By Mike Swann

Finally B&W has released the new 600 Series speakers. It’s a big event, involving the largest dedicated loud speaker manufacturer, the most popular line of their range and a painstaking 7 years of research.

The 600 series is the range that the ordinary people can actually afford. It’s the range that begs, borrows and steals technology from its bigger brothers (CM Series and 800 Series) and achieves a price point that’s consistent with what you would find in a mass retailer. What you get for that money is something very special and still exclusive.

B&W would have received more awards, accolades and 5 star reviews than any other brand, but for me, it’s Abbey Road that makes B&W special. Abbey Road in London is probably the greatest recording studio in the world. They are famous for producing The Beatles albums. For me, however, it’s the Pink Floyd recordings that make them the greatest. And, here’s the thing, Abbey Road use the same consumer B&W (800 Series) speakers that you can buy from a specialist retailer. The musicians, equipment and the considerable budget of Abbey Road says that these B&W speakers are close to perfection.

So back to the humble, thieving 600 Series. What’s changed?… In short, a lot!

The first thing you’d notice is the design. Now they come in black for darker environments and cinema rooms and a stunning white. Sales of white speakers have grown from around 7% of sales to over a quarter of total sales. The growth of white sales cannibalised the sales of wood textures to the point where B&W discontinued production of wood finishes for the 600 Series. The white finish compliments many of these dual purpose living spaces and beige / white walls.

The shield shaped tweeter enclosures are now also covered, which was done for acoustic purposes, but families with kids will welcome this change as there should be fewer poked tweeter cones! Finally, the plinth at the base of the speakers are much smaller. This came about due to changes in Euro regulations, but it also makes them look even better.

The next thing you’ll notice is that each member of the 600 Series is now very different. In the past, budget would largely dictate the selection, but now they are all unique. The 683 is similar in appearance to the last series, yet now the 684 is positively tiny at just 955mm (H) x 160mm (W) x 238mm (D). The audio quality was an improvement on the last 684, yet the smaller form-factor should suit more rooms.

The centre speakers are also very different in size now. The HTM61 is visibly larger than the last series and now has a true 3-way design. It really looks like it belongs in a dedicated home theatre. The HTM62 is much smaller at 160mm high (HTM61 218mm), meaning it can be slotted into most room designs, yet will still deliver quality sound that would be far beyond the norm for a multipurpose room.

For the bookshelf speakers, the 685 is a little taller and skinnier, but retains most of its characteristics. The little brother 686 is better designed. It’s small and compact, but importantly, the depth has been reduced. This should be particularly helpful when mounting it on walls.

The sound quality?

I’m predicting that the new series will clean up the awards. You’d think that the smaller 684 shouldn’t sound as good since it’s smaller… But! We know that the 600 Series is the poor cousin of the B&W range with a penchant for stealing! The victim in this case is the famous PM1 bookshelves (What Hi-Fi? 5-star winner and $3000+RRP per pair). Whatever it stole, be it the anti-resonance plugs or the kevlar drivers isn’t important, the point is that it works!
The 683 and 685 speakers were already phenomenal with their FST mids and Nautilus tube-loaded tweeter, but there have been a couple of major audio improvements. First, there’s the new aluminum ‘double-dome’ tweeter design. Second, the tweeter is now isolated from the main cabinet. If this all sounds familiar, then you’re right. This design was a trademark of the immensely popular B&W CM10 floor standing speaker which retail for $5,499 (Sound+Image Highly Commended). The sticky fingers of the 600 Series were again rewarded with these budget B&W speakers delivering audio quality that far exceeds the dollars.

 

(The double dome deconstructed)