B&W 600i compared to B&W 601 S3 ?

[Brad Steinfeld]

Hello gang. Newbie here so thanks for any help.

Had the chance to borrow a friends pair of B&W 601 s3. Really liked them as mains on my old Pioneer receiver that pushes 70w.

For sale not so close by are a pair of 600i B&W's.
Not knowing the B&W line other than by reputation I was curious if these two models compared closely to each other and what I could expect from the 600i as a comparison to the 601 S3.

Thanks very much.
B

[blackraven]

Brad, I have heard the 601's but not the 600i's. I have heard 2 versions of the 601's. I bought them used for my son from a dealer but ended up returning them as we found them fatiguing. I think that there are better speakers available today. But the 600i is a budget speaker and is below the 601's.

What's your budget?

[topspeed]

Welcome to AR, Brad. The DM601 S3 is a much newer version of the 600i and has a number of refinements over it's predecessor. Most obvious is the updated drivers that include B&W's famous Nautilus tweeter and signature kevlar midrange. You have to remember, the 600i was built 25-30 years ago while the S3 went out of production in '07. This is not to say either are bad, I still love my CDM 7NT's from '03, however I would think it would be safe to say the 600i's, with their polypropylene mid/bass and '80's metal dome tweeter may be tuned quite a bit hotter than the later gen.

FWIW, check audiogon, usaudiomart, and ebay. There are a LOT of B&W's on the used market and you shouldn't have any problem finding exactly what you're looking for.

Hope that helps.

[Brad Steinfeld]

Thanks very much for the feedback. With a bargain basement budget my initial set up and B&W options are very limited. I did go ahead and grab a pair of 6ooi's for $150.00 just to get up and running.For the money I have no complaints.
Step two is the "main course". Looking at a decent integrated amp or receiver. Perhaps a Yamaha 2020 and Magnaplaners or JBL's as I had years ago. Still a tight budget but I believe $500.00 budgeted for used speakers can fill my needs well along with $400.00 for a receiver or integrated amp plus $300.00 for a turntable for a total of $1200.00.
Thanks again for input.

[topspeed]

Congrats on the B&W's, I'm sure they'll bring you years of enjoyment!

$500 will buy all kinds of interesting speakers, from the new Elac B6's that seem to be the current darling of the show circuit to Epos, Monitor, Paradigm, etc., and I haven't even thrown in your used options. Same thing with the integrated; NAD, Roksan, Creek, Marantz, or Cambridge Audio (which is what I've used almost non-stop in my office for over 10 years) are the names usually bandied about. Tons of good choices.

The key is going to be synergy. I'd suggest finding the right speakers first and then making sure your amplifier is a synergistic match. The Maggies you mentioned are a perfect example. You already know they devour current, so you'll want an amp that can satisfy them whereas a more conventional speaker may sound best with an amp with a high damping factor. Just take care to match them appropriately.

Good luck and have fun!