684 vs 685

[snuphy91]

Hi. I am wondering if I can get some tips from others on my new system.

I am going to purchase B&W + Rotel system. It will just have an integrated amp (RA-1520), a CD player (RCD-1520) along with B&W speakers. My dealer here offered $2500 for the 684+Rotel system and $2130 for the 685+Rotel system, which I think are both pretty sweet deals either way. (~20% off from the retail.) Do you have any preference for one over the other?

It will be in my living room (~ 25ft x 20 ft, 10' ceiling), and I will be mostly listening classical and Jazz at not-so-high volume. Speakers could be placed maximum 10 inches from the wall. I auditioned both, liked both, and they seemed to have pros and cons from my point of view.

- 684
Pros
stronger bass
luxurious (?) form factor of a floor stander

Cons
~$400 more expensive
could be bit too bulky


- 685
Pros
low profile (can be placed on my buffet table)
tighter bass, well balanced
lower price tag

Cons
may need a sub in the long run (?)
when I occasionally want higher volumes, it may not fill space

Any suggestions?? Which do you think could be a bigger bang for my buck?? Thanks!

[emig5m]

The 684 was my first B&W speaker. It was right at my max budget range for a pair of new mains at the time. But now armed with experience of owning all of the 600 series except the 686 and htm62, it's my opinion that the 685 and 683 ARE the 600 series and the rest are just fillers! Yea the 684 has a bit of deeper bass hit than the 685, however, to get the most out of music and movies the general consensus is that most all speakers benefit from a sub.

I personally would go 685 + sub. But if you're dead-set on not using a sub, than the 684 is obviously going to be the choice for a little better bottom end performance. I personally like the 685 because it's so small and throws up such a big life-like sound for its puny size! So far, out of all the B&W speakers I've heard, (up to the 802D) it's my personal opinion that the 685 leaves the biggest impression since it's so cheap and small compared to the others but gives you such a true hi-fi and big sound for it's price/size. Even though I use the higher end 804S, the 685 remains my favorite B&W speaker from a price/size/performance standpoint!

Bang for the buck = 685 hands down!

Then again, the 683 is pretty damned close to being my personal favorite for bang for the buck and is an ACTUAL overall sound upgrade over the 685 other than a 'tad' more bottom 'punch' in the 684 with the rest being the same. Just a tip... don't do any critical listening to the 683 while on your hunt, especially anything midrange dependent like piano or good vocals... you'll instantly loose interest in the 684/685. : Problem with the 683 is that it's so good that it's going to make you want the higher end big boys right away! :T

685 + sub
685 + sub
685 + sub
685 + sub
685 + sub
685 + sub
685 + sub

Then forget B&W ever made any other speakers and never again visit a dealer or come onto this forum and live hi-fi life happily ever after! :rofl:

[Shyamalan]

Do you think that the 685 could be a good center speaker instead of HTM61?

[snuphy91]

emig5m,
Wow... thanks for your awesome feedback. I was looking for the "bang for your buck" point of view, and you were right on the money.
I haven't listened to 683's mostly because it's quite over my budget, and I will try not to before my wife gives me the nod for the upgrade. But then again, since you told me specifically not to listen to them, I am very much tempted to do so. Was this your intention?

Thank you so much. Enjoy your weekend.

[Ron526]

The seed has been planted!

[stuofsci02]

emig5m,

You are right about this one.. I was going to suggest the same thing when I read the post this morning..

For me the 684 just doesn't do it... Yes, granted, it is cheaper then the 683, but the extra clarity and smoothness you get on the midrange with the 683 is so worth the price of admission.

In fact the 683 does everything right IMO for the price point. Believe it or not I found my old 683 very similar to my 804s. Of course the 683 has way more coloration, a bit boomier base and isn't nearly as nice to look at, but it still has that sound I like...

Bang for buck though the 685 is still king... I might get another pair of these for another room.. IMO, these are the gateway to hi-fi for those with a budget to meet.. They kind of remind be of the 602S3, but not quite as good... 602 had a 7" driver which I think made all the difference....

So after all that I also say 685...

[hifiguymi]

I'd do the 684 before I'd do the 685. The issue I have with the 685 is the lower midrange to upper bass, it sounds to thick and I can hear the enclosure too much. The upper midrange is pretty good as is the treble so I have no complaints there. I just don't think it's very smooth and balanced below that.

The 684 is a better balanced speaker in my experience. It's also easier to place from what I've found. Because of the uneven upper bass the 685 is tough to place and I just haven't found that to be the case with the 684.

Everybody has different experiences with different products and I've had better luck with the 684.

Eric

[snuphy91]

Thank you all for your opinion. I decided to go with 685, and I indeed purchased my units this afternoon. However, 685 was out of stock and I brought everything home (amp, CDP, speaker stand) except the speaker itself. It will come in a week, so no big deal...

I may miss bottom end a bit, but for the money 685 was too good to pass to my ears. I am sure I will be happy with my purchase for quite a while.

I used to listen to classical music and jazz quite intensively for many years, but then I stayed away from (any kinds of) music for several years with all my CDs packed in boxes in my closets. But you know, suddenly you realize what's been missing in your life and that's time to get back. I'm quite happy listening to Brahms now.

Thanks again!