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Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) DM603 Series 3 Speakers Review by Nick Townsend A quality speaker for both music and movies Overview Anyone who has had a snoop around our website will probably have noticed that we are big fans of Paradigm speakers. Our rants and raves concerning this Canadian loudspeaker manufacturer has probably overshadowed other quality speaker brands that we have available - namely B&W, and in particular the B&W DM600 Series 3. Sitting towards the top of this mid-price speaker series are the floorstanding DM603. B&W is a well established UK brand, no doubt many of you have heard of them. Specifications and Setup An attractive pair of floorstanders, the DM603s look classy whether or not the removable black grilles are in place. One practical feature of the grille is its well-braced construction, which serves to protect the drivers of the speaker from prying little fingers. Many other speaker manufacturers could do better in this area. Removing the grilles exposes a modern yet elegant appearance – build quality, fit and finish is excellent. These floorstanders are medium-sized, dimensions being 910mm high, 204mm wide and 287mm deep. Weight is a hefty 19.5kg each. The DM603s are a 2 ½ way, 3 speaker design incorporating a 16.5cm aluminium bass driver, a 16.5cm Kevlar mid/bass driver, and a 25mm alloy dome tweeter. The yellow Kevlar material used for the mid-bass is said to reduce sound colouration and is a trademark B&W look, while the DM603’s tweeter borrows technology from its flag-ship Nautilus Series tweeter design. There are also front and rear ports that have small golf ball-like dimples on their surface, which are claimed to reduce chuffing during extreme bass output, while also extending bass delivery. If you find the bass a little too overwhelming, foam bungs are supplied for plugging the ports to reduce bass energy. Solid, dual binding posts are supplied, so bi-wiring or bi-amping is possible if you so desire. The DM603s are 8 ohm rated speakers, power handling is 25-150 watts, and a claimed sensitivity of 90dB (2.83V, 1m) means they are fairly easy to drive. Three finishes are available: Calvados (Dark Cherry), Sorrento (Light Pine) and Black Ash. For this review the speakers were placed approximately 2.5m apart and toed in slightly towards the listener. The review room is approximately 4m x 5m, with 3m ceilings.
Performance Stereo listening is first up and initial impressions are positive. Presentation would be best described as forward and punchy. The amount of sound these speakers push towards you is quite impressive considering they are not overly large. Play ‘Best of you’ from the Foo Fighters’ new album In Your Honour and the high energy track comes through powerful and clear. Drums, bass guitar and electric guitar are well placed within a deep soundstage, with each instrument allowed to be heard clearly in isolation. The gruff voice of lead singer Dave Grohl is reproduced faithfully and is well centred amongst the various instruments. Michael Jackson’s second track ‘Heartbreaker’, from his album Invincible, is a great tester for musical timing with a forceful mid-range thump. The DM603s breeze through this track, never sounding slow or strained with the fast multilayered beat. Many other speakers struggle with this particular piece. Other artists taken for a spin included Missy Elliot, Cold Play and Terri Clark. Missy’s funky beats sound tight and controlled, and the deep bass that pervades many of her tracks pounds out with conviction through the DM603s. If you like your bass, you will love these speakers. The top end, however, is a little less impressive. Terri Clark’s vocals in her country ballad ‘Good Mother’ sound a little harsh and forced, and listening to this track at moderate to high volume levels becomes taxing on the ears after a few minutes. Likewise classical pieces like Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 and 41, especially string instruments such as violins, sound slightly forced and lack a bit of transparency. Reproduction of higher frequencies is quite acceptable for the majority of music, but the greater detail that is required for certain genres of music is lacking. In most situations, speakers that perform well in stereo music listening sessions also make for fine performers in home theatre applications, and the DM603s do not disappoint. The slight high frequency shortfalls apparent during musical listening sessions are less noticeable in the random nature of DVD soundtracks, and the DM603’s strong mid-range and bass performance helps to reinforce the large-scale set pieces of many modern movies. B&W manufacture a range of centre and surround speakers that can be partnered with the DM603s for multichannel music and movies. For this particular review a B&W LCR600 centre speaker and B&W DM601 bookshelf/surround speakers were combined with the DM603s. With all speakers employing the same tweeter and identical mid-bass drivers, tonal balance is spot on. Listening to action scenes from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is thrilling, as the cacophony of sound flows seamlessly and consistently from one speaker to the other. And while the DM603s do produce plenty of bass for their size, it is recommended that a subwoofer be added to enjoy all that a 5.1 DVD soundtrack has to offer. Before I sum up, a little story. A gentleman came into the store not all that long ago who was after a new set of stereo speakers. He mentioned that the B&W 600 Series were a speaker range on his shortlist, so a couple of speakers in this series were set up for audition in our sound lounge for him, along with a couple of other brands. During the listening and comparison session he told me he was a drummer by trade, and that he liked a speaker that possessed strong mid and lower bass capabilities, without sounding too ill-defined or “woolly”. His preference in speakers was backed up by the selection of CDs that he brought along – predominantly music where drums played a large role in most of the tracks, or part therof (ie – drum solo). After auditioning the various speakers, the B&W DM603 emerged as his preferred choice. And while he did comment that a couple of the other speakers he listened to provided greater clarity and detail in the highs, he was not after a speaker that exhibited that particular characteristic. Last Words The B&W DM603 floorstanders are attractive, well-constructed speakers that provide a great solution for stereo music listening, and are also well suited as the front main speakers in a surround sound system. Their bass and midrange performance is excellent at this price point, and my small concern regarding high frequency reproduction doesn’t mean you won’t like the sound of these speakers. As always, we recommend that you come in and have a listen for yourself and see if the DM603s are the speaker for you. ___________________________________________________ Product: Bowers and Wilkins DM603 Series 3 Floorstanding Speakers Price: $1,999 Warranty: 5 years Availability: now Website: • www.bwspeakers.com (International website) • www.e-hifi.com.au (Australian distributor website)
Components used in this review:
→ (stereo): Yamaha RX-777 (RRP $999) → (multi-channel): Yamaha RX-V757 A/V Receiver (RRP $1,399)
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