. It is VERY well built. I had heard complaints about the magnetic frame, but I didn't encounter any problems at all. The terminal connections on the FPM2 are also a higher quality. The FPM2 grill is good and bad. It feels very snug and secure once in place, but also feels like you're gonna break it when you pull it off. So good and bad on that part.
Highs:
As I mentioned, it was not so easy to determine if one speaker was better than the other. I played quite a few tracks and found different results all around. I played some Amy Winehouse, Alicia Key, Miwa Yoshida (Japanese artist), Dr. Dre, Mongol 800, and Norah Jones.
With these artists, I found that the FPM2 emphasized a bit too much on the highs. With a few of them (Norah Jones, Dr. Dre), it emphasized the highs TOO much. While at the same time, the same songs I played made the 600 S3 sound as though there was a veil over them. So it appears as if the FPM2 is too harsh, and the 600 is too muffled, right? Wrong.
So I played a few other tracks by the same artist. When I played Alicia Key's "No One", the FPM2 sounded harsh, but with Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You", the FPM2 sounded completely different compared to "No One". This time, the FPM2 sounded great. The piano sounded very real, the vocals were clear and clean. So was true with the 600 S3. Next I played some Faye Wong and Evanescence. Amy Lee's voice sounded so pure on the FPM2. Faye Wong's voice as well. Even though they both sounded so clean with the FPM2, it seemed a little more controlled in the 600 S3.
I played a song by my favorite artist, Rimi Natsukawa (Japanese artist), and the FPM2 sounded dead flat. Like a little radio. The 600 S3, again, sounded like there was a veil over it. Then, I played another song from her called "Shima Uta". The FPM2 sounded perfect! The 600 sounded great, but something seemed limited. Like it was CD versus a concert. Does that make sense? With this song, the FPM2 had a wider, more natural, soundstage compared to the 600 S3.
So as I've noted, the highs were a little weird to really say which one was better. At some points, the FPM2 was too harsh, and the 600 S3 was too muffled. Then at some points, the FPM2 was very clear, crisp, and clean and the 600 S3 was more controlled.
Mids:
The FPM2 really doesn't have a good mid-range. I mentioned Alicia Key's "If I Ain't Got You" sounded great with both speakers. However, the big difference were the mids. The FPM2 was lacking in this area, and the 600 S3 just sounded really well balanced.
I played some Carrie Underwood, but always found the 600 to have a hard time with her voice. Her voice seems to be in a range that just seems too muffled on the 600 S3. With the FPM2, her vocals sound great!
Male voices just didn't do too well with the FPM2. I played some Marc Anthony, and the FPM2 sounded little. The 600 S3 just sounded better all around with his music. The same was true with some Squirrel Nut Zippers (GREAT STUFF! :B ), the FPM2 sounded small with their music, but with the 600 S3, it sounded very balanced.
Soundstage & Imaging:
I'm not sure if it was Carrie Underwood's album alone or not, but it seemed that the FPM2 has potential for creating a greater soundstage (perhaps with better equipment). There were certain albums where the 600 created a far better soundstage and image compared to the FPM2. Several times, the 600 gave a more "live" feeling compared to the FPM2. And then to confuse matters more, certain songs from Carrie Underwood and Rimi Natsukawa made the FPM2 created a much more image-clear soundstage compared to the 600 S3.
Strange Findings:
George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. I could barely hear any noticeable difference between the two speakers. I played them loud, soft, sat near and far, but they sounded very very similar. So it would seem that with classical/symphonic music, they are equal. But then a few hours later, I was listening to some Joss Stone, and again the same thing; equal performance and sound. Very strange.
Movies:
This is where the FPM2 really excels in my scenerio. My sofa sits against my back wall. I mounted the FPM2 on the wall about 50" from the floor, facing the frontstage, angeled at about 10 degrees towards the center. The 600 S3 was placed on some kind of stand about 36" high. Both were at about the same angle (accounting for the 600's depth). I played a few clips from some blu-ray disks such as The Matrix, Dark Knight, Fast & Furious, and Iron-Man. Even though the 600 usually had a more controlled soundstage with music, with every movie scene that I played, the FPM2 sounded much bigger compared to the 600. Things sounded more 3D compared the 600 S3 in this case. The FPM2 highs did not always blend in well with my frontstage (805/HTM2), but I will keep playing with that until I get it right.
Final Notes:
The FPM2 was VERY easy to mount it on the wall. It seems B&W put a lot of time into making it as easy as possible.
I will do another comparison later this summer with the McIntosh once I complete my HTPC audio upgrade. This way, I can hear the full potential of both speakers. I also want to let the FPM2 burn-in some more. Did I hear a difference with the FPM2 after 50 hours difference? I don't know. I never listened to it again in the bedroom. My normal practice is to leave speakers playing for 100 hours before any comparisons. It's just my practice.
Conclusion:
The FPM2 is a great speaker. However, it is expensive compared to the 600 series. Is it a better speaker than the 600? No clear answer. It really does depend on how you plan on using it.
For music, well... it looks great in my bedroom, but the 600 is a better all around speaker if you're not using a subwoofer. With a sub, it really is a matter of personal taste. Some points favor the 600. Some points favor the FPM2.
For HT, I think the FPM2 is far superior to the 600. My testing was just with a Marantz receiver. I'll see later this summer if that still stands true with better components.
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