How should I upgrade my 602 S3s?

[JasBW]

I have 602 S3 bookshelves right now.. and love them. However, its time to upgrade.



Now... should I stay in the 600 line, and go to to 604? Or should I go to the 700 line and buy the smallest floorstander? Or.. buy the bookshelf 800 series? Considering I love all thier sounds, which would be the most economical decision?




Thanks.

[DrBoom]

Every speaker has it's own benefits, and it just comes down to what kind of music you play, at which level and what your personal taste is.
A 604 is a great speaker for pop/rock/dance music, because it can play loud and has lots of bass (not the tightest bass around, but plenty of it).
The 704 is way more detailed, but it's a sound you have to like.
It's also capable of delivering a good amount of bass, maybe not as much as the 604 but a lot more detailed and controlled.
The 805 is a great bookshelf speaker which is superbly detailed, has good bass extension for it's size and sounds just right.
But don't buy it for playing house music with lots of bass at high levels because it's not made for that.

Also you have to keep in mind the amplifier and source requirements for different speakers.
The 604's aren't that revealing, so they can live with a lesser source.
The 704 and 805 are very revealing, thus require a good cd or DVD player to sound their best.
Same goes for amplifiers, you can keep the 604's happy with about every $1000 receiver, but not the 704's or 805's.
Not that they're very difficult to drive, they're just really picky and reveal weaknesses in your system.
Then there's the price difference, 604's go for €1300, 704's for €2200 and 805's for €2000 (€2500 including stands) over here.
They are also 3 very different sounding speakers, so you should really go to a dealer and have a long listen to all of them with your own music.
If possible with your own or a very similar amplifier.

Don't forget that if you plan to use them for an HT, you'll also end up buying the center and surround speakers from the same range.
So going to the 800 series will end up being a lot more expensive than staying with the 600 or 700 series.
Just something to consider

[doubleA]

Hi JasBW:

I too have recently upgraded my 602(s2)'s in favor of the 604s3 floorstanders. Quite frankly I love my system, it may not be a "true audiophile" quality system as I know most of the discussions in this club comment more on the upper B&W series (CDM, 700, 800, etc.). But for the price range of the 600's you can't beat it!! And Dr.Boom is right if you like rock music the 604's definetly rock.
I have a feeling that I am slightly underpowering especially in the low frequency drivers. I currently am using a Yamaha RXV2400 (120x7), you know one of those "cheap $1000 recievers" but I plan on using it as a pre and getting seperates when my budget (and wife) allows probably rotel as they seem to match well with B&W (wouldn't be just because they own rotel would it?)
By that time I should have these 604's broken in pretty well. But don't be discouraged if you are going to be using an HT reciever because the other day I was re-equalizing my room for 7.1 and listened to a CD not knowing my Subwoofer settings were reset (no sub with 2 channel). Guess what? Sounded pretty tight with just the 604's up front, 602's for L/R surrounds, and "other speakers" for surround back. Oh and LCR 60 (too small) in center channel.

But don't take my word for it by all means if you have a room that is acoustically good enough to get the most out of more expensive, more revealing speakers, go for it!!! I will.....but definetly if your talking bang for your buck, keep your 602 surrounds get the 604 and LCR600 a nice sub of your choice (or not) and if you have leftover cash buy POWER as it will help you get even more out of them and for a future series upgrade.
That's just what I would do.

Best Regards

[JasBW]

I actually have an assymetrical room in my basement. The person who owned this house before me was a recording engineer and built the room into the basement to use as a studio. :T





I think I'll audition some 700 series.

[theMaximus]

I upgraded from DM 603 to 704 just recently and love the sound of 704. As described by other people, they sound very detailed and controlled. Soundstage was also much wider and imaging improved as well. Even the placement of the speakers are more forgiving with 704. I'm using Rotel RSX-1056 to drive my speakers, and I'm pretty happy with my system. With your set up, you could just move the 602s to the rear for surrounds as I'm using 601 S3 as my surrounds. If you have a very limited space, 705 may be a better choice as long as you use a separate subwoofer.

[Mr. Mxyztplk]

I purchased a pair of 602 S3s for my fronts and after a couple of months I continue to be impressed with the low end response (I usually forget to turn on my sub). The only reason I would upgrade to the 604s would be to get higher sound levels for a larger room. The 602s are a definite sweet spot in the series and I would only look at the 604 for improvement. Beyond that would be the 700 or 800 series.

[sikoniko]

604's have a fuller sound in my opinion.

Let me warn you, this is a slippery slope!!!

I had 604's up until last december. My recommendation is look at your budget and try to do as much of an upgrade within that amount as possible and keep in mind if you upgrade your mains, and use it for home theater, you will need to upgrade your center. So, if you plan to go to 700 series, plan for fronts, and a center at a minimum, but if you can afford it, upgrade your rears at the same time.

This way you will have nipped the upgrade bug for a few years. If you try and just do mains, you'll find yourself wanting to upgrade the center, and then have to find money for it. then you may decide you want to upgrade your rear speakers, and it just continues to eat at your wallet, whereas if you upgrade everything at one time, your sound will be consistent.

Also, keep in mind that the better quality speakers require better amplification. This is where is is important to stick to your budget, and ABSOLUTELY, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES LISTEN TO SPEAKERS OUT OF YOUR PRICE RANGE! NOT EVEN JUST TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE MISSING OR TO COMPARE OR BE CURIOUS! Once you have heard the better quality, you will have a harder time getting what you can afford.

learn from my mistakes...